shu uemura: Makeup Mastery to Express Individual Beauty

The Asian beauty industry has seen a decade of South Korean dominance thanks to the widespread export of its culture through mediums such as K-pop and K-dramas and effective marketing. It is noteworthy, however, that several active ingredients found in K-Beauty products originate from Japan, from companies like Nihon Kolmar. Additionally, there is a shift in consumer preferences towards Japan’s “less is more” philosophy, which emphasizes high-value products with fewer but more effective ingredients, and this has been gaining momentum. What factors have contributed to Japan’s ongoing success in the global beauty industry, and to what extent has Japan’s influence in the beauty sector impacted global perceptions of beauty standards and practices?

I believe that people have a perception of high quality when thinking about Japanese products. It comes from the attention to detail and the craftsmanship mentality that is symbolic of Japan, a country and people that are really dedicated to expertise and mastery. Global interest and popularity probably come from this.

When it comes to shu uemura, our founder was a Japanese man who decided to go to Hollywood to learn new styles and expressions of makeup. It means that our brand was established on the mix of expertise as well as discovery at the company’s core. This is also key to making the brand special and the reason why one of our missions is to innovate. After decades of research and analysis done by the brand’s makeup artists, we have an in-depth understanding and expertise in Asian features and skin tones. We then add what we call the “shu twist.” This shu twist is the little element of creativity, the bridge of heritage and modernity, made possible by our touch of playful surprise. Essentially, this twist is a wow factor that changes something from a thing of the past to a thing of the future.

To sum up, it comes from building it up from craftsmanship and historical know-how, but with a little pinch of unexpected creativity, to make it relevant today and very interesting for the future. Creativity, innovation, and imagination rest on a solid foundation of expertise and craftsmanship; I think that's what makes us special.

Japan is currently facing a country-wide demographic crisis considering it is the oldest society in the world, and one with a shrinking population thanks to low birth rates. This is leading to a labor crisis and a declining domestic market. However, on the other hand, it does create opportunities to cater certain cosmetic products to an older demographic that has a lot more spending power. For shu uemura in particular, what have been some of the challenges and opportunities you have seen as a result of this demographic shift, and how are you reacting to these demographic changes?

At shu uemura we are building a diverse and inclusive community.  It means we are not just for a specific gender or an age group.  We may be appealing to the younger demographic in some of our playful tones of voice, but we also represent other age demographics in our visuals in order to maintain inclusivity. For shu uemura, beauty is something that is very ageless and genderless. As we move forward, we aren’t stuck on a certain profile, and I think that is the magic of makeup.

My main concern is that our brand values resonate with the people we talk to. This is our focus.

As a member of the L’Oréal Group, shu uemura seems to be able to combine the French methodology but keep it within the craftsmanship of Japan to create some of the most attractive and innovative products that cater to the Japanese domestic market as well as the Asian population as a whole. Can you tell us more about how you’ve managed to achieve this synergy between yourselves and your parent company?

We are able to benefit from the knowledge and combined expertise of the L’Oréal group in the cosmetics industry, which helps us hone our understanding of beauty customers globally. We take these insights and competitive edge into the products and activations we create through the lens of shu uemura.

It is clear that R&D in the Japanese cosmetic sector focuses on innovative, natural ingredients. The discoveries of inspiring eco-friendly products have enhanced the global appeal of Japanese cosmetics, driving growth and competitiveness. How does the growing awareness of sustainability and ethical sourcing practices impact the development of marketing in your company?

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at L’Oréal, not only at a brand level but at a group level. As the leader in luxury beauty, we have the responsibility to lead the sustainable transformation of luxury beauty. We approach sustainable development from a fact-based approach, which involves coordinated and quantified efforts to improve what we can measure. For example, we measure the environmental impact of all new launches and renovations across their whole lifecycle on the basis of a rigorous scientific methodology assessing 14 criteria of impact factors included in the European Product Environmental Footprint framework.

E-commerce has revolutionized the cosmetics industry over the past twenty years, offering consumers personalized experiences. We know that you offer the possibility to try makeup products virtually. Can you tell us more about this virtual experience and how your company is utilizing e-commerce and digital technologies to facilitate the personal application of cosmetics for consumers?

As a Japanese brand, service is always of utmost importance. Quality service on top of quality products is a must, and for me, this is where the virtual world can help us. In the case of shu uemura, having digital tools can bring value to customers and their experiences.

We started with 3D Shade Finder, as finding the correct shade was a big pain point for our customers shopping online. This tool allows us to shade match our customers in a very accurate and convenient way through digital, especially with our Unlimited Foundation. We pushed this concept even further with Face Finder, which is not just about foundation. It analyzes the shape of your face to propose a routine. It will also provide digital tutorials, which has helped us to engage more with our customers. I think the core reason for success in our digital tools is that the tools are linked to real needs and it is something we’ve developed by listening to our customer feedback. Consumer insights are always going to be relevant for us. 

The Shade Finder tool

We are working on new innovations and most recently worked with L’Oréal group to present ‘Brow Prinker’ at Vivatech and CES.  shu uemura has unparalled expertise as we are number one in North Asia with our brow product, Hard Formula. We really wanted to work on a tool that would allow us to have our customers do the perfect brow makeup in the same way our point of sales (POS) artists would do. We worked on a beauty tech machine that would essentially work like a brow printer, making it very easy to use.

Since you are number one in brows, are you trying to divert the scope aside from brows and have more applications for e-commerce?

If you mean beauty tech, yes, that will always be something that will hold a lot of interest for us. The question is “Is it going to be used?” Right now we are working with brows because it is our expertise and we can add a lot of value, but of course, if we see added value anywhere we would be very happy to create something new for our customers. Everything is really in pursuit of service and tools for our customers.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, we’ve seen retail stores struggle to attract customers. Your flagship store offers four unique rooms to customers. Can you explain some of the unique experiences that you offer? How are you adapting your business to attract customers back to physical retail stores?

What you mentioned is very important, the element of human contact is a must, especially for makeup artist brands. For us, physical retail is really important, and retail really comes down to service to the customers and brand experience. The flagship store illustrates really well what we want to do. I think that customers would go to physical stores just for unique experiences alone.

We offer unique services such as our 3D styling service that analyses the face features to propose the suitable makeup. We also have shu looks, in which can help customers consider different makeup looks that are based upon certain life moments, and our makeup artists can create those looks on the spot. We also have experiences that are exclusive to the store such as limited-edition products and packages. In fact, there are even certain types of wrapping that are exclusive to the flagship store. We also offer a pigment room where customers can create their own shade. Based on precise measurement of diverse colors used, it results in a bottle of one-of-a-kind pigment that they customized and can take home. These unique, customized experiences that build brand loyalty.

Not all countries have flagships, so another thing we are doing is trying to reach our communities differently. We hold what we call Brand Pop-Ups, which instead of being very product-focused for a launch, we feature the brand in a more holistic way. We present our iconic products with whole experiences built around them. I like to think of what we are doing as storytelling in an immersive and impressive way. This has been a game changer in China and we are very happy with how this approach is working out.

You mentioned the importance of your makeup artists, and they play a huge role in providing feedback. How is the involvement of makeup artists important to product development?

Firstly, we are the number one makeup artist brand in Asia, and those artists are at the core of everything we do. Within shu uemura, we have 14 esteemed artists that are at the top of the pyramid, with the title of ‘atelier artist’. Within the global team, we have one of the atelier artists accompany our marketing team during the development phases in order to draw upon their expertise and guidance. Another atelier artist oversees the creation and execution of all the makeup looks for our photoshoots. As you can see, these artists are involved in the core creative aspects of our brand. Additionally, we have our artists involved in retail education, providing training on our products and even creating our social content. Our artists are mainly in-house in order to craft the brand and develop products and services that truly matter to customers. They are at the core of everything.

We can trace the roots of your company back to 1967 when you started under the name Japan Makeup, establishing yourself as a pioneer in cleansing oils. Among all of the different products that you cater to your clients, which do you believe has the most growth potential from a business perspective?

shu uemura is number one in cleansing oils and makeup removers with our Ultime8. We also have big wins in other categories like makeup. In the face category, we are number one in setting mist sprays in Asia, and also number one in brow. I think these are all products that we can really capitalize on and are our big winners.

However, as a makeup brand, our aim is also to promote creativity and innovation with smart beauty products that will enrich a routine and bring satisfaction and surprise to our users. We still want to develop this and continue to engage our audiences around the world. It is part of our DNA and something that we will always do.

shu uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil is your masterpiece, but it also faces several challenges. Consumers expect a highly effective yet very gentle cleansing experience, which proves challenging in the highly competitive skincare market. Could you elaborate on the biodegradability testing methods employed to ensure that the Ultime8 meets the 99% biodegradable formula claim?

The specificity of Ultime8 is that it doesn’t just cleanse your skin; it actually improves your skin. Nowadays, beauty addicts are looking for products with amazing properties that achieve results beyond what they are supposed to do. That is definitely a part of the success of Ultime8. Not only will it take off makeup perfectly, but it is also proven to improve the quality of your skin. It is a real winner.

Coming to the element of biodegradability, sustainability is really important for L’Oréal. With such an iconic product, it is very meaningful to sustain these strong claims. Majority of our tests are standardized by the OECD 301. OECD 301 tests for ready biodegradability and it is the industry standard.

The Ultime8 lineup

As the newly appointed global brand president of shu uemura, what is your vision for the company’s future?

Personally, I’ve always loved marketing and brand strategy; it is something that has been a real passion of mine for a long time now. This comes down to understanding the brand and how it was created; its values, and the message we are conveying to the customers. I’ve had different experiences within L’Oréal, mainly with international development, and I would say that those experiences have been very positive. I was general manager for Armani Beauty Japan, and I think that it is great that at L’Oréal, you are given opportunities that are complementary experiences. I’m very proud of having those two facets because I think it shaped my mind to create the right things.

In terms of vision, it comes down to understanding Mr. Shu Uemura’s values when he created his brand and who he was as a man, as well as an innovator. The strategy is to identify values that could be really meaningful today and tomorrow, and that can bring positivity to the luxury cosmetics market. What really struck me was his daring mindset. He was in a beauty school surrounded by 130 women. This courage is something he wanted to convey to people, allowing them to express who they are. At the time that was very powerful in Japan because it was not the norm. Expressing your individuality today is still not the easiest thing to do. People wish to fit in their community while still respecting who they are as individuals. shu uemura wishes to accompany them in their journey. Mr. Shu Uemura said, “Be brave in the pursuit of beauty”.

For more information, visit their website at:  https://www.shuuemura.jp/