Selling Shiseido

Cosmetics Advertising & Design in Early 20th-Century Japan

by Gennifer Weisenfeld

The Shiseido cosmetics company opened its Western-style pharmaceutical business in Tokyo in 1872 and a few decades later, under the banner of its stylish camellia logo and signature arabesque designs, emerged as one of the leading cosmetics manufacturers in Japan, a position it still holds over a century later.

This essay draws on Shiseido’s vast archives, focusing on the marketing of concepts of modern beauty from the 1920s through 1943.  Be sure to read and appreciate the detailed sources, resources and credit.

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