Top 2018 stories: Our 10 most-read APAC beauty brand stories of the year revealed

1 - Nature Republic opens first store in Indonesia

Natural beauty brand, Nature Republic, pushes forward with its overseas expansion​ by launching its overseas expansion by launching its first brick-and-mortar store to the Indonesian customer base in Jarkarta.

On 24th January 2018, the raw material beauty provider, opened its 40-unit store in a centrally-located shopping mall in Lipomol, in the Bharat area of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

Strategically in line with the brand’s target audiences, the mall is mainly frequented by Indonesian Muslims and young people in their teens and 20s that have a strong interest in Korean cultural breakthroughs such as K-Pop and K-Beauty.

With the number of customers visiting the store hitting 1,500 on the day of pre-opening, the Indonesian store reached record sales of approximately 100 million won (€75,654).

2 - Shiseido unveils its new 2018-2020 strategy

Multinational personal care leader moves onto the next phase of its ‘Vision 2020’​ plan by releasing its latest ‘three-year plan’ for 2018-2020.

Released in March 2018, the new three-year strategy starts from 2018 and plans to support attaining the company’s six-year mediumto-long term 'Vision 2020' plan.

Shiseido’s 'Vision 2020 was first developed in 2014, with the first three years (2015 to 2017) dedicated to rebuilding the business foundation. This revolved around resolving structural issues of both the Japanese and overseas side of the business, along with strengthening investment in marketing.

3 - Olay scientists discovers the power of niacinamide for skin care

With its mantra “passionate about making a difference”. Olay strives to continue its pledge by demonstrating through its scientific findings that skin care ingredients niacinamide supports anti-aging​.

Skin care name, Olay, has conducted three scientific studies demonstrating how niacinamide leafs to the improvement in the skin function and appearance.

Following Olay scientist’s collaboration with Newcastle University in the UK and Agency for Science Technology & Research (A*STAR) Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Singapore, these results were presented at the International Investigative Dermatology annual meeting on 16th-19th May and will soon be submitted to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

4 - Shiseido launches new IoT personalised skin care system

Japanese personal care company, Shiseido, prepares to release its personalised skin care system, Optune, which utilises the Internet of Things (IoT).​

The new skin care system, named Optune, aims to achieve skin care personalisation by pairing digital technology with cutting-edge skin science and beauty research. The test sale of the β version will begin in spring 2018 in Japan.

Following this test launch, the brand hopes to spark a full-scale subsequent introduction.

Leveraging the IoT, the skin care system uses a special machine supported by unique algorithms to meet skin care needs in real time. The technology uses skin measurement data from dedicated application software, which is downloaded into a smartphone (iPhone), alongside current environmental data.

5 - L’Oréal confirms Indonesia is its fastest growing mass market

As the fourth most populated country in the world, Indonesia, is a key growth market for L’Oréal.​

Indonesia, which continues to act as a major target market for the global cosmetics company, has a 262 million-strong population, of which, 51% use the internet, the global beauty named revealed.

The beauty giant has had a noticeable presence in the Southeast Asian country since 1979, and as its 40^th​ year in the nation approaches, L’Oréal commits its focus to the evolving desires and preferences of beauty loving consumers.

At present, there are 15 L’Oréal brands available in the country. This has grown in recent years, and over the past decade, the Indonesian market has doubled in size.

6 - L'Oréal China and Alibaba team up on green packaging

Cosmetics giant, L'Oréal, and e-commerce leader, Alibaba Group, are boosting their e-commerce leader, Alibaba Group, are boosting their efforts to reduce waste by using environmentally-friendly packaging.​

The Chinese arm of the global cosmetics company, L'Oréal, has partnered up with Alibaba to ensure all of the packaging used on its items sold in China is environmentally friendly. This transformation will take place over the next five months.

L'Oréal and Alibaba signed the partnership agreement on Monday 25th June 2018, reported Alizila, Alibaba’s new site.

The event was witnessed by Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier and Edouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

7 - Sephora to launch first Asian concept store in Shanghai

Sephora has announced plans to open the first Asian concept store in Shanghai​, while unveiling a new campaign and WeChat social retail channel.

The LVMH-owned beauty retailer said that the new concept store would be unveiled this month in Shanghai.

The concept store will feature an upgraded store design, technology and service. Upgrades include an e-commerce wall, which the company calls a “cloud shelf”, as well as a virtual artist experience.

Its store on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road is currently their largest flagship store to date. In addition to it, the company has 28 physical Sephora stores across 74 cities in China.

8 - Shiseido puts the spotlight on innovation with Posme

Personal care giant, Shiseido, launches its new open innovation project​ with support from high school females, aged 14-18 years old, and companies from a range of industries.

Shiseido is set to unveil its latest open innovation project, Posme, on 26th January 2018, where it will launch eight colours from its Play Color Chip product line.

The company’s multi-use colour item, Play Color Chip, will be the first item released by Posme. A key part of the range’s appeal comes from its functionality as it can be used in a variety of ways, including for the eyes, cheeks, lips or eyebrows.

9 - Shiseido redesigns innovation and texture in make up

Releasing its new make-up collection, the Japanese personal care influencer, celebrates the release of its four cutting-edge textures.​

On 30th July 2018, Shiseido announced how it strives to disrupt the beauty industry “yet again” to reimagine what beauty solutions o er cosmetics buyers.

Through 'Gifting Japan to the World', Shiseido has developed a product range that is “modern, minimalistic, visionary, expressive and creative” .

"The focal point of the range isn't simply the extraordinary colours or its incredible performance, but the unique, sensorial textures," explained Jill Scalamandre, President, bareMinerals, Buxom and Global Development

10 - Shiseido sees opportunity in Japan's pollen concerns

As well as experiencing a high pollen count this spring, Japan has been hit by the pollution coming from China, which has opened up a new segment of opportunity​ for cosmetic players.

Pollution or PM are tiny particles that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. Although the micro-particles won’t penetrate they skin, they can influence surface barrier function, causing dryness or even acne.

Until recently, face masks have been the most popular form of protection against pollution, however with pollen allergies also thrown into the mix in Japan, there is an opportunity for beauty brands to develop a collection of sprays and creams.