Shiseido plans to ramp up its China-only brand Urara in June by launching several new products based on its recent research into anti-ageing and amino acids. The research, the result of a joint project with Kyushu University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, focused on a group of D-amino acids, which were found to play an important role in skin structure and to possess anti-ageing properties. The new Urara skin care products will be the first time these compounds have been used in cosmetics, according to Shiseido.
Urara first appeared in selected stores in China in 2006 with a selection of skin care products. Later the brand was developed to include skin care, hair care and make-up with over 100 products sold through 4,000 speciality beauty stores. The brand has become a key part of Shiseido’s strategy to build a substantial business in China. Following the anti-Japanese riots in China last year, which were provoked by a territorial dispute between the two countries, rebuilding trust and loyalty among Chinese consumers is crucial to Shiseido’s future.