Cosmetics firm doubling Beijing staff as it focuses on local tastes
Shiseido, Japan's largest cosmetics company, is expanding its research and development centre in Beijing with a US$12.2 million investment.
The Shiseido China Research Centre, at the Beijing Economic Technological Development Zone, is projected to see its research staff doubled to 50, with almost all the new hires locally recruited.
Its expanded brief will be to focus on mainland customers' preferences and habits, as well as develop cosmetic materials and products using Chinese traditional medicine and technology for local and export markets.
In the past two months, Shiseido's two major competitors, L'Oreal and Estee Lauder, has opened their first research and development centres in China, both in Shanghai.
In terms of academic status, the Beijing centre will be ranked third among Shiseido's 12 global research facilities, behind only its flagship centre in Tokyo and one in the United States.