SAVOIR-FAIRE

Beauty innovations for a better world

  • #1 Our unique expertise
  • #2 100 years of research
  • #3 A holistic approach to beauty
  • #4 A pioneering and leading role in dermatology
  • #5 The future of research

Japanese philosophy. Meticulous quality. Advanced technology.

These three pillars create harmony in all our products and the singularity of our savoir-faire. At Shiseido, we bring together the objectivity of science with the subjectivity of creativity to innovate. We work to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the skin mechanisms, while offering the most enjoyable experience to our customers with beauty products that are both simple and complex in their design and formulation.

  • #1 Our unique expertise
  • #2 100 years of research
  • #3 A holistic approach to beauty
  • #4 A pioneering and leading role in dermatology
  • #5 The future of research
#1
OUR UNIQUE EXPERTISE
SKINCARE
At Shiseido, skincare is everything. Passionate about the beauty in life and the effect of inner body mechanisms on the skin surface, we offer unique expertise in dermatology. Our skincare products are powerful — they make the skin stronger and more resilient. They are safe, combine exclusive high-quality ingredients and technology, and work deeper to enhance your complexion from within.
In the tradition of Japanese beauty rituals, Shiseido skincare calls on the five senses with sensorial textures and fragrances based on aromachology, giving you a profound sense of wellbeing. From the cleanser you rinse off each night, to the serum you massage in each morning and night, each formula allows you to reveal your most vibrant and youthful radiance.
True beauty starts with the

mind and skin in harmony

SUNSCREEN
The skin cannot fight UV rays alone. At Shiseido, we first introduced products with sun protection powers in Japan in 1923. Since then, we’ve continued to innovate with new sun protection technologies, giving skin the support it needs to defend itself. Recently, joining the HeatForceTM and WetForceTM patents, our SynchroShieldTM and Sun Dual CareTM technologies brought our R&D to new heights — working in tandem with the environment to naturally boost skin’s defence. We fuse this technology with skin-kind ingredients for weightless suncare that’s a joy to use. The result? Easy application, a cared-for complexion, and protection that works for you.
With Shiseido,

the sun becomes a beauty ally

MAKE UP
Our skincare enhances beauty from within. Our makeup reveals it.
Each product beautifies the skin instantly and subtly, while infusing your skin with the same actives found in our skincare products for long-lasting effect on the skin quality.
Our 125 eye and lip shades suit every style and every need. We collaborate with distinguished international makeup artists to create looks and share techniques faithful to the Japanese art of beauty. This means asserting yourself without ever overdoing it.

Being yourself, all facets of yourself,

has never been so easy
FRAGRANCE
Renowned for skincare, Shiseido also has a long history in perfumery. Our first and most iconic perfume, Hanatsubaki (which means camellia) was released in 1917. With the launch of Ginza in 2021, an ode to the iconic and vibrant district of Tokyo, we reconnected to our roots to celebrate our vision of femininity. The dual facets of delicacy and power expressed with contrasting woody and floral notes.
Shiseido fragrances are

olfactory manifestos

100year-research 100year-research
#2
100 years of research
8 research centers around the world. 1200 employees in research and innovation.

Since the opening of our first laboratory in 1916, our team at Shiseido has never stopped pursuing excellence in research and innovation. We are an international authority on skin, committed to meticulous research and development processes to ensure customers higher quality and safety, effectiveness, and sensory pleasure in our products.

Our expertise is recognised by the scientific community, further proof of our forward-thinking and disruptive technologies.

Ultimune, our #1 serum with double anti-ageing technology, is one of many break-throughs that has reinforced our reputation in the industry. The culmination of 25 years of research; this innovation has received 224 beauty awards, and one product is sold every 9 seconds around the world.

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What sets us apart from other cosmetic companies is our dedication to beauty that adapts to everyone.

DYNAMIC HARMONY is our very own research approach that fuses Western science and Eastern wisdom. It is based on five values: inside and outside, functionality and Japanese quality, science and creativity, luxury and sustainable development, the individual and the universal. All contrasting and complementary, and each of them allowing us to provide new products and better services based on our forever mission.

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This unique philosophy paves the way for futuristic innovations that meet consumer expectations and continue to embody our corporate mission:

BEAUTY INNOVATIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD

#3
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO BEAUTY
Taking a holistic approach to beauty inspires us to look beyond the surface of skin. Our goal is to find the best way to protect the skin in an optimal way against external factors, UV rays, and the passage of time, as well as the frantic rhythm of everyday life. Our research focuses on the study of three major systems fundamentally connected to our skin: the immune, nervous, and vascular systems.
IMMUNITY

SELF OR NON SELF?

EXPLORING THE

PHILOSPHY

AT THE CORE OF A HUMAN WONDER.
Our immune system protects us from a lot of things — pollution, infections, and stress — and our skin serves as the first line of defence with our internal sentinels, Langerhans cells and NK cells. These help to differentiate “self” (body cells) from “non-self” (antigens); if they detect a foreign substance, they will combat it immediately with the support of our nervous and vascular systems.
MICROCIRCULATION
EVERY PULSE TAKES US FURTHER DOWN AN INFINITELY BRANCHING,

BEAUTIFUL CRIMSON RIVER.

Microcirculation provides the essential supply of water, oxygen, and nutrients necessary to the proper functioning of the skin; increasing its resilience and imbuing it with smoothness and radiance. Our cells live to the rhythm of our heartbeat.

Our research enabled us to understand that the vascular network declines with age and under the influence of UV rays, but also that the quality of vessels has an impact on the elasticity of the skin

NERVOUS SYSTEM
TRACING THE

BEAUTIFUL LINES

THAT RUN ALONG OUR BLOOD VESSELS TOWARDS THE BRAIN.
Our sensory receptors receive signals to alert the brain of any damage to the skin that needs to be repaired. Through our research, we now know that interactions between the nervous system and skin cells are essential for the proper functioning of the skin and its regeneration, but also to increase collagen production. On top of that, we’ve been delving into neuroscience to integrate an emotional component to skincare, particularly through fragrance and aromachology, as well as sensorial textures.

All Shiseido products are inspired by the unique technologies born from our research in these three areas:

Lifeblood Research™
Our 20-year research on the cardiovascular system led to the development of Lifeblood™, a science and technology that aims to support vital flow.
ImuGeneration Technology™
25 years of studying the skin’s immune system has led to the development of our technology ImuGenerationTM, which uses Langerhans cells to preserve and stimulate the skin’s defensive action. Our findings allow stronger anti-ageing effects.
ReNeura Technology™
Shiseido created ReNeuraTM, a technology that increases communication between nerves and skin cells to stimulate the skin’s natural ability to regenerate and improve the efficacy of your products. It’s key to fighting the first signs of ageing.
#4
A PIONEERING AND LEADING ROLE IN DERMATOLOGY

Shiseido has become an authority on skin and skincare, and one of the leaders in the research of dermatology, with a valuable expertise in the development of raw materials. Some of these materials we’ve created entirely, and others we’ve improved for high performance.

HYALURONIC ACID
In 1985, Shiseido was the first Japanese company to use biotechnology to produce hyaluronic acid for cosmetic use on a large scale. Ten years later, we reached another major achievement when creating a new hyaluronic acid, Super Bio-Hyaluronic Acid, which has an acetylated structure that captures twice as much water and optimises its affinity with the skin.
In 2022, for the first time, Shiseido combined three different hyaluronic acids in the Essential Energy range for better absorption and water retention to guarantee longer-lasting hydration.
RETINOL
Shiseido research has made it possible to maximise the action of another significant active ingredient, pure retinol. After 30 years of work, we managed to stabilise it, using meticulously calibrated manufacturing processes and with the development of totally hermetic packaging that guarantees maximum efficacy, as in the Vital Perfection range.
This is an achievement that has been recognised by the Japanese Ministry of Health.

The power of aromachology

In the 1990s, Shiseido began to study the power of scents on psychological and physiological wellbeing, as well as their impact on skin conditions. We discovered unsuspected benefits, such as improving the quality of sleep, reducing sebum production, relieving stress, and maintaining optimal hormonal balance. The fragrance in our #1 Ultimune serum contains the ImuCalm CompoundTM, an accord based on rose and lotus that has scientifically proven anti-stress and soothing actions.

#5
The future of research

The Yokohama-based Global Innovation Centre (GIC), which opened in 2019 in Japan, symbolises Shiseido’s commitment to excellence and investment in research and development.

Conceived as an open urban laboratory, the GIC is dedicated to cutting-edge innovation and the promotion of global communication and collaboration between consumers, researchers, business partners, and experts around the world.

In a space dedicated to employee wellbeing and furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, in-house researchers work on flexible and innovative projects that free their creativity and imagination.

The GIC also houses two floors of open communication spaces where consumers can immerse themselves in the world of Shiseido and be inspired by beauty; with a Beauty Bar where they can try out Shiseido innovations firsthand and interact with the researchers who created them. It also features a must-see museum that showcases Shiseido culture.

future research
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The future starts today