Koji Amazake: A Traditional Drinkable Beauty Serum

Many people struggle with skin issues like dryness and a lack of luster. Conversely, when applying your makeup goes smoothly in the morning, it’s enough to make your whole day feel radiant. Indeed, many women are diligent about their makeup and skincare out of a wish to look good and feel beautiful.

There are countless items on the market to help women achieve a more beautiful look. But recently there has been a lot of talk about beautiful-looking people who habitually drink koji amazake [a sweet fermented drink made from koji rice malt]. To help us investigate the beauty benefits of koji amazake and how to best take advantage of them, we enlisted Ueda Manami from Marukome Co., Ltd.’s Public Relations Department.

▶Koji Amazake for Fatigue: Why It’s Called a Drinkable IV

Koji amazake is packed with beauty-enhancing components

Ueda is a habitual drinker of koji amazake who doesn’t use any foundation

There are two basic types of amazake: koji amazake made with rice koji, and saké lees amazake made with saké lees. The key difference is that saké lees amazake contains alcohol because it uses the lees left over from saké production, whereas koji amazake is alcohol-free. Koji amazake is the type safe for young children and pregnant women to drink.

Koji amazake is often called the drinkable IV drip due to its abundance of beneficial components. But why is it particularly good for beauty?

“The rice and rice koji used to make koji amazake contain a component called glucosylceramide. The stratum corneum of human skin contains ceramides, which are components essential for maintaining a proper barrier function that protects the skin from external irritants like dryness and dust. Glucosylceramide is the precursor to these ceramides.

“Furthermore, the N-acetylglucosamine found in rice koji apparently promotes the formation of collagen and hyaluronic acid and acts to boost moisture levels in the stratum corneum. Koji amazake also contains B vitamins, essential for beauty, making it a treasure trove of beauty-enhancing components.”

Experiments demonstrate the beauty benefits of koji amazake

A research trial by Marukome demonstrated some of the beauty benefits of koji amazake.

■Research trial details
Subjects: Women aged 40 through 64 with impaired skin barrier function
Trial procedure: The trial subjects consumed one 125 mL container of Koji Amazake with Extra Koji daily for eight weeks. Skin moisture levels (moisture levels in the stratum corneum) and skin barrier function (trans-epidermal water loss) were measured before the subjects began consuming the drink and at weeks four and eight of the trial.

“Ceramide levels usually start declining in one’s 40s. But in this trial, skin condition analyses of women aged 40 through 64 with dry skin showed improvements in skin moisturization and barrier function. Moreover, by the four-week measurement point after starting consumption of koji amazake, nearly all of the trial subjects had noticed changes in their skin.

“Skin condition is affected not only by internal factors but also by external ones like dry air. The trial started in autumn and continued into the winter season when the air starts to dry out. During this period, we measured a steady decline in the skin moisture levels of trial subjects who did not drink koji amazake, while the group that drank koji amazake maintained or even increased their skin moisture levels.”

In addition to perceived improvements in their skin conditions, many trial subjects reported improved bowel movements.

“Physical issues rarely stem from a single cause. They are usually the combined result of multiple factors. Constipation can be a contributing factor to skin problems. So drinking koji amazake may have improved the gut health of the trial subjects, which in turn led to healthier skin.”

Tips for building the foundations of beauty with koji amazake

Trial results have confirmed koji amazake’s potential skin benefits. Does Ueda have a recommended way to drink koji amazake to maximize these benefits?

“In our trial, we didn’t specify a particular time to drink koji amazake. The trial subjects were free to consume it at any time throughout the day. Nearly all subjects saw improvements regardless, so it’s generally fine to drink it anytime. However, I suggest drinking it at night. This is because the human body undergoes various metabolic processes while sleeping. Ceramide generation also occurs during sleep, so, theoretically, consuming glucosylceramide — the precursor to ceramides — just before sleep will be more effective.”

Another good thing to learn is that these health and beauty components of koji amazake are not lost when heated.

“Ceramides, essential for beautiful, healthy skin, resist breaking down even when heated. Therefore, during the cold months, we recommend warming up koji amazake before drinking it or using it as a seasoning in cooking. Koji amazake has a gentle sweetness derived from fermentation, so it can be used as a fermented sweetener in place of sugar.

“And above all, the most important thing to maximize the benefits of koji amazake is to drink it consistently every day. We’d be delighted if you could incorporate this wonderful beverage into your daily routine, in a way that fits your lifestyle and feels manageable.”

▶Koji Amazake for Fatigue: Why It’s Called a Drinkable IV