Henkel Integrates Shiseido Professional Business with Schwarzkopf in J-Beauty Innovation Hub in Tokyo

Opening ceremony of Henkel’s “J-beauty innovation hub” In Tokyo. From left: Koji Takata, Head of R&D, Henkel Consumer Brands Japan; Linda Zhang, Regional Director, R&D Asia at Henkel; Carsten Knobel, Henkel CEO; Wolfgang König, Executive Vice President, Henkel Consumer Brands; David Tung, Regional President Asia, Henkel Consumer Brands; Naoki Hanamura, Vice President Brand Unit Shiseido Professional.

(IN BRIEF) Henkel has opened its “J-beauty innovation hub” in Tokyo, Japan, which will serve as a platform for the Hair Professional business. The hub brings together the expertise of Schwarzkopf and Shiseido Professional in hair color innovation, premium hair and scalp care, anti-hair loss, styling, and perm solutions. It will leverage an international workforce of approximately 100 people, including 40 R&D experts, to significantly increase Henkel’s capabilities in new product development and ingredient formulation. Key features of the hub include a R&D lab, an advanced product evaluation studio, a color observation room, and a behavior observation cube. The “J-beauty innovation hub” will create a unique fusion of Asian and Western beauty concepts, trends, and solutions for Asian salon partners and consumers.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜSSELDORF, 16-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Henkel (ETR: HEN3), a German chemical and consumer goods company, has announced the opening of its “J-beauty innovation hub” in Tokyo, a new milestone in the integration of the Shiseido Professional business into the Henkel organization. The 1,400 square meter hub is dedicated to the Hair Professional business and leverages the expertise of Schwarzkopf and Shiseido Professional in hair color innovation, premium hair and scalp care, anti-hair loss, styling, and perm solutions.

With an international workforce of approximately 100 people, including 40 R&D experts, the hub will significantly increase Henkel’s capabilities in new product development and ingredient formulation. The R&D lab, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, will focus on hair product and color development for the Japanese market and Asia, while the advanced product evaluation studio will be used to test the sensory performance of hair care products, hair color, perm, and styling solutions.

Key features of the hub include a color observation room, which is fitted with a special lighting system for constant observation of hair color, and a behavior observation cube, a reproduction of a typical household bathroom that will enable the team to develop customized solutions and improve product designs based on user experiences.

At the opening ceremony, Carsten Knobel, Henkel CEO, said, “Asia is a highly dynamic region generating many trends and innovations, especially in the consumer goods market, which we are expanding and leveraging globally. With its inspiring and collaborative environment, our new innovation hub will help to accelerate impactful innovation and further strengthen our Hair Professional business in this strategically important region for Henkel. It supports our ambition to further advance our competitive edge and turn innovation into a true competitive differentiator.”

“We purposefully built the J-beauty innovation hub in Japan, as it is the world’s second largest Hair Professional market. Together with our Schwarzkopf Professional hubs in Los Angeles and Hamburg, we now have a global ecosystem across North America, Europe, and Asia for our Hair Professional business. We will tap into this exciting opportunity to elevate our iconic brands and drive new innovations to meet the changing needs of hairdressers and consumers,” explained Wolfgang König, Executive Vice President Henkel Consumer Brands.

The “J-beauty innovation hub” brings together the Schwarzkopf and Shiseido Professional teams, who will co-locate within the premises, to create a unique fusion of Asian and Western beauty concepts, trends, and solutions for Asian salon partners and consumers. The hub will also focus on strategy, marketing, product development, and hairdressing education and operations.

David Tung, Regional President of Henkel Consumer Brands Asia, said, “The J-beauty innovation hub strengthens our capabilities to develop brands and innovations in Asia for Asian consumers. It is a game changer for our business and salon partners in Japan as well as in the leading Asian beauty markets of Greater China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. The close collaboration between marketing, brand development and R&D creates an entrepreneurial culture, where the teams can conceptualize and test new ideas quicker and make decisions faster on go-to-market strategies. The J-beauty innovation hub is thus pivotal for accelerating our Hair Professional business growth in Asia.”

Henkel Integrates Shiseido Professional Business with Schwarzkopf in J-Beauty Innovation Hub in Tokyo

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