Shiseido unveils "new era" of sun skincare backed by "breakthrough" technology

Charles de Montalivet, Managing Director for Shiseido in the UK and Ireland, last month told TheIndustry.beauty about his growth strategy for the region. Among these plans, he teased a greater focus on suncare. Now, staying true to his word, the company has unveiled a "new era" of sun skincare for the Shiseido brand in 2024.

As part of this, the brand has announced the launch of a new suncare innovation - SynchroShieldRepair - to strengthen protection against UV rays by making its SPF products more resistant to harmful factors such as water (perspiration, the sea, swimming pools), heat, and various forms of friction.

SynchroShieldRepair technology is a new combination of:

• Wet Force Technology - an "exclusive" technology that strengthens sun protection veil when in contact with water.
• Heat Force Technology - a "ground-breaking" technology that boosts sun protection veil in hot weather.
• New AutoRepair Technology - a "breakthrough" technology that boosts sun protection by repairing the protective film damaged by rubbing and friction, automatically.

This innovation comes in the form of eight new SPF skincare products, each combined with 60% active skincare ingredients to offer "genuine suncare protection whilst preserving skin's youthful appearance".

"Shiseido 2024 suncare products have been completely reformulated and feature the latest innovations in sun protection and all the brand's renowned skincare expertise: anti-ageing research, proven visible benefits, and sublime textures for easy application," reads a statement from the brand.

Launching with four sun protection lotions for the face and body, two sun protection creams, and two new compact foundations, the collection aims to reaffirm Shiseido's commitment to this category in 2024 and beyond.

Suncare is just one part of the company's strategy for the Shiseido brand in the UK and Ireland, which also includes the roll-out of other science-backed innovations and result-driven messaging across its full skincare portfolio, not just SPF.

"In the UK, consumers are very results-driven. It's all about being short, sharp and benefit-driven. So, we're focusing more on this to drive growth across the market, Montalivet told TheIndustry.beauty in The Interview: Shiseido Company MD on driving growth in the UK & Ireland.

Launching in May, the new collection will debut ahead of British summertime, where the UK population typically adopts a more regular use of sun protection amid the warmer weather and holidays abroad.

It comes as suncare continues to be a hot topic, with online beauty retailer Face the Future last week revealing its mission to "revolutionise attitudes towards sun and skin safety" by cutting VAT on SPF products as part of a new campaign.

The 366 Days of SPF campaign launched following a YouGov survey of over 2,000 participants, highlighting that the UK population is not adhering to SPF guidelines, thus putting their skin health at risk.

To address this, Face the Future has cut the VAT across its SPF offering until 31 May 2024. It is backed by Amy Callaghan MP, whose VAT Burn campaign calls on the UK Government to remove VAT from suncream products that have a health benefit.