Muscle cream big in Japan

Yeo Kyung-eun, 27, has created a sports massage cream that is getting wide attention at one of the world’s biggest consumer goods and accessories exhibitions being held in Tokyo this week.

The young entrepreneur is among 2,500 individuals and companies participating in the three-day Tokyo International Gift Show that kicked off on Wednesday. Roughly 250,000 people are expected to visit the show.

The young Korean entrepreneur introduced her Q60 cream. The cream helps alleviate muscle pain, elbow pain and even arthritis, and its effects can be felt just 60 seconds after it is applied - which explains its name. (The Q is supposed to stand for “quick.”)

It is also good for cold hands and feet.

“I enjoy leisure time outdoors and various sports,” Yeo said. “So this is a product I can use. The cream helps increase your body temperature before workouts and quickly helps for recovery after workouts.”

Yeo studied in the United States for two years of high school and moved to Japan, where she graduated from Meiji University. Although she was always interested in starting her own business, she started off working at large companies in Japan and Korea, including Hyundai Logistics, where she learned some skills to launch her own company.

The core ingredients of Q60 are methylsulfonylmethane and glucosamine, which the Korea Food and Drug Administration acknowledges as being effective on joints and cartilage.

BY KIM DONG-HO [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]