Shiseido's third-quarter sales rose 8% year on year to JPY 242 billion, while core operating profit jumped 243% to JPY 23 billion. Management raised 2026 revenue and core operating profit guidance by 4% and 26%, respectively, lifting core operating margin to 8.5%.
Shiseido is well poised to reap the benefits of the global premiumization trend and consumers’ shift in spending to skincare, given its competitive edges in skincare innovations and a renewed strategy of customer-centric product launches.
Bears
Slowing global growth and rising inflation will weigh on consumer sentiment, disrupting the premiumization trend and depressing spending on beauty products.
Founded in 1872 and headquartered in Tokyo, Shiseido is one of Japan’s leading premium beauty companies, with a portfolio of 31 brands spanning skincare, color cosmetics, and fragrance categories. As of the end of 2025, it is the third-largest company in the premium skincare category, behind L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, and the sixth-largest in the color cosmetics category. Its key brands, Shiseido, Clé de Peau Beauté, Nars, Elixir, Anessa, Drunk Elephant, Narciso Rodriguez, and Issey Miyake, accounted for 79% of Shiseido’s first-half 2026 revenue. Shiseido operates across 120 countries and regions, with Japan accounting for 29% of first-half 2026 sales, China and Travel Retail at 38%, Asia-Pacific at 7%, the Americas at 11%, and Europe, Middle East, and Africa at 13%.