Kikuko Matsunari

Peekaboo Inc.　Representative introduction

Hi. My name is Kikuko Matsunari, and I am the representative of Peekaboo Inc.
We make clothes that use special UV protective materials.

My son Yuki was born in 2001 with very sensitive skin as a baby–especially to sunlight.
Because of his sensitive skin, sunscreen was NOT an option.
So, I tried to find clothes with UV protection.
I searched many places, but I couldn’t find any.

Feeling responsible as a mother, I decided to start a company that designs UV protective clothes for children, especially my son.
Since then, I have been making light-weight and comfortable UV protecting clothes for all ages under the brand name: EPOCHAL.

Do you ever enjoy sports, hobbies, or even work outside under the sun?
And do you want to avoid skin cancer or any skin damages? Then, you should try EPOCHAL–our epoch-making uv-cut clothes.

Our inspections and research are conducted at RIKEN Incubation plaza.

In 2018 I attended my first general meeting of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Patients Association.
There, I heard a wish from a parent of a patient who wanted her children to participate in the gymnastics festival, just once.
As a parent of a child, I empathized with their wish and decided to produce UV protective clothing.
UV protective clothing must completely protect the skin from UV rays.
At the time, I did not have the materials or the technology to do this, so I had to come up with a design from scratch.
The first step was to find a material (cloth) that would completely shield the skin from UV rays.
Then, the product, which was yet to take shape, had to have every part of the garment tested for UV shielding.
Therefore, I decided to move into the RIKEN Incubation plaza and with advice from RIKEN researchers,
university scientists, and dermatologists, I built a UV measuring device and began testing and research.
In March 2020, our company passed the examination and moved into this laboratory.

UV Protection Clothing

The world’s rarest UV protective clothing for XP (xeroderma pigmentosum) is made of special fabrics
that completely block UV rays and light, transparent vinyl with a UV shielding rate of 99.7%,
and air conditioning fans.

Left: For elementary school students
Center: about 0-6 years old
Right: Front open type for adults (under development)

We also produce UV-protective clothing for preventive medicine

The only way to prevent sunburn is prevention.
It is necessary to incorporate “prevention” into your daily routine before you get a bad sunburn, develop skin cancer, lose your immunity, develop cataracts, or cause illness.

Do you like to apply a lot of sunscreen products to your body? This is not a reliable sun protection.
In fact, doctors have proven that even if you think you are applying plenty of it, it is only half as effective (Dermatological Society, October 2024).

If you wear EPOCHAL brand UV-cut clothing, with a UV protection rate of 91-99% or higher, you will have reliable sun protection even without applying sunscreen.

By wearing EPOCHAL clothing on a daily basis, you can protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

I produce products such as hats, wear, innerwear, swimwear, gloves, transparent face covers,
and wide-brimmed hats all using special fabrics with UV protection rates of 91% or higher.
There are more than 500 products.
The special material has titanium dioxide kneaded into the fiber, making it highly effective in blocking UV rays,
and its UV blocking effect does not diminish even after repeated washing.

Furthermore, we carefully select materials that are gentle to the skin, thin, and lightweight.
I plan and design EPOCHAL brand products by adding “designs that enable effective UV protection”
to these materials, and offer them to people with delicate skin.

If you had UV-cut wear that was thin, lightweight, effective in blocking UV rays, and yet skin-friendly and breathable,
wouldn’t you want to wear it on a daily basis?

By wearing EPOCHAL wear, especially in spring, summer, and fall when the temperature is high,
you will avoid direct sunlight (strong UV rays) and you will experience the comfort of being in the shade of a tree.

My Life

I am challenging myself in many ways through the creation of the EPOCHAL brand at Peekaboo Inc.
First of all, product development.
We are developing products with many companies, RIKEN, university laboratories and scientists.
Secondly, as education, we teach children about UV rays and UV protection.
Third, I give courses as a female entrepreneur.
Fourth, I participate in events at the Australian and New Zealand Embassies.
Fifth, I volunteer in the community and participate in school councils.
In addition, I went to Australia to learn about UV protection around the world, studied the SunSmart program, and visited public schools.
My work ranges from running the company and planning the EPOCHAL brand as well as being a photographer, web design, catalog design and production, sales and volunteer work.

I started my own business because I was concerned about my son’s atopic disease and the health of his skin, and for 21 years I have been making products with only this “UV protection” in mind.
Working with my staff with a purpose is a valuable experience.

From now on, I would like to work to support the health of people with sensitive skin around the world.

Kikuko Matsunari
CEO
Peekaboo Inc.

What I like to do

Cooking
Taking pictures
Sports (tennis, hiking, fishing, BBQ/camping, skating, golf)
Favorite Places: Hawaii, Okinawa, hot springs, natural beauty, Longview, Washington (sister city of Wako)
Animals (I have a dog. I also used to have a chipmunk)
Plants (I grow houseplants with my husband. We have many tropical plants in our room)
Drinks I am not much of a drinker. I like tea.
Food I like to eat and cook traditional Japanese food. I also love to eat foreign cuisine that is not found in Japan. There is almost nothing I dislike. (Only allergic to mackerel)
My purpose in life is to interact with people, talk with them, and challenge something together.
My son is currently studying computer science at an American university.
I speak very little English, but I am studying now.

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