Shiseido Company, Limited is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company. Its product categories consist of - skincare, makeup, body care, and fragrances. It is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world. Founded in 1872, the company celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2012. It is the largest cosmetic firm in Japan and the fifth-largest company in the world.

In Japan, Shiseido is available at cosmetic counters at selected department stores and most pharmacies (also known as "drug stores" in Japan). The company owns numerous brands and subsidiaries worldwide, in addition to its founding label. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

History
Founding
Arinobu Fukuhara, former head pharmacist to the Imperial Japanese Navy, established the Shiseido Pharmacy in 1872. After a visit to the United States, and Europe, Arinobu added a soda foundation to the store. This later grew into the Shiseido Parlor restaurant business, and eventually led to the introduction of ice cream in Japan. The name Shiseido derives from a Chinese expression meaning "praise the virtues of the earth which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values". 

Arinobu passed on his company to his son, Shinzo Fukuhara, who became the company's second president in 1913. After Shinzo's experience travelling to Europe and the United States, he became interested in advertising as a large selling point for Shiseido which lead to dedicated extensive resources to the company's design, much of which can be seen from product packaging and magazines from the time.

Expansion
In 1917, Shiseido introduced Rainbow Face Powder. This was a face powder with seven colors in a period when white face powders were the norm in Japan. In 1923, the company began expanding its store base. A joint-stock company was formed in 1927.

Early 20th Century
In 1916, Shiseido transitioned from using historical images of Japanese female beauty to more Western ideas of beauty. The more contemporary images showed women with hair swept up rather than cascading back and incorporated trendy art nouveau style block strips. This shift in imagery coincided with increasing Western influence in Japan, allowing Shiseido to capitalize on this cultural change.

The Ginza district burned during the Kanto Earthquake of 1923. This incident and the great depression in the 1930s caused a decrease in sales of Shiseido partnered with stores to form Shiseido Cosmetics Chain Store System. 

Therefore, consumers could rest assured that they could purchase Shiseido products at the same price at any store. In 1932, the representative Shiseido brand of top-class cosmetic products of the time, De Luxe, was born. Following the outbreak of World War II, the De Luxe brand was considered an extravagance, and production ceased. However, it was relaunched in 1951 when the economy began to recover. Shiseido started to expand its cosmetics markets to the international market in the 1950s to 1980s.

Reformation
In 2021, Shiseido sold its personal care business to a company held by British equity firm CVC Capital Partners. Shiseido also transferred all of its domestic personal care businesses to its Fine Today Shiseido subsidiary and was sold to CVC after its completion in July 2021.

Company Magazine
The company began publishing company magazines in 1924 with Shiseido Monthly, which contained product advertisements and advice about cosmetics and fashion. Shiseido Monthly was replaced in 1933 with The Shiseido Graph and then renamed Hanatsubaki in 1937.

Shiseido Monthly and The Shiseido Graph featured photographs by Shinzo Fukuhara, the company's second president, and a well-known photographer.

International Expansion
In 1957, Shiseido began sales in Taiwan, closely followed by Singapore and Hing Kong. In 1962, Shiseido expanded to Hawaii in 1965, it established Shiseido Cosmetics America. European sales began with Italy and Oceania with New Zealand in 1971.

In 1985, Shiseido was the first company to produce sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) from non-animal origin sources.

Makeup
Shiseido produces a line of cosmetics simply called "The Makeup" that provide a full range of products including lip products, powder eye shadows, eyeliner pencils, mascara, fluid, and compact foundations, concealers, and powder blushes. Their hydro powder eye shadows which have a creamy texture are among Allure magazine's top beauty picks.

Shiseido stepped into the world of cosmetics with the introduction of Eudermine in 1897 and established the Cosmetics Division and a store selling cosmetics in 1916. With the birth of new cosmetics, the definition of makeup started to alter in the 1920s. The cosmetics were not used exclusively by women. Men started to use makeup to rebuild their image. Shiseido's scented hair tonics were among their most popular early cosmetics for both men and women, fueled by a reaction to Western distaste for less fragrant traditional hair oil products. Shiseido also began to produce floral perfumes which contributed to the brand's "De Luxe" and "rich” aesthetic.

Meanwhile, modern beauty methods became a popular beauty topic in advertisements, newspaper columns, and magazines in the late 1920s to early 1930s. At that time, cosmetic consumers focused on the selection of makeup and its uses. The single makeup method of painting the face white was considered outdated. The beauty consumers liked to apply up to seven different colors of face powder including ‘’ white, yellow, flesh, rose, peony, green and purple’’ to match their skin tone. In order to explore more potential consumers, Shiseido trained beauty advisers, who demonstrated and illustrated the uses of the cosmetics on the on-site demonstration briefing.

Packaging
Shiseido invested heavily in the packaging of its products. One of the company's most popular products was Eudermine, a scented skin toner. Eudermine translates to "good skin" in Ancient Greek. The product was sold in a liquid form and came in a vibrant shade of red, meant to resemble the color of wine, evoking prosperity and vitality. The glass bottle was small and came wrapped with a red ribbon around the neck. Eudermine was advertised as a barrier that would prevent sweat and make one "smell like an angel,". Additionally, it was advertised as a way to prevent damage from the poisonous lead in makeup powders. In the general advertising of Shiseido bottled products, bottles were often presented individually, or sometimes in groups. The sensuality of the bottles was influenced by the product arrangement.

Shiseido also produced a line of five different skin creams designed for cleansing and softening the skin. As well as being associated with health and beauty, the cream containers themselves were considered visually appealing and often used as an accessory on a woman's dressing table.

Recycling in Wartime
During World War II, Shiseido made moves to join the war effort by spearheading a campaign to recycle its product containers. In an attempt to conserve important materials, Shiseido's production switched from glass containers to ceramics, cardboard, and aluminum-based on the individual products they were selling.

Animal Testing
In 2017, Shiseido's subsidiary company, NARS Cosmetics, announced it was going to start its products on animals. In defense of its decision, the company stated, "We have decided to make NARS available in China because we feel it is important to bring our vision of beauty and artistry to fans in the region. NARS does not test on animals or ask others to do so on our behalf, except where required by law".