Japan-based global beauty house, Shiseido, yesterday unveiled a scent that is designed to give the company critical mass in the perfume category. It is part of a strategic vision to make fragrance a substantial third pillar of the business and take it up to a double digit share.

The new edp scent called Ever Bloom launches in a staggered global roll out from September focused first on Europe (excluding France) and the Middle East.

In duty free and travel retail, operators in the Middle East markets of Dubai, Qatar and Lebanon will get the three-size range (30ml, 50ml, 90ml) two weeks early as part of a pre-launch. Asia and the US will be shipping in the second half of 2016, and in 2017 respectively, while France will get Ever Bloom in 2016.

The Middle East market in DF&TR is currently booming, up +11.6% according to Alexeïa Chapalain, Europe Travel Retail Marketing Manager, much of it on the back of the popularity of the new skincare serum Ultimune with Chinese travellers. TRBusiness understands that Shiseido is also evaluating the possible launch of a fragrance exclusively for the Middle East region.

FIRST EVER TV SPOTS

Ever Bloom is being supported by TV spots [the first time ever that Shiseido has put investment here], initially in Spain and Italy, with Russia and Germany in negotiation. The spots are in addition to the usual operational marketing initiatives in print media, digital and in-store visibility.

Under a five-year Vision 2020 plan, initiated by the company’s 16th President, Masahiko Uotani, the former president of Coca-Cola (Japan), who joined in April last year, Shiseido is tasked with becoming a credible three-axis beauty house by the end of this decade.

Currently it is dominated by skincare at 78%, followed by make-up at 18% and fragrance at only 4%. By 2020, Uotani expects these ratios to be 70:20:10.

Florian Hanhausen, Vice President Marketing & Communication, says: “It’s a big target but it is achievable. We are entering a new chapter in the company’s history.”

REGIONAL POWER

Helping to drive the ratio change is the fact that Uotani has instigated a less centralised, more regionalised matrix structure which has allowed Europe, for example, to have more of a voice and to drive the fragrance growth plans. This makes sense given that sales of fragrance in Europe dominate the beauty market with a 55% share, whereas in Asia skincare dominates.

Ever Bloom takes Shiseido out of its comfort zone of skincare, in which it is a recognised expert. “We can also talk to different consumers and bring in new recruits to the brand,” says Chapalain, referring to the new focus on fragrance.

Creator of the scent is Aurélien Guichard, the eight generation in a long line of perfumers, who developed Ever Bloom at Givaudan, although he now works at Firmenich.

His brief was simple yet daunting: to create a pillar for Shiseido, “but I didn’t over think it” he says.

The scent he has come up with is described as a white floral musk, with petals from “an abstract flower that you can’t quite identify” being a key note throughout.

He tells TRBusiness that the pillar gets away from the Japanese focus of previous scents: “It’s not a typically Japanese fragrance, but it’s not a global fragrance either. It is very different to what’s out there.”

EAST MEETS WEST

The east-west collaboration between Japan and France also meant that “there was more fine tuning that I am used to” says Guichard. However, the back and forth evaluations [some 2,000 formulations were tested over two years] has ensured a scent structure that moves away from a standard pyramid to a more novel rounded construction with no top notes or dry down, but a wrap-around floral musky accord of orange blossom-gardenia.

The advertising features a model much more prominently than for past scents with Germany’s Tess Helfeuer chosen as the thoroughly modern muse. The bottle too, infused with a radiating pink colour from the base, mixes angles and curves to bring an edge to what would otherwise be a softer form.

Ever Bloom launches in four skus: three edps of 30ml, 50ml and 90ml at €39, €59 and €79 respectively in DF&TR, plus a body lotion. The pricing is in line with previous Shiseido fragrances and in the middle of the luxury edp market.