Shiseido exec opens up on giving Japanese women the sort of cosmetics they really want

11-Feb-2016 - Last updated on 10-Feb-2016 at 16:54 GMT

Getting to the bottom of what Japanese women want from cosmetics was the subject of a recent presentation given by a top Shiseido executive at the recent Cosme Tokyo 2016 event, who believes that simplifying and making a beauty routine quicker is what it is all about.

Tanemasa Nagano, heads up a team that focuses on collaborative marketing and brand strategy, which makes it crucial for him and his team to know exactly what all types of cosmetic and personal care want to buy, both in the domestic Japanese market and worldwide.

Nagano’s presentation at last month’s Cosme Tokyo event, focused on the types of cosmetic products that Shiseido has launched in recent years that have met with great success because they have hit the right spot: simplifying and speeding up the beauty routine, while ensuring a beautiful finish.

Tanemasa Nagano, Shiseido marketing and branding executive

Ensuring femininity and beauty

“The most important requirements for Japanese women is that they always looks beautiful and highly feminine,” said Nagano in an exclusive interview with Cosmetics Design following his presentation at the event.

“This combines with the fact that Japanese women tend to go for looks that are very subtle and understated, which is why pastel colours and simple designs are always popular.”

However, despite the distinct tastes of Japanese women, Nagano also stressed his belief that women worldwide want to look attractive and feel appreciated, which explains the on-going love affair with colour cosmetics worldwide.

Multifunctional hits the right spot

In recent years what has really caught the attention of women all over the world is the continued evolution of multifunctional products.

Nagano believes alphabet creams have helped women achieve a higher standard of finish to their make-up, and crucially, in a convenient form that helps them save time with their beauty routine.

“With the launch of our FWB make-up base in 2013, we really hit the right spot with Japanese women, because not only does this product help give women flawless skin that appears flatter and smoother, it can also be very easily washed off, just with water,” said Nagano.

“The products launches I work on are very much focused on the Japan market, but Shiseido is an international company, and if our product launches resonate with consumers from other markets, then there is a strong likelihood they’ll be launched outside of Japan too.”

It's all about time-saving

Nagano went on to explain his belief that women worldwide are making up an increasingly important part of the workforce and spending more time in work, which also means that they have less time to spend on their beauty regimes while continuing to battle with the fact that they are still judged on their appearance.

This explains why the trend for multifunctional cosmetics has been successful in Japan and worldwide. But these types of products are no longer new or particularly innovative, so what next for this category of product?

“I believe that the multifunctional trend will not continue in the form that we currently recognize it, because it is no longer unique or innovative,” said Nagano.

“This is why, moving forward, time-saving effective products are likely to remain in great demand, but the multifunctional trend will have to be reinvented if the industry wants to maintain the same level of desire in consumers.”