“Does It Really Work?” Industry Writer Tests Recovery Wear That Claims to Ease Fatigue and Stiff Shoulders

Sho Sakurai, Tetsuro Degawa, recovery wear attracting attention with famous celebrity endorsements

Compared to the 2000s, it has become harder for blockbuster products to emerge in the apparel and clothing industry — but one category steadily expanding its number of retailers since its debut is recovery wear.

Brands like BAKUNE and Relive Shirt, which feature TV and web advertisements starring well-known celebrities such as Sho Sakurai and Tetsuro Degawa, are representative examples. These garments are made from fabrics woven with fibers containing minerals and ceramics, primarily intended to be worn as sleepwear. Some brands also promote their products for use as sportswear or underwear.

Major corporations to Chinese brands — a wave of new market entrants

Fibers infused with minerals and ceramics are said to have a far-infrared effect, and by wearing sleepwear made from this material while sleeping, it is believed to promote blood circulation throughout the body, helping with fatigue recovery and alleviating stiff shoulders.

Various emerging brands such as Relaive Shirt, Bakune (by TENTIAL), and SIXPAD (by MTG) have been launched, and nowadays major companies like AOKI, Aoyama Trading, and Workman have also entered this market, greatly expanding consumer options.

Moreover, if you look at online marketplaces like Amazon, you’ll find a flood of unfamiliar manufacturers and brands offering these products. This includes not only domestic startups but also numerous local Chinese brands, reflecting the industry’s high expectations for this category. Even publishing company Takarajimasha has launched its own product line called Recovery Pro Lab, indicating the widespread public attention the market is currently drawing.

The reason the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare gathered vendors to hold a briefing session

The reason so many vendors are entering the market is simply because these products are selling well. And as competition intensifies, it’s inevitable that some businesses will start making exaggerated claims to attract attention.

For this reason, earlier this year, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare gathered vendors for a briefing session. According to reports, they explained the fundamentals of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act (yakki-hō) and the definitions of medical devices, pointing out:

“There are numerous examples of claims deviating from the proper definitions.”

It was also reported that authorities flagged certain products for making claims like “relieving lower back pain, alleviating menstrual pain, or improving cold sensitivity and overall constitution,” which significantly exceed permitted expressions.

In short — while claims like fatigue recovery or relief from stiff shoulders fall within allowable boundaries, promoting these products for more serious symptoms or constitutional improvements crosses the line. Ironically though, the fact that such marketing battles are erupting shows just how active and lucrative this product category has become.

Pajamas, underwear, and leggings priced in the 20,000-yen and 10,000-yen range!

So, just how effective are these products at actually reducing fatigue?

Some products boldly claim that “75–76% of users feel the effects.” If around 75% of people experience benefits, it suggests there’s a certain level of effectiveness. On the other hand, it means that about 25% of people didn’t feel any effect, so one in four finds it ineffective — a fairly significant percentage.

Combined with the fact that the perceptible effect rate isn’t particularly high and the products are relatively expensive, it’s understandable that many people perceive them as somewhat dubious. For example, TENTIAL’s “BAKUNE” set goes for over 20,000 yen, SIXPAD items are in the upper 10,000-yen range, and ReLive Shirt leggings alone cost over 10,000 yen.

Spending over 20,000 yen or 10,000 yen on just pajamas, underwear, or leggings takes a bit of courage. Among the more affordable options is AOKI, offering a set for 8,990 yen, with summer short-sleeved and cropped sets at 7,990 yen. Takarajimasha’s “Recovery Pro Lab” is also priced around the 8,000–9,000 yen range.

I tried Workman’s Mediheal for two weeks

The industry’s lowest price is, as expected, Workman’s “Mediheal”. A short-sleeved top and shorts set costs a total of 2,580 yen (1,280 yen each), while a long-sleeved top and long pants set costs 3,800 yen (1,900 yen each). For those who want to try recovery wear, Workman’s low-priced option is highly recommended.

This time, wanting to test how effective it really is, I bought Workman’s short-sleeved and shorts set. It’s said that wearing it daily for about 10 days to two weeks should start showing effects, so I wore it for two weeks straight — and as a result, I felt a gradual, subtle reduction in fatigue.

That said, I didn’t experience anything dramatic like my body felt warm or all my shoulder stiffness disappeared. Most of those kinds of comments are probably placebo effects.

The view of a textile trading company

This time, we interviewed a major long-established textile trading company. According to the representative there, “Even among our employees, some felt the effects of recovery wear while others didn’t — it really seems to vary by individual.” So it appears the claim that around 75% of people notice some effect is fairly accurate. In other words, it’s wise not to expect too much.

Naturally, if you consider the possibility of no effect, it makes people hesitant to spend a lot on such products.

“When displaying claims of benefits or effects on packaging or in advertising, you need to obtain ‘General Medical Device Registration’ and conduct tests based on the ‘Voluntary Standards for Home-use Far-Infrared Circulation-Promoting Garments.’ This requires paying fairly high fees for inspections, so well-known products tend to become expensive as a result,” said the textile company representative.

As for these far-infrared effect fibers infused with minerals or ceramics, while they may seem like cutting-edge technology, most of them were actually developed in Japan around the year 2000. Their production methods have since spread widely, and now manufacturers in China and other Asian countries can also produce them. It’s believed that many low-priced or unbranded products, especially those from Chinese brands, use these Asian-made fibers.

The reason for the boom — could it be an aging population?

A wave of new entrants and even a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare briefing — the reason the recovery wear market is booming likely comes down to one major factor: Japan’s aging population.

Many people start experiencing lighter, more fragmented sleep or waking up unusually early as they reach their 50s. As a result, they increasingly feel fatigue and sluggishness, leading to a strong demand for products that might help alleviate those issues. Around 2020, Yakult 1000, a drink promoted for improving sleep quality, caused a huge boom, with stores nationwide running out of stock — probably for the same reasons.

Unlike the past, Japan’s largest generation — the baby boomers — is now entering late old age, and the sizable junior baby boomer generation has started entering their 50s. The middle-aged and senior population is rapidly increasing, so it’s only natural that demand for sleep-related improvements would grow accordingly.

In short, the fact that recovery wear is selling so well, with new companies flooding into a mixed market, might be seen as a unique business opportunity born from Japan’s aging society.