Shiseido chooses China as first Beauty Innovation Hub location outside Japan – Global Cosmetics News
WHAT? The Shiseido Group has opened its first Beauty Innovation Hub outside of Japan, which was launched with WeWork Labs at its flagship space in Shanghai.
DETAILS The Beauty Innovation Hub is a community space that brings together consumers, researchers, entrepreneurs in a bid to create “consumer-centric beauty offerings.”
The space will not only offer make-up tutorials and new product trials as well as skin tests with help from AR technology and immersive interactive devices, it will also become the home of Shiseido’s China Business Innovation & Investment.
This will be headed up by Carol Zhou, Senior Vice President of Shiseido China Business Innovation ＆Investment Representative Office.
Speaking at the launch event, Zhou said, “Shiseido is well known for its product innovations, but what we also see how companies in China are innovating rapidly in their respective industries, through their disruptive business models. These companies embrace technologies to adapt to changing consumer preferences and excel at making new ideas commercially viable. At the Beauty Innovation Hub, we want to be as close as possible to the consumer, collaborating and learning from these start-ups and disruptors, and creating innovation which will deliver true value for Chinese consumers. To achieve this, we need to embrace new ways of working and transform our mindset to become more consumer- and collaboration-centric.”
WHY? By choosing to open its first hub outside of Japan in China, Shiseido has acknowledged the worth of China’s innovative and disruptive marketplace.
Fujiwara Kentaro, CEO of Shiseido China, said, “The China market is of huge importance to the Shiseido group – one in which we are committed to further growth through sustainable, long-term development. In order for us to achieve this sustainable growth, we need to be innovating and creating real value for consumers here, through the diversity of our offerings and by connecting with our consumers and partners. The China Business Innovation branch was established early last year and staffed with the industry’s top talent to help us realize this. The Shiseido Beauty Innovation Lab is the next exciting step in this continuing journey.”