Shiseido Launches Sidekick Skin Care Brand Targeting Gen-Z Asian Men
TOKYO — Shiseido said Wednesday it is launching a new skin care brand called Sidekick, targeting Gen-Z men in Asia. The initial offering of four products went on sale Wednesday at Shiseido’s Beauty Square store in Harajuku, Tokyo, and is due to hit e-commerce channels in China from July 1.
“We have positioned skin beauty as our core business and are expanding our skin care and other skin beauty brands in pursuit of becoming the world’s leader in this field by 2030. We are also working on the development of men’s cosmetics in the skin beauty category,” Shiseido said in a statement. “With the launch of Sidekick, we will focus on China where the men’s cosmetics market is booming and will target mainly the Gen-Z market whose growth rate is particularly high.”
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Sidekick products will focus on a “hybrid” model, combining two different elements in order to add value. They combine naturally derived ingredients and advanced technologies to address specific skin care issues of Gen-Z men, such as dry or oily skin, but also support the skin’s moisture barrier function with each use creating a skin environment that is more resilient.
The brand’s initial offering includes five types of face washes, as well as a lotion, a moisturizer and a sheet mask.
Sidekick is the latest in a series of niche brands to be launched by Shiseido, which is working to position itself as a global leader in skin care. Another recent debut was that of Ulé, a sustainable skin care line and Shiseido’s first brand developed in Europe.
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