10 Best Tried and True Japanese Tissues in 2022
Tissues are indispensable for blowing your nose, fixing makeup, and more. Many tissues are made by Japanese manufacturers such as Elière, Crecia, and Nose Celeb, and it can be difficult to find the perfect for your needs. To figure out the best Japanese tissues, we gathered the 20 best-selling products on e-commerce sites popular in Japan, like Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping, and tested them all.
We tested each product for the following:
- Softness
- Cost-effectiveness
Then, based on our tests, we ranked the 10 best Japanese tissues in 2022. We also put together a buying guide to help you choose the best Japanese tissues for you.
Quick List - Top Japanese Tissues
Daio Paper
mybest's Top Choice! Moisturizing Ultra-Soft Tissue for When You Have a Cold or Allergies
Japan Paper Crecia
Lotion Tissue That Moisturizes and Is Gentle on Skin
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What Makes Japanese Tissues Unique?
Compared to their American counterparts, Japanese tissues are thinner, making them more gentle on the skin and causing less irritation, especially with frequent use during the cold season when runny noses are a constant. The tissue paper is made of higher quality material, often without using any recycled material, which can be rougher and irritating for the skin. The higher quality is such that some tourists when visiting the country, will even buy boxes in bulk to give as gifts to people back home!
How to Choose Japanese Tissues
Here are two essential points to keep in mind when choosing a Japanese tissue to purchase.
Choose a Type Based on What You Need Them For
When considering which tissues to buy, we suggest thinking about whether you're going to use them for hygienic purposes, such as blowing your nose, or for cleaning things, like wiping down surfaces.
Prioritize Softness for Blowing Your Nose and Removing Makeup
If you are planning on using the tissues on your face, such as for blowing your nose or fixing your makeup, we recommend choosing tissues that feel soft and comfortable to the touch. Look for tissues labeled 100 percent pulp, pure pulp, fresh pulp or virgin pulp. Tissues that contain recycled paper can have a rougher texture, so check the raw material list carefully.
However, since many tissues on the market today are made of 100 percent pulp, even checking the raw materials might not give you a good idea of softness. So, we compared the feel of these tissues using the TSA Softness Measuring Device, which measures texture. Refer to the rankings to see how each product performed.
Cheap Tissues Will Do the Job for Cleaning and Wiping Your Hands
If you plan on using them for wiping surfaces, your hands, or general purposes, you can look for a product emphasizing cost-effectiveness since the texture is not a concern.
Each box should indicate how many sheets and how many sets are included in it. Sometimes the amount you actually use is in pairs of two or three sheets stacked on top of each other, which is the "set" amount.
Since you use often use multiple tissues when cleaning, pay more attention to how many pairs or sets are in the package. Our rankings will give you a rough idea of each product's cost-effectiveness, even though Japanese prices may be different.
For Sensitive Skin or Frequent Use, Look for Ones With High-Quality Moisturizers Included
During allergy season or if you have a cold, when you are constantly blowing your nose, for people with sensitive skin or for babies, we recommend high-end tissues which include moisturizing ingredients. Choose tissues labeled as lotion tissues, or described as having moisturizing properties.
Because they contain moisturizing ingredients such as squalane, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and collagen, they're gentle and won't irritate the skin even with a lot of use. A smooth and soft texture is characteristic, and some can feel slightly cool and soothing to the touch.
10 Best Japanese Tissues Ranking
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daio Paper Elleair Lotion Tissue 3 Pack | | mybest's Top Choice! Moisturizing Ultra-Soft Tissue for When You Have a Cold or Allergies | |
2 | Daio Paper Elleair Plus Water 5 Pack | | Soft Tissue With Moisturizing Ingredients | |
3 | Askul Original Tissue Mocha 5 Pack | | Great Value Tissue for Everyday Use | |
4 | Japan Paper Crecia Kleenex Lotion Tissues Skin Moisturizing 3 Pack | | Lotion Tissue That Moisturizes and Is Gentle on Skin | |
5 | Japan Paper Crecia Scottie Cashmere | | Soft Tissue that Feels Comfortable on the Skin | |
6 | Daio Paper Elleair Cotton Feel 5 Pack | | Befitting of Its Name "Cotton Feel" | |
7 | Kami Trading Elmore Piko Tissue 5 Pack | | Basic Tissue for All-Purpose Use | |
8 | Oji Nepia Hana Nose Celeb Tissue 3 Pack | | Soft and Comfortable to the Touch | |
9 | Oji Nepia Premium Soft Tissue 5 Pack | | Solid, Average Tissue for Everyday Use | |
10 | Japan Paper Crecia Scottie Tissues 5 Pack | | Good Value and Amount Per Box; Suitable for Large Households |
mybest's Top Choice! Moisturizing Ultra-Soft Tissue for When You Have a Cold or Allergies
This tissue has a pillowy smoothness that makes you want to just rub it on your cheeks. Containing three types of moisturizing ingredients, glycerin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid, this tissue offers a luxurious moisturizing feel.
We highly recommend this product to those that prioritize softness and feel. Although it was equal to another product, Nepia's Nose Celeb, in this regard, it works out to be a bit cheaper per use.
This tissue will make your daily life feel just a little more luxurious and comfortable, especially when you have to frequently blow your nose due to hay fever and colds! Mybest proudly recommends this as our number one tissue.
Soft Tissue With Moisturizing Ingredients
This tissue contains glycerin, a moisturizing ingredient, which gives it its moist and smooth texture. Combined with the softness of the tissue paper, this product offers a luxurious feel on the skin.
We recommend this product for you if you go through lots of tissues on a daily basis from blowing your nose or fixing makeup. This tissue will be gentle and feel pleasant on the skin, and it doesn't perform badly in terms of cost-effectiveness compared to the other super-soft ones.
Great Value Tissue for Everyday Use
This product performed adequately in our tests for softness with an average rating in terms of skin feel. It is soft enough for occasional use but we do not recommend blowing your nose with them repeatedly due to the lack of any moisturizing ingredients. However, it's great in terms of cost performance, so perfect for things like wiping computer screens and eyeglasses.
Japan Paper CreciaKleenex Lotion Tissues Skin Moisturizing 3 Pack
Lotion Tissue That Moisturizes and Is Gentle on Skin
Kleenex lotion tissue from Japan Paper Crecia provides ample moisturizing while remaining gentle on the skin, making it the perfect product for allergy season or if you have a cold. Each box contains 204 sheets and will last you a long time, which is another bonus.
Soft Tissue that Feels Comfortable on the Skin
This tissue lives up to its name of "cashmere" due to its soft and gentle texture with moderate moistness. We recommend it for use around the face as it does not irritate even when you rub your skin. Since the price per tissue is a bit high, we recommend saving it for such uses.
Befitting of Its Name "Cotton Feel"
In line with the "Cotton Feel" name, this tissue has a pleasant, fluffy feel. Although it does not contain any moisturizing ingredients, it feels smooth and gentle on the skin. We highly recommend this product to those who do not like the cool sensation characteristic of tissues containing moisturizing ingredients but still want a comfortable, soft feel.
Basic Tissue for All-Purpose Use
This basic tissue is easy to dispense and use, scoring average points for softness and comfort and at good value for its cost. It can be used for everyday purposes such as wiping off surfaces, as a napkin, and blowing the nose, making it ideal for all-purpose use.
Soft and Comfortable to the Touch
Oji Nepia's Hana (Nose) Celeb is renowned for its one-of-a-kind smooth feel and adorable packaging featuring the cutest animals. It also received high scores in our tests for feel on the skin.
The moisturizing ingredients in the tissue give it a smooth lushness when used and it has just the right amount of fluffiness. It is ideal for use around the face as it does not sting even after repeatedly blowing your nose. But it's fairly expensive per use, so it's best for use on the face and for allergy season.
Solid, Average Tissue for Everyday Use
This product is your normal average tissue, neither particularly good nor bad, receiving a median score in our tests for softness. It can be used for wiping off surfaces or blowing one's nose. If you are looking for a plain, functional product with no special unique characteristics, this is a safe bet.
Good Value and Amount Per Box; Suitable for Large Households
This product has 200 sets of tissues per box, which will last you a long time, and yet it's the cheapest one we tested, making it excel in terms of cost-effectiveness. We recommend this product for families with small children and other households that consume many tissues.
How We Tested the Japanese Tissues
To figure out the best Japanese tissues, we gathered the 20 best-selling products on e-commerce sites popular in Japan, like Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping, and tested them all.
We tested each product for the following:
- Softness
- Cost-effectiveness
Test ① Softness and Feel
First, we examined the softness or feel on the skin of each of the tissues. We quantified this using the TSA Softness Measuring Device, borrowed from Sanyo Trading Company. It simulates how human skin reacts to touch stimuli. The higher the value, the better the softness and comfort that the tissues provided.
In addition to the machine, our editorial staff members used each of the tissues to check their comfort to touch. The ratings were determined by considering both the value obtained using the TSA Softness Measuring Device and the actual feel of the tissue when used by real people.
Test Highlight: Moisturizing or Tissues With Lotion Felt the Best!
The top four products in terms of feel were all moisturizing or lotion tissues. Moisturizing tissues as a whole received excellent ratings for feel on the skin. There was a drastic difference between these and regular tissues. If you value the feel of the tissues, we highly recommend choosing tissues with moisturizing ingredients.
Among the tissues with moisturizing ingredients, Japan Paper Crecia's Kleenex Tissue Aqua Veil was the only product to receive a low rating, so we can't recommend this one when choosing tissues if you're looking for the best texture.
Test ② Cost-Effectiveness
Next, we looked at the price of each tissue set, which is the smallest amount you'd use each time, as opposed to per sheet, which can be misleading. We calculated this in April 2019, and the price you pay in Japan may not be the same as overseas, but it will give you a rough estimate of which products are more cost-effective.
Test Highlight: Tissues With Moisturizers Tend to Be Pricey
The cheapest tissues we tested were 0.3 yen per set, or about 0.3 cents. The most expensive were a whopping 1.1 yen, or 1.1 cents, which is a huge difference! If you used 100 tissues, you'd pay either 30 cents, or a dollar and 10 cents!
The price per tissue set of ones with moisturizing ingredients is generally higher. The average cost of non-lotion types was 0.5 yen (0.5 cents) and lotion or moisturizing ones averaged 0.8 yen, for a difference of 0.3 yen, or 0.3 cents.
So, we recommend choosing your tissues based on what you need them for. If you're cleaning your phone screen you'll do fine with the less expensive regular tissues, and you can save the lotion types for use on your nose and face.
Looking for More Japanese Paper and Personal Care Products?
We have some other great choices for you whether you're shopping in Japan or from overseas. Check out these articles!
Top 5 Japanese Tissues
No. 1: Daio Paper｜Elleair Lotion Tissue 3 Pack
No. 2: Daio Paper｜Elleair Plus Water 5 Pack
No. 3: Askul｜Original Tissue Mocha 5 Pack
No. 4: Japan Paper Crecia｜Kleenex Lotion Tissues Skin Moisturizing 3 Pack
No. 5: Japan Paper Crecia｜Scottie Cashmere
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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