The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Video calls are pushing a growing number of Japanese businessmen to pay attention to their skincare and makeup, Shiseido officials told the Associated Press.
Japan’s men’s beauty market has traditionally been driven by younger consumers in their 20s, but the pandemic has widened the category’s appeal. Last year, Shiseido released free filters for women for use on video conferences and said men responded on social media requesting their own versions. The beauty giant’s men’s line, Uno, is now expanding its marketing to reach men in their 40s.
“I think the coronavirus has created a certain condition that urges businessmen to be more aware of their skin condition,” Uno’s assistant branding manager, Yoshiyuki Matsuo, told AP. “We have seen double-digit growth even amid the pandemic.”
By selling existing formulas under their own name, retailers can tap into the lucrative beauty market without investing in custom formulations. But that doesn’t mean the private label model is an easy win.
The San Francisco-based company is hoping to tap growing consumer demand for financing for cosmetic treatments among other services.
Once thought of as long-term disruptors who would change the way we shop forever, multi-brand online retailers that sell cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and more are facing multiple headwinds.
Prestige makeup is fashion’s category expansion du jour. But even the market’s most powerful players could learn a thing or two from its celebrity-backed competition.