Shisseido is a renowned Japanese cosmetics and hair-care company that traces its roots back to 1872. Despite its Japanese origin, the company’s name stems from a passage in the famous Chinese text, I Ching. A translation of the name signifies “Praising the virtues of the great Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth new values.” Apothecary Shiseido was founded by Arinobu Fukuhara, a former Head Pharmacist for the Japanese Navy, who, after a visit to the United States, expanded the pharmacy to include a soda fountain. This marked the advent of the “East meets West” concept, which would later fuel the success of this cosmetics giant.

Shiseido’s growth and transformation were further galvanized by Arinobu’s son, Shinzo, who became the company’s first president. Shinzo pursued Eastern medicine at a Japanese university and subsequently undertook pharmacology studies at Columbia University in the United States. Combining his passion for travel and photography, he journeyed to Paris in 1915, where he discovered photography as an art form influenced by Western aesthetics. Shinzo later became a celebrated photographer, and his distinctive background, which encompassed both Eastern and Western traditions, played a pivotal role in propelling Shiseido from its origins as an apothecary to the cosmetics empire it has become today.

Shiseido’s pioneering spirit shines through in various aspects of its history. As the first company to create a softening lotion in liquid form, Shiseido revolutionized the beauty industry. Moreover, the introduction of seven colors of face powder to Japan challenged the prevailing norm of white face powder at that time. By 1923, Shiseido had expanded its original shop to multiple outlets and subsequently became a publicly-held stock company in 1927. The company’s expansion efforts commenced in Taiwan and Singapore in 1957 and later extended to Hawaii in 1962, thus facilitating its entry into the American market and the establishment of Shiseido Cosmetics America. European expansion followed suit in 1968, with New Zealand opening up Oceania in 1971.

Today, Shiseido boasts an extensive portfolio of approximately 18 different brands catered to consumers worldwide. These include the renowned Shiseido skin care line, NARS cosmetics, Joico hair care products, as well as perfumes produced under the Shiseido label in collaboration with Beaute Prestige International and the Serge Lutens label. Zen, the first fragrance introduced by Shiseido, remains part of their collection, offered in two formulas: the original Zen, featuring packaging from 1965, and a new version introduced in 2007. Shiseido also added a men’s Zen fragrance in 2009. Notably, former Shiseido employee Serge Lutens, known for his proficiency as a make-up artist and designer, contributed to the Shiseido fragrance line by creating classics like Nombre Noir and Feminite du Bois. He now operates an independent fragrance brand under the Shiseido umbrella.

Shiseido’s Beaute Prestige International division collaborates with renowned designers such as Issey Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Narciso Rodriguez, producing fine fragrances. With an extensive range of perfumes, Shiseido has presented 74 distinct fragrances since its inception in 1917, with the latest release in 2023. These fragrances have been crafted in collaboration with esteemed perfumers including Jean-Louis Sieuzac, Dominique Preyssas, Claudette Belnavis, Pierre Bourdon, Christopher Sheldrake, Serge Lutens, Jean-Yves Leroy, Jean Jacques, Jacques Cavallier, Maurice Roucel, Aurelien Guichard, Marie Salamagne, Karine Dubreuil-Sereni, Maïa Lernout, Michel Almairac, Nathalie Lorson, Josephine Catapano, and Francoise Caron.