As the only company in Japan with approval to manufacture and sell products formulated with retinol as an active ingredient, Shiseido has been actively pursuing its research to explore its effects and efficacy.
The company first received recognition from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for their work in developing an anti-aging retinol formulation in 2017.
Promising results
The company’s latest study found that its retinol formulation was capable in reducing the appearance of neck wrinkles in eight weeks. After further observation, the research team noticed that the lines continued to diminish after 12 weeks.
Those that saw effects reported that the reduced lines did not return two weeks after they were told to stop applying the retinol, implying that it had long-lasting effects, said the company.
Prior to this study, Shiseido had conducted a survey with 1,600 women and found that near 70% of them regarded the neck as an important indicator of age. The results prompted the company to conduct another study which scientifically confirmed that there was a correlation between neck wrinkles and age.
Record breaking win
Last week, Shiseido was awarded the top award for the Podium Presentation Basic Research category at the 30th IFSCC Congress, setting the world record for having the most IFSCC wins with 26 awards.
Shiseido’s Senior Scientist Tomonobu Ezure, Ph.D, beat out 533 papers to win the award for his research in anti-aging. The top prize marks Shiseido’s seventh consecutive win and Dr Ezure’s third, making him the first to win three awards consecutively at IFSCC.
The company had previously received awards for innovations such as its smudge-proof lipstick and water-resistant sunscreen, which have led to the development of many cosmetic products now used by consumers globally.
Demand for anti-aging strong
According to Mintel, the anti-aging market in Asia will continue to grow as the region’s ageing population increases.
In 2016, over one-third of beauty product launches with anti-aging claims were launched in Asia-Pacific. This makes APAC the second-most active region for anti-aging innovations, with South Korea and Japan are leading the charge, said Mintel.
“Ageing is a global issue, particularly in South Korea, Japan and China – countries that are most affected by a rapidly greying population,” said Sharon Kwek, Senior Beauty and Personal Care Innovation and Insights Analyst at Mintel. “The region’s growing silver generation is opening up opportunities for beauty and personal care brands looking to capitalise on the “grey wave”.
With increasing awareness on anti-aging solutions and treatments, younger consumers are jumping onto the bandwagon, hoping that the use of anti-aging product can act as a preventive measure against the signs of aging.
Other than the rapidly greying population, there is a growing concern over the effects of environmental pollution on skin health, leading to increasing interest in developing anti-aging product with protection claims