Shiseido taps into beauty tech with “global first” NFT community program

28 Feb 2023 --- Shiseido is launching 150 limited edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to celebrate its 150th anniversary in collaboration with Cult, an agency for Web3 services. The #AliveWithBeauty campaign is a “first-of-its-kind” NFT-based community program leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology DALL-E 2 and is co-created with five female “pioneers” from the beauty, technology and Web3 industries.

“Shiseido has pioneered its approach to innovation within beauty and Alive With Beauty is just the beginning of what marks our latest efforts in our digital transformation journey,” says Louise Yankovic-Jenkins, EMEA marketing director at Shiseido.

“As we continue to explore the uncharted territories of Web3 and what this means for beauty, Cult has been paramount in leading us into this world of new virtual experiences. We’re excited that this only scratches the surface of what’s to come from us in 2023 as we further enrich new ways of reaching our community of beauty lovers across the globe in innovative ways.”

To celebrate the Japanese skincare brand’s innovation, Cult has created the NFTs, with each edition featuring Shiseido’s infamous Japanese Camellia marque as the base form.

Dr. Alex Box, Mary Greenwell, Lauren Ingram, Kaushal and Sharmadean Reid were selected as the “pioneers” who co-created the designs with words that reflect what beauty and the future of Web3 mean to them. These words informed the AI-generated designs and were finalized with a human touch by Cult’s creative team.

Cult has created the NFTs, with each edition featuring Shiseido’s infamous Japanese Camellia marque as the base formFive editions of the exclusive token will first go to these founding pioneers and 145 editions are open to being won by the brand’s community via a prize draw.

Beauty tech fusion
The NFTs will be hosted on Exclusible and to enter the competition, consumers must register on Shiseido’s website.

Initially, the NFT will unlock exclusive rewards, including £1,000 (US$1,210) worth of skincare and samples throughout the year, tickets to online and offline events, and access to exclusive content. Other rewards available only to token holders will come as the program develops.

“These NFTs function as membership tokens for fans of the Shiseido brand to come together as a community and gain access to a world of exclusive rewards,” shares Katie West, Cult’s lead strategist on the campaign.

“Given the volatility in the crypto world, we believe there’s a need for programs that make NFTs feel more accessible, humane and straightforward, fundamentally highlighting the true value that blockchain technology can and should bring people.”

Minting into metaverse
Last month, L’Oréal issued its first venture capital investment in the metaverse and Web3 space, signaling the industry’s readiness to adapt to an evolving digital landscape.

L’Oréal’s corporate venture capital fund BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) made a minority investment in a US-based start-up, Digital Village, a metaverse-as-a-service platform and NFT marketplace for brands, creators and communities.

AI beauty solutions provider Perfect Corp. also launched NFT services to allow consumers and beauty brands to interact with NFTs. Perfect Corp. debuted its first virtual try-on NFT collection, enabling consumers to interact with various beauty and fashion categories, including makeup looks and nail art.

Speaking to PersonalCareInsights, Alice Chang, CEO and founder of Perfect Corp. explained that NFT collections can help build brand loyalty and further engagement as “consumers can buy and access exclusive collector’s items.”

By Radhika Sikaria

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