Shiseido opens skincare and color cosmetics boutiques in India, skin analysis tech changes retail experience, and Active Concepts launches new ingredient line
🤖💋High Tech & Low Touch
Late last week, Shiseido opened a first stand-alone retail boutique in India. And the brand’s Skin Visualizer device is a key feature of the skincare and makeup shopping experience.
Without the need for touch or even makeup removal, the device (first introduced in 2021) quantifies and displays a customer’s skin condition. And with the resulting data, “a SHISEIDO beauty professional then recommends products based on the measurements, the skin condition, and the customer’s skin concerns,” according to an explainer item on the Shiseido site.
“Our brand has a rich heritage of over 150 years, and we are delighted to bring our expertise and innovative products to Indian consumers,” says Nicolas Baudonnet, VP of the Fragrance and Cosmetics division for SHISEIDO Asia Pacific. “The opening of our…store at Inorbit Mall, Malad [Mumbai] signifies our commitment to providing an exceptional shopping experience and helping individuals embrace their unique beauty.”
And understandably, Baccarose—India’s leading beauty distributor and retailer, and that country’s exclusive partner to Japan-based Shiseido—is quite proud of the boutique as well: “This marks a momentous occasion not only for SHISEIDO but also for Baccarose as we continue our dedicated efforts to introduce premium international beauty brands to the Indian market,” says Kadambari Lakhani, Director of Baccarose Perfumes & Beauty Products Pvt. Ltd., in her remarks to the press.
Same News💋Different Brand
“A thriving market that holds immense potential for our brands”—that’s how Barbara Calcagni, President, NARS Cosmetics, Drunk Elephant, and Tory Burch Fragrances, describes India. And she also calls attention to the country’s “growing demand for premium cosmetics and passionate beauty consumers who are influenced by global beauty trends and self-care.”
All this in a media release announcing the launch of Shiseido-owned NARS Cosmetics in-store and online at Shoppers Stop and Sephora this month. And in November, a NARS boutique will open at Select CityWalk in New Delhi.
“This is a proud and much awaited moment for us at Shiseido Asia Pacific as we expand our presence in a dynamic and vibrant market like India with the launch of NARS Cosmetics,” says Nicole Tan, President & CEO of Shiseido Asia Pacific, in her remarks to the media.
“Through our strong distribution partnership with Shoppers Stop, we are looking forward to expanding our consumer reach with our omnichannel presence across the country,” continues Tan. “We have bold ambitions for NARS Cosmetics in India and are confident that we will bring more excitement and empowerment through beauty to the Indian beauty market, starting from this festive season.”
🌱🧬Plant-Based Exosomes
This month, US-based beauty ingredient maker Active Concepts launched what the company is calling BioAuthentic Exosomes: “vesicles, crafted to mimic exosomes, [that] are sourced exclusively from botanical origins,” according to materials the company shared with me.
Exosomes are a significant ingredient in regenerative skincare; and Active Concepts believes that by not using any animal sources for its product that it will appeal to brands seeking natural-origin as well as environmentally friendly ingredients.
Additionally, Active Concepts is building its news exosome technology onto its ingredient delivery tech. “Our BioAuthentic Exosomes line is a game-changer, allowing brands to choose a revolutionary delivery system tailored to their unique intended benefits….Skincare brands now have the power to customize their products to meet their customers' desires, rather than being confined to the limits of anti-aging marketing,” according to a press release issued Friday.
Skincare benefits that can apparently be achieved with the BioAuthentic Exosomes line include skin lifting (or ‘reviving skin on a cellular level'), even complexion, and accelerated wound healing.
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