Shiseido looks to China for start-up collaboration to create beauty innovations

15 Sep 2022 --- Shiseido has initiated the fourth phase of its open innovation program, “fibona,” as a part of its “co-creation with startups” in China. The themes for this phase are medical beauty technology and holistic beauty technology.

The program collaborates with start-up companies to bring new ideas for Shiseido to implement into its products. It “aims to speedily apply the ideas of start-ups to our products and services,” says the company.

How it works
To receive the collaboration with Shiseido, the startups must go through a series of trials. 

At first, the companies had to pitch their ideas to Shiseido in August. Those that passed the pitch screening are set to spend 100 days undergoing an idea validation process. This started in September, with the final screening to be held in December.

“We are expecting to select new startups for collaboration from a variety of perspectives in creating innovations that will lead to value creation for consumers in China,” says Shiseido. 

Past collaborations  Shiseido to partner with a Chinese startup on product design ideas. 
Partnering with startups for imaginative ideas began with Shiseido Global Innovation Center (GIC). GIC started full-scale operation in April 2019 based on the concept of “the fusion of diverse people and knowledge.”

“Fibona” became a spin-off of the GIC belief of working with various individuals and ways of thought. “We are taking on the challenge of creating new value… by combining the unique ideas and technologies of external partners with Shiseido’s experience in beauty and science,” says Shiseido.

Shiseido has conducted three startup collaborations in the past. The first phase was in 2019, the second in November 2021 and the third in December 2021.  

From the past partnerships, this launch in China is the second time the brand is looking overseas. The previous overseas collaboration was in South Korea in 2021.

Shiseido has said they are looking to complete more international collaborations in the future. 

Future of innovation
With a competitive industry and trends constantly changing, brands attempt to adapt in many ways. This program is one of the ways that Shiseido tries to maintain its creation of innovative products. 

Earlier this month, the company released an “easy-to-open” cosmetic container with a clean spatula holder stand. The spatula and holder were designed to be stored separately from the rest of the containments for optimized cleanliness. The container has a “built-in rotation control mechanism” to reduce product bulkiness.

Additionally, Shiseido partnered with Sekisui Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical to launch an initiative where used plastic cosmetics containers are collected. The vessels are then converted into other resources and materials to be recycled into cosmetics containers once again. 

Edited by Sabine Waldeck