Ishizawa Lab & Keana Nadeshiko: The Complete Brand Guide
Most people discover Ishizawa Lab without knowing its name. They find the Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack in a Reddit haul post or a TikTok pore video, try it, love it, and never look further. That’s a missed opportunity, because Ishizawa Lab makes a full ecosystem of skincare products, each line targeting a different concern, all built on the same philosophy: simple formulas that solve specific problems at prices that won’t make you wince.
This guide covers every Ishizawa Lab line available outside Japan, what each one does, how they compare, and where to find them.
The Brand: Ishizawa Lab
Ishizawa Lab (石澤研究所) was founded in Tokyo in the 1980s. The company operates under a straightforward principle: create targeted skincare that addresses one concern well, without unnecessary ingredients or complicated routines.
Unlike massive Japanese beauty conglomerates like Shiseido or Kao, Ishizawa Lab stays focused on problem solving. Each product line has a clear reason to exist, and the formulas tend to be short and transparent. This is a brand that would rather make one effective pore cleanser than launch twelve different serums.
Ishizawa Lab is the parent company behind several sub brands, including Keana Nadeshiko (pore care), Acne Barrier (breakout prevention), and Shigaisen Yohou (sun protection). In Japan, they’re sold at drugstores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Don Quijote. In the US, availability is more limited but growing.
Keana Nadeshiko: The Pore Care Line
Keana Nadeshiko (毛穴撫子, which translates loosely to “pore beauty”) is Ishizawa Lab’s best known line internationally. It’s built around rice based ingredients, specifically rice serum and rice bran, which have a long history in Japanese skincare for smoothing texture and tightening the appearance of pores.
The line has four products available outside Japan:
Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack
The Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack is the product that put the brand on the map outside Japan. It’s a wash off mask made with rice serum that you apply to clean skin, leave for five minutes, and rinse. The result: pores look visibly smaller and skin feels smoother.
It went viral on Reddit’s r/AsianBeauty and TikTok for showing visible results in a single use. It’s not a miracle product, but as a quick pore refining treatment, it delivers. For a deep dive, check out our full Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack review.
Best for: Visible pores, rough texture, quick results before an event.
Keana Nadeshiko (Ishizawa Lab)
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Keana Nadeshiko Rice Mask
The Keana Nadeshiko Rice Mask is a sheet mask version of the pore care concept. Each pack contains 10 rice infused sheet masks, making it one of the better value sheet mask options in Japanese skincare.
These work well as a weekly treatment rather than the Rice Pack’s “quick fix” approach. The sheet format delivers hydration alongside the pore refining rice extract, so skin feels plump and smooth after use.
Best for: Weekly pore care, hydration boost, anyone who prefers sheet masks over wash off formulas.
Ishizawa
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Keana Nadeshiko Face Foam
The Keana Nadeshiko Face Foam is a baking soda based foaming cleanser designed to dissolve sebum plugs and debris inside pores. It creates a dense foam that lifts out the gunk without stripping the skin barrier.
Baking soda in cleansers can be polarizing (it’s alkaline), but this formula is buffered to be gentler than straight baking soda. Still, anyone with very dry or sensitive skin should patch test first.
Best for: Oily skin, clogged pores, sebaceous filaments on the nose.
Ishizawa
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Keana Nadeshiko Face Scrub
The Keana Nadeshiko Face Scrub is a physical exfoliant that combines baking soda with scrub particles to manually clear pores. It’s more aggressive than the Face Foam, making it better suited for once or twice a week use rather than daily cleansing.
Think of this as the heavy duty option in the Keana Nadeshiko lineup. When pores are particularly congested or skin feels rough and bumpy, this scrub does the work.
Best for: Stubborn congestion, rough texture, weekly deep cleanse. Not ideal for sensitive or dry skin types.
Ishizawa
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Acne Barrier: The Breakout Prevention Line
The Acne Barrier line takes a different approach from Keana Nadeshiko. Instead of pore appearance, it targets active breakouts and acne prevention using tea tree oil and anti inflammatory ingredients.
Acne Barrier Protect Face Wash
The Ishizawa Lab Acne Barrier Protect Face Wash is a 100g cleanser formulated with tea tree oil to fight acne causing bacteria while cleansing. It’s straightforward: wash your face, help prevent new breakouts.
Tea tree oil is one of the better studied natural antimicrobials for acne, and this formula uses it as the star ingredient rather than burying it at the bottom of a long ingredient list.
Best for: Acne prone skin, hormonal breakouts, anyone looking for a simple anti acne cleanser.
Ishizawa
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Acne Barrier Protect Lotion
The Ishizawa Lab Acne Barrier Protect Lotion is a lightweight toner (called “lotion” in Japanese skincare terminology) that calms existing breakouts and helps prevent new ones. It pairs with the Acne Barrier face wash as a two step routine.
The formula is anti inflammatory and lightweight, so it layers well under moisturizer without feeling heavy or clogging pores. For anyone dealing with acne who has found heavier toners make things worse, this is worth trying.
Best for: Acne prone skin that needs hydration without heaviness, post cleanse toning, pairing with the Acne Barrier face wash.
Ishizawa
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Shigaisen Yohou: Sun Protection
Shigaisen Yohou UV Stick
The Shigaisen Yohou Sarasara UV Stick is Ishizawa Lab’s entry into sun care, and it’s quietly become a cult favorite in Japan. It’s an SPF50+/PA++++ stick sunscreen that goes on completely non sticky (sarasara literally means “smooth” or “silky” in Japanese).
Stick sunscreens are having a moment because they solve the biggest problem with daily sunscreen use: reapplication. Nobody wants to rub cream sunscreen over makeup at 2 PM. A stick format lets you swipe and go. This one is also alcohol free, which is uncommon for Japanese sunscreens at this protection level.
Best for: Sunscreen reapplication over makeup, anyone who hates sticky sunscreen, on the go UV protection.
Ishizawa
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How the Lines Compare
Each Ishizawa Lab line solves a different problem. Here’s a quick guide to picking the right one:
Enlarged or visible pores: Start with the Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack for immediate results, then maintain with the Rice Mask weekly. Use the Face Foam or Face Scrub as your pore focused cleanser.
Acne and breakouts: Go with the Acne Barrier duo (face wash + lotion). These target the bacteria and inflammation behind breakouts, not just the surface appearance of pores.
Sun protection: The Shigaisen Yohou UV Stick stands alone as a reapplication friendly sunscreen. It works alongside any of the skincare lines above.
Combination concerns (pores + acne): You can mix lines. Use the Acne Barrier cleanser in the morning for breakout prevention, and the Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack a few times a week for pore appearance. The lines aren’t designed to conflict with each other.
One thing to note: Keana Nadeshiko focuses on the appearance of pores (temporarily tightening, smoothing texture), while Acne Barrier focuses on what’s happening inside pores (bacteria, inflammation). They address different stages of the same problem.
Where to Buy Ishizawa Lab Outside Japan
Availability for Ishizawa Lab products is more limited than mainstream Japanese brands like Biore or Hada Labo. You won’t find these at Target or Sephora.
The most reliable US source for the full Ishizawa Lab lineup is JJ Cosmetics, which carries all six skincare products (the Keana Nadeshiko rice pack, rice mask, face foam, and face scrub, plus both Acne Barrier products).
The Shigaisen Yohou UV Stick is harder to find stateside, with no verified retailer listings at this time. Check specialty J beauty retailers or consider importing from Japan through services like Kiyoko or BuyMeJapan.
For the most current availability and pricing, check each product’s page on our directory:
- Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack
- Keana Nadeshiko Rice Mask
- Keana Nadeshiko Face Foam
- Keana Nadeshiko Face Scrub
- Acne Barrier Protect Face Wash
- Acne Barrier Protect Lotion
- Shigaisen Yohou UV Stick
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Keana Nadeshiko and Ishizawa Lab the same brand?
Keana Nadeshiko is a product line made by Ishizawa Lab. Think of Ishizawa Lab as the parent company, and Keana Nadeshiko as one of its sub brands (like how Procter & Gamble makes both Olay and CeraVe). Other Ishizawa Lab lines include Acne Barrier and Shigaisen Yohou.
Is the Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack the same as the Rice Mask?
No. The Rice Pack is a wash off mask you apply and rinse after five minutes. The Rice Mask is a box of 10 sheet masks. Both target pores using rice based ingredients, but the format and use case differ. The Rice Pack is better for quick, visible results. The Rice Mask is better for regular maintenance with added hydration.
Can you use Keana Nadeshiko products with other brands?
Yes. Ishizawa Lab products work fine alongside products from other brands. The Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack, for example, is a treatment step you add to any existing routine. Same goes for the Shigaisen Yohou UV Stick as a sunscreen.
Is Ishizawa Lab cruelty free?
Ishizawa Lab does not test on animals as a company policy. However, they do not carry Leaping Bunny or PETA certification, so this depends on your personal standard for “cruelty free.” Products sold in mainland China may be subject to post market animal testing under Chinese regulations.
Why is Ishizawa Lab less well known than other Japanese skincare brands?
Ishizawa Lab doesn’t have the marketing budget or global distribution of brands like Shiseido or SK-II. They’re a mid size company that sells primarily through Japanese drugstores. International awareness has grown mostly through social media (Reddit, TikTok) rather than traditional advertising.