microbladiing or eyebrow embroidery story
Semi-Permanent Makeup

The Story of Microblading and Why It Is Not a Japanese Method

On 29th December 2016 by

Whoever told you that microblading is originally Japanese, was totally kidding you!!

I know a lot of permanent makeup artists around the world used to have this fancy thought of the Samurai who invented this amazing thin blade and how the Geisha girls had micro-bladed eyebrows for hundreds of years. Sadly, that’s what I thought for a while till I started investigating the whole thing.

Japanese Never Heard Of Microblading

When I visited Japan, I was eager to find those microblading masters to learn the technique in its homeland. Surprisingly, there were none .. nothing! There were no Japanese microblading artists, and no beauty salon in Japan ever heard of this. The only one I was able to find online was in Okinawa and she was a foreigner! Unlike any other Asian country, you can hardly see any Japanese girl having her eyebrows done.

The conclusion is; that if microblading is Japanese, then there must be a Japanese artist who spread it around the world. But there are none. So I don’t believe that some Western permanent makeup artist discovered microblading into a hidden treasure box of a Geisha.

Where did microblading come from?

beauty-singapore

According to Wikipedia and several online resources, microblading originated in China. This is one side of the story. Other sources say microblading was invented by an artist in Vancouver and, from there started to invade salons in the USA and Europe. This leads us to the next question.

But how old is microblading? Some would say it is centuries old and some would say it is very recent and started in the Western world only by the year 2010. While in places like Singapore and Korea, it goes back to the year 2005. There are several stories but due to my research, I was able to find out that the Asian people used to know microblading under the name “Eyebrow Embroidery” a few years earlier than the European and American. This leads us to the point it is probably Asian.

It is two techniques, and they are different

Technique #1:  The Manual microblading or embroidery technique, is the most famous and most common one across the world. The pigment is scratched into the skin using a group of needles; each scratch creates a hair stroke. This technique some would call it a hair stroking tattoo or as widely known in Asia with the name Eyebrow embroidery.

Technique #2: The Manual Soft tap technique. The pigment is tapped into the skin using the blade to create a multi-dimensional look with some areas lighter and some darker.  This technique is totally different and not common among artists or beauty salons. The soft tape is originally modified from the Japanese body tattoo technique which is called Tebori. This body tattoo technique by Japanese is widely known in Japanese as the most painful tattoo and is used by the Yakuza. Maybe that’s where things got mixed up! The famous eyebrow hair stroking technique is not the same as the soft tape technique.

Let’s trace down the evidence

When I started microblading 4 years ago, it was technically new and the only blade and tools came from China. Even until this moment, all the tools of this method are exclusively Chinese. Why so? If it is Japanese so why there is no Japanese pen, needles or even pigment?
Why didn’t the Samurai try to sell any original blades to the world?

Maybe I had to go to Japan to discover where they are hiding their precious secrets about the art of microblading. When I visited Japan I started to get the joke. Japanese has nothing to do with microblading, the technique is totally unknown to make-up artists in Japan. After researching even in Japanese, I found only an EXPAT artist! super!

Now the arrow of the compass is moving in other directions.

Another Myth

Why does microblading or Eyebrow Embroidery have its biggest market of clients in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Korea? Not only in terms of customers but also in terms of the huge number of Embroidery salons and technicians. In each European country, you might find Hundreds of microblading artists compared to the Chinese territories, which have thousands of microblading technicians. You can even make an order from China to get a hundred microblading technicians in one package for a very cheap price.

Microblading is mostly a Chinese method

Yeah, but of course no one likes to hear “Chinese” because it always refers to low-quality, cheap stuff. Some famous artists were too sensitive about the originality of the method and did not want to use this label. Their commercial brains started to search for a place pretty close but usually better. Nothing better than Japan when we ever talk about the beauty industry and products. Here we go!

microblading
Chinese types of Eyebrows

Finally, I was able to discover that the microblade tool has a long history in China. The microblade tool originated in northern China. The tool has a long history over the years which you can check it here: The Microblade Tradition In China.

Western beauty evangelists who made a fortune from microblading trends such as Branco Babic were pushing hard to label the technique as Made in Japan. Not only that but our fellow Croatian artists came up with the term “Japanska Methoda”!! Uhm, mostly this is for entertainment? or it is some kind of accent joke? Anyway, all those nice labels are not relevant to the real story of microblading. We all know that original artists of microblading were from any nationalities but Japanese.. Singaporean, Hong Kong Chinese, Taiwanese, you name it.

Let’s say that the commercial way of marketing microblading worldwide tries to hide the real roots of microblading. I know that some artists might disagree with me and I am all ears to hear your opinion or your evidence.

The Explosive Growth of Microblading: A Beauty Revolution

Once a hush-hush secret of the elite, microblading as a semi-permanent makeup (PMU) has taken the beauty world by storm in the last few years.

We all know that social media is a powerful tool. Beauty influencers and celebs flaunting their immaculate brows have turned microblading from a niche beauty hack into a mainstream must-have. #BrowGoals

Microblading today isn’t what it was a few years ago. The techniques have advanced, and the artists are more skilled than ever. With digital machines that create ultra-fine, hair-like strokes, and pigments that can fade organically, the results are much better. Recently, micro-pigmentation is replacing the microblading technique and providing better results.

A Global Phenomenon

From New York to Vietnam and Malaysia, microblading studios are popping up everywhere. This beauty trend has truly gone global, making it accessible no matter where you live. One of the coolest things about microblading is how inclusive it is. It’s not just for women—men are getting in on the action too. And it doesn’t matter your age, skin tone, or brow type; microblading can work for everyone. This inclusivity has broadened its appeal, making it a beloved beauty treatment across diverse communities.

The Future of Microblading

The innovation in this field is incredible. We’re talking about new pigments, top-notch digital machines, ultra-thin needles, and combo treatments like shading and ombre effects. The semi-permanent makeup industry is always evolving.

Sources: