Beauty for a ‘lifetime’: Shiseido’s latest brand EFFECTIM taps China’s demand for anti-ageing beauty devices

EFFECTIM is the result of a joint venture formed by Shiseido and Tokyo-based beauty device company Ya-Man, which was announced last August.

According to documents previously published by Shiseido, it owns 65% of the new brand while Ya-Man owns the remaining 35%.

Ya-Man entered the Chinese market in 2015 and claims to be the top Japanese brand in its beauty device market.

“YA-MAN’s multi-functional, high-priced facial products are well received in China. It’s a market where consumers are interested in skin care methods, so we believe both companies can take full advantage,” ​said Shiseido.

Shiseido aimed to leverage on the brand’s expertise in beauty devices and its reputation in China to gain a foothold in the market.

“Since Shiseido does not have [expertise in] beauty devices, by forming a joint venture with the top beauty equipment player, we can create new value together by utilising our advantages. We are both beauty companies from Japan, sharing the same business vision to succeed in global market."​

In the coming years, Shiseido expects China to account for 70% of the beauty device market in Asia as it grew over 56% in the past three years, according to data from Mintel.

The growth of the category has accelerated in the past year and grown significantly as more consumers were staying at home and had more need for at-home devices.

As a response to this trend, Shiseido has developed four products under the EFFECTIM line, including a face care device, an eye care device, ae well as a compatible face serum and eye cream.

The beauty devices utilise Super Treatment Essential Method (STEM) Multi Force, a new technology developed by the company.

It simultaneously emits multiple forms of energy from seven electrodes and targets specific locations to provide more personalised and effective results.

Aside from products, the company has developed a 3D skin analysis pod which it will provide as a service to its customers in-store.

Based on the results of the skin analysis, consumers will undergo skin care counselling with a trained skin care ‘coach’.

The firm explained that its customers can continue to enjoy personalised skin care support from the brand with periodic skin analysis and counselling to ‘enable long-term, continuously renewed beauty’.​

“We continuously track and understand changes in skin condition to maintain that person’s beauty throughout their lifetime—providing solutions to ageing care unlike any before. By providing optimal care to each person, EFFECTIM helps bring out the possibilities of skin."​

The brand is scheduled to debut in China and Japan in the Spring of 2021.

Aside from China and Japan, the firm is also looking to establish the brand in Asia and in the future will consider other markets including Europe and North America.