Interview Shiseido

Interview with Cecile Pellissier – CRM Manager – Shiseido Europe

I had the opportunity and good fortune to meet Cecile last week. She shared with me her passion of the brand & the brand’s values. I also had a presentation of the new 2010 products! Lucky me…

Why did I choose Shiseido for this month’s interview? Because: I like the brand, its discretion, the high quality of its products & the attention to detail; the beauty of each product doesn’t rest uniquely on the contents but also on the bottles, packaging & the beautiful mix of exclusive Shiseido pantone colours, the end result of the material textures is amazing; beauty pieces of art & refinement.

Also, the brand Shiseido is, for me, the perfect combination of the Refinement of the Orient & the Modernity of the Occident; “Combination of the western taste for abundance with the spare simplicity of Japanese aesthetics”.

Created in 1872 by Yushin Fukuhara, Shiseido was 1^st a Pharmaceutical company & became a cosmetic company in 1897 with the successful launch of the skin lotion Eudermine, which means in Greek  “Good” & “Skin”; still available in the shops … For its hundredth anniversary, the bottle was redesigned in a more modern shape yet elegant & feminine keeping the Shiseido recognisable red colour.

Now Shiseido is recognized as an innovative & high-end global brand.

AB: What is Shiseido’s positioning? What makes the brand so different on the market, compared to other brands?

CP: The beauty of the brand rests on the offer of a wide range of high quality products using the latest technologies but also on the values of the company. We believe that refinement, discretion, sophistication & attention to detail give us credibility in the eye of the consumer. We don’t communicate a lot, we prefer focusing & gathering all our energy to provide high scientifically proven products. Besides this, Shiseido was the 1^st brand to launch the “1.2.3 Beauty Ritual”: Clean, Soften (To optimize the effect of the Moisturizer’s properties) & Moisturize your skin.

AB: What are Shiseido’s values?

CP: We have three promises: 1. Richness (“Everything must be rich” Shinzo Fukuhara; meaning spiritual); Richness of true quality; 2. Human Science: a push against the boundaries of science for greater beauty & a greater balance between the body, the mind & the spirit; 3. Last but not least, Omotenashi, which means “Welcome” in Japanese. Indeed, welcoming is essential in the Japanese culture. We try to provide perfect service to the consumers, understand their needs & provide them with the right product. In France, we have only 50 advisers (Limited number of advisers but exclusive & extremely precised diagnosis & recommendations; Shiseido’s welcoming is meant to be the best) ; we are distributed in a limited, but high end, locations because Shiseido is an Exclusive brand.

AB: What type of products can we find?

CP: We propose Skincare, Make-Up & Perfumes.

AB: What is the best selling item in the skincare product range?

CP: Without a doubt, the Bio-Performance* line. It’s meant for the 1^st signs of aging: 1^st wrinkles, lack of firmness & drab skins. An amazing product, a moisturizer with a beautiful smell & texture, launched 22 yrs ago. This year, we introduced the Super Corrective Serum (Launch date: February 2010), a beauty of Innovation & new Technology gathering collagen, elastin & hyaluronic acid. These 3 elements are the key for a resilient skin. They are naturally created by fibroblasts found in the skin, these fibroblasts diminish over the years. Here, Shiseido’s exclusive new Bio ingredient, Bio-Regenesist, reactivates the aging fibroblasts & restores their ability to produce collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid as a result. An astonishing result: 65% increase in Collagen, 26% increase in Elastin & 26% increase in Hyaluronic Acid. 92% of women felt their wrinkles smoothened & 100% of women felt their skin more resilient after 1 day; In 1 week, skin is visibly improved; in 3 weeks, the skin is progressively stronger: 97% of women reported a reduction of deep wrinkles, 98% an increase in firmness.

* Bio-performance is a technologically advanced skincare product, which contains anti-ageing benefits along with a high level of moisturizing and superb energizing effects.

AB: Wow, this is impressive. What about the other range of creams?

CP: We offer:

- the Pureness line for young skins. It targets blemishes, shine, enlarged pores and dehydration, and prevents the recurrence of the problems; one of the best seller is the Oil-Control Blotting Paper to absorb the excess of sebum:

- The Skincare line for 20 to 30yrs old women; a line of basic & treatment skincare products formulated to protect against premature ageing. It shields the skin against stress and environmental impact and replenishes daily moisture loss. A nice & smooth moisturizer:

- White Lucency line: the ultimate care for women who enjoy the sun, but want to reduce the damaging effects that UV rays leave behind. It achieves a luminous clear complexion, offering overall clarity, through melanin control and skin texture control:

- Benefiance for mature skins; a line to fight ageing. It creates optimal conditions for mature & dry skins to flourish in. It has been designed to offer sensual satisfaction through nourishing textures that are non-sticky:

- The new Future Solution LX, a Premium line that offers you the promise of “your best skin ever now, and for the future” for a smooth, radiant skin full of vitality:

AB: You also have a make-up line?

CP: Indeed, “The Make-Up” line is being renewed since 2009 by our Artistic Director, Dick Page; it was used on the Issey Miyake 2009 catwalk & the AW10 Josephus Thimister défilé. Also, we are proud to say that we received the International Marie-Claire prize for our “Perfect Rouge” lip stick:

AB: Any other news you would like to share?

CP: In addition to the Bio-Performance Super Corrective Serum, we launched in March a Limited Edition** of our unique perfume Zen (Currently you can find Zen for women, Zen for men & 2 Limited Editions per year). Last but not least!  For Men… we haven’t forgotten our men, arriving on the market now an amazing all in one product*** that will convert the most sceptical men: The Skin Empowering Cream… Wait & see!!!

…

Thanks a lot Cécile for your time.

**Limited Edition Zen: see article Did-u know? – week 9” link: http://www.ahealthybeauty.com/news/did-u-know-week-10.

*** An article will be dedicated for the launch.

- A Beauty Expert, AB -