Beauty
Shiseido 資生堂
A Ginza pharmacy that became a beauty giant
Arinobu Fukuhara, a former navy pharmacist, opened Japan's first Western-style pharmacy in Ginza in 1872. It moved into cosmetics with a skin lotion in 1897, and also opened a soda fountain that became the Shiseido Parlour restaurant.
- Founded
- 1872
- Meiji 5
- Founder
- Arinobu Fukuhara
- Started in
- Tokyo
- Status
- Still trading
- Age 154 years
Timeline
-
1872 (Meiji 5)
Opens as a Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo.
-
1897 (Meiji 30)
Launches Eudermine, a skin lotion still sold today.
-
1902 (Meiji 35)
Opens a soda fountain serving ice cream and soda, later the Shiseido Parlour.
-
1916 (Taishō 5)
Sets up a design department, creating its distinctive art nouveau style.
Years in brackets are the Japanese era year. Japanese era converter →
Did you know?
The name comes from a line in the Chinese classic the I Ching, praising the earth that gives birth to all things.
Dates follow the companies' own published histories where available. Trademarks belong to their owners; this page is not affiliated with any company listed.