Shiseido & Accenture: AI-the Best Skincare Solution?

Skincare and beauty are two of the most saturated and competitive markets in the world. 

With millions of new products launched globally each year, companies are in a constant race to differentiate themselves, capturing market share in a sector that thrives on personalisation and trends.

Consumers expect quality ingredients, personalisation, sustainability, choice and aesthetic style.

And if you don't deliver? well, there are a thousand other alternatives.

Digital platforms and social media have only fuelled this competition, where emerging brands can quickly gain visibility and disrupt traditional market leaders. The future of makeup and skincare is diverse and by god is it discerning, so manufacturers must modernise to stay ahead.

One well-established pioneer in the beauty industry doing just that is Shiseido.

Established in 1872, with over 100 years of research and development, Shiseido is Asia's top skincare and beauty company. Think of it as Japan's Clinique, a high-end competitor.

Its products are popular, classic and respected. But we wouldn't think of Clinique when we picture brands that will capture new markets in the social media age.

Or would we? The brand's classic black honey lip stain recently went viral on TikTok, all thanks to the brand's capacity to experiment and embrace new trends.

Shiseido is doing this too, adopting AI to manufacture cutting-edge cosmetics through a strategic partnership with Accenture.

Blending tradition & technology

Shisedo & Accenture partnership

Shiseido decided a year ago to shift its long term management strategy to an initiative called 'WIN 2023 and Beyond'.

The goal of this initiative was to transform into a personal wellness and beauty company by 2030.

Shiseido through creating a personalised beauty and product experience for each customer is ultimately aiming to become the world’s number-one beauty brand.

Accenture has been the perfect technological partner to help Shiseido pivot in this way, first working with the brand to help create its digital platform 'Shiseido Interactive Beauty'.

so much of this is thanks to its partnership with Accenture, that has been positive since it began in 2021. 

"We are honored to help Shiseido accelerate its bold mission to deliver ‘Beauty Innovations for a Better World’ and meet the holistic needs of consumers,” says Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture.

“Our partnership is based on our shared values, focusing not only on creating incredible experiences for Shiseido’s consumers and more value for its business and retail partners, but also investing in digital skills for Shiseido’s employees, enhancing inclusion and diversity and putting sustainability at the heart of its products and operations — transforming to create value for all.”

"We are not merely commercially connected with Accenture," adds Masahiko Uotani Representative Director, Chairman and CEO of Shiseido.

"Our values are aligned, which is why we are confident in establishing Shiseido Interactive Beauty, and we look forward to a significant global business and partnership with Accenture to achieve our goal of becoming a "personal wellness company" by 2030."

Agreeing on this is Atsunori Takano, Executive Officer, Group Chief Information Technology Officer at Shiseido who says:

"Accenture's services cover a wide range of areas, from upstream consulting to downstream operations and maintenance, as well as digital marketing, and also includes Droga5, one of the world's most innovative and influential creative agencies. 

"In establishing Shiseido Interactive Beauty, we wanted to leverage Accenture's various resources as part of a company-wide partnership."

Shiseido's partnership with Accenture has resulted in the creation of a unique AI system that operates within the company’s digital platform, VOYAGER.

Launched in February 2024, VOYAGER is a comprehensive tool that incorporates Shiseido’s extensive R&D data and AI algorithms to streamline and modernise product development. 

It's helping the manufacturer create a more efficient, inclusive and effective formulation process.

VOYAGER: steering the future of cosmetics development

VOYAGER is powered by proprietary algorithms that analyse data from a diversity of sources. 

It gathers information on raw materials, formulation chemistry, ingredient combinations and sensory and cutaneous science. 

Leveraging a database of over 500,000 data points, Shiseido's AI system can perform comparative analyses, predict missing data and assess formulation similarities across skincare, foundations and different product categories. 

This makes developing cosmetics significantly more efficient and precise. 

One of the most groundbreaking aspects of the platform is its ability to learn from 'ingredient informatics' which assess not only individual ingredient characteristics but also how they interact in combination.

This comprehensive approach enables Shiseido to optimise formulations, balancing stability, texture and sensory experience. 

One of the most tangible outcomes of Shiseido's AI-driven platform is the development of innovative prototype formulations. For example, Shiseido successfully created a new type of cleanser that combines the rich, dense lather typical of cleansing formulations with the refreshing feel of skincare products. This achievement was made possible through VOYAGER's AI-based formulation search function, which enabled Shiseido to merge expertise from both cleansing and skincare formulation domains.

This fusion of TAKUMI, or artisan expertise, with AI-driven analysis exemplifies Shiseido's ability to deliver products that offer a unique sensory experience while maintaining high performance. The success of this prototype highlights how AI can help accelerate product development and allow Shiseido to meet consumer demands for diverse textures, sensations, and functionalities in beauty products.

A Vision for the Future

As Shiseido advances it envisions AI as playing an even greater role in its development processes. 

Even as being a core piece in its long term-strategy to not just remain a leader in the beauty industry, but to grow its market share. 

They understand that cosmetics and makeup manufacturers can no longer lead on quality or price alone.

There is too much noise and competition offering the same to stand out. 

What's key is offering something innovative, something new and personalised through the power of industry 4.0 technologies. 

Shiseido by bolding embracing AI is carving a future for itself where its not just regarded as a highly respected, legacy brand- but as an innovator, as a trailblazer, as a manufacturer that is offering something new. 

And that counts for so much, in an industry where branding is king.

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