What Does It Mean to Be a Longstanding Legacy Brand at 150 Years and Counting?

As Shiseido surpasses 150 years, The Beauty Edit explores the values that define the brand’s past and its commitment to innovation that cements its future.
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Everyone has a Shiseido story. The fact that it’s been around for more than a century is, after all, a testament to its success. To this day, Shiseido is a globally-renowned name, lauded for its commitment to featuring the best of what nature and technology can offer in its skincare, from its cult favorite eye creams to the nourishing lotions to its super potent face masks.

A brand that’s been passed on, or rather, recommended, by one generation after another, we ask, what does it really mean to be more than 150 years old? There truly is much to know about the history, research, and work that goes behind every jar of night cream or tube of firming lotion we purchase.

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Shiseido, being more than 150 years old, means having led many category firsts in the entire beauty industry and a history characterized by countless innovations.

1872. Arinobu Fukuhara establishes Shiseido, Japan’s first private Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo.

1897. Its 1st cosmetic product is the Eudermine, a skin-softening lotion still available today albeit in a modern formulation. 

1917. Shiseido released the Rainbow Face Powder in 7 shades, a revolutionary step in creating products to match skin tones.

1984. Shiseido was the first to achieve large-scale production of hyaluronic acid, through a fermentation process that allowed it to supply hyaluronic acid to buyers around the world.

It means having built a massive research and development center that’s changed and grown even bigger through the years.

In 1916, Shiseido opened a testing room to research and develop new products. This eventually led to the establishment of the Shiseido Global Innovation Center and more innovation centers around the world. In 1989, the brand started working with the Cutaneous Biology Research Center, established by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The research done together continues to play a vital role in informing the way Shiseido creates its products.

It means true experience and expertise in developing technologies for its products.

Shiseido’s research focuses on three areas of the body: circulation, immunity, and the nervous system. The brand has developed 3 unique technologies that can be found throughout its products. Lifeblood Technology helps optimize blood circulation to bring the skin into a high state of health and beauty. Skin Immunity Technology helps increase the skin’s defense against the elements. Neuroscience Technology stimulates the skin’s sensory receptors to not only help aid communication between the brain and the skin but also interact with the skin to help increase collagen and aid in repair.

It means honoring its first-ever skincare product and taking it to the future.

In 1897, Shiseido launched its first skincare product, Eudermine, whose name was inspired by the Greek word for “good skin.” It is a skincare lotion that activates the skin’s self-restoring power and was formulated with the most advanced Western pharmaceutical technology of the time. Throughout the years, Shiseido continued to improve Eudermine’s formulation.

Its 150th-anniversary edition is a commemoration of the look of its very first bottle. It launched a limited-edition lineup that showcases its past, present, and future. 

Eudermine Revitalizing Essence. Shiseido’s very first skincare product gets a makeover that features its original Arabesque design and a reproduction of its original glass bottle from 1897. The high-grade softening lotion is infused with bio-hyaluronic acid to moisturize the skin and help it retain water. 

Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate III. For Shiseido’s 150th anniversary, the iconic serum features Arabesque graphics reminiscent of Shinzo Fukuhara’s original designs for the brand. The serum itself is infused with Lifeblood and ImuGenerationRED Technology to help make the skin softer, smoother, and more resilient.

Ultimune Future Power Shot. This oil-based concentrated serum features ImuGeneration 150 Technology, which is an evolution of the ImuGenerationRED Technology found in ULTIMUNE Power Infusing Concentrate III. It’s designed to defend the skin against environmental stressors and is formulated for all skin types, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, time, or place. Like the Power Infusing Concentrate, the Future Power Shot also features Arabesque graphics that tie the whole collection together.

Last but not least, it means continuing its legacy with products that not only its long-standing fans, but the new generation, too, will continue to appreciate and find in it effective solutions to their skincare woes.

Shiseido Eudermine Activating Essence

P3,350, via Lazada

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate

P5,774, via Lazada

Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream

P3,450, via Lazada
written by Nicole Morales and Chab Ocampo. Images courtesy of brand. Collage by Dannah Valdezco. Red vintage wallpaper background texture by © ilbusca. Golden oval baroque style picture frame isolated cutout on transparent by © Kislev. Hand pointing at something by © gokgakphotos via canva.com

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