Shiseido Continues Expansion of Bare Escentuals in Asia

Shiseido and Bare Escentuals have created a synergistic collaboration in skin care product development, helping prepare Shiseido to launch bareMinerals Skincare, a line of seven products, in Asian markets in March 2012. Sales will commence March 16, 2012 in Japan and are slated to be launched consecutively in Asian markets thereafter. In Japan, the products will be promoted at 11 department stores and via QVC from April 2012 through the wholly owned subsidiary Bare Escentuals, KK. The initiative is aimed at accelerating the enhancement of bareMinerals’ presence in Asian markets, which are experiencing distinct growth, by utilizing Shiseido’s strong skin care development capabilities and sales network in Asia.

Sarina Godin, vice president of global product development for Bare Escentuals, Inc. in San Francisco, commented, “We are very excited about the launch of the bareMinerals Skincare line in Asia. With Bare Escentuals being the pioneers in minerals and Shiseido having the expertise in skin care R&D, we were able to collaborate together to develop a comprehensive line that is healthy yet extremely efficacious. For the first time, we are delivering exceptional skin care benefits through the power of minerals.”

Shin Hasebe, who was dispatched to Bare Escentuals from Shiseido Co., Ltd. as an Asia skin care development advisor, said, “In addition to differences in country, race and language between Japan and the United States, there are many other new discoveries every day between Shiseido and Bare Escentuals. In terms of manufacturing, I was somewhat perplexed about the differences between Bare Escentuals, which has its forte in taking a sensitive approach by designating makeup products as mainstay items, and Shiseido, which designates science and technology as its core domain. Nonetheless, the strengths of both companies gradually became visualized through continuous discussions until mutual satisfaction was gained, and we came to share these aspects. I am carrying out activities by being conscious about fulfilling a role as a bridge between Japan and the United States.”

Under its three-year plan commencing from fiscal 2011, Shiseido is promoting four strategies—the Global Mega-Brand Strategy, Asian Breakthrough Strategy, New Frontier Strategy and Customer-First Strategy—based on the theme of getting into a growth trajectory. In particular, Shiseido, which is placing emphasis on prestige and masstige categories, has its global mega-brand Bare Escentuals cultivating initiatives for strengthening expansion and targeting global markets by improving brand value in the prestige domain. Specifically, in Asian cosmetics markets, which are expected to continuously achieve high growth in the future, Shiseido is cultivating sales channels while leveraging its sales know-how and initiatives in terms of distribution accumulated over many years. In China, Shiseido commenced sales of Bare Escentuals products in upscale department stores in Hong Kong from October 2011 through a wholly owned sales company, Shiseido Hong Kong Ltd.

The company will continue to augment product categories and promote initiatives in view of strengthening market expansion in emerging countries and European markets. Additionally, with regard to production, Shiseido America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Shiseido, is currently making preparations for transferring a portion of production while also considering ways to optimize distribution in North America.