Geisha-inspired beauty tricks from Mirai Clinical

Persimmon was once to geishas what mascara is to women today: a beauty essential.

The Japanese entertainers washed red kimonos with extracts of the fruit to help them retain their vibrant colour; laid dried persimmon leaves in their clean, folded kimonos, to protect them from bugs; and added persimmon to their bath water, for its antiseptic qualities. And the geishas used persimmon juice as a deodorant; its high tannin content means it absorbs odours well.

Now an American skincare firm has revived the geishas' beauty secrets with a line of soaps, spritzers and serums, which the brand claims is the first to use persimmon powder as its main ingredient.

"In Japan, everyone knows persimmon is a great natural remedy for [dealing with] odour, but outside of Japan few people do," says Koko Hayashi, the chief executive of Mirai Clinical .

This isn't the first time a geisha beauty trick has taken off abroad.