Shiseido to tap silver economy potential in China

With China's silver economy booming, Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido is upbeat about the Chinese market, and will step up efforts to tap into the opportunities available.

Together with the Seniors University of China, Shiseido began holding public welfare skincare and cosmetics lectures in Beijing, providing professional and easy-to-learn scientific skincare courses for silver-haired students, and guiding them step by step to showcase their confidence through makeup.

At the lectures, based on the skin characteristics of elderly friends, the instructor from Shiseido explained practical tips for daily skincare — such as cleaning, moisturizing, and sun protection — and provided personalized advice for common skin problems among the elderly.

In the interactive session, the instructor also invited students to experience simple and easy makeup application methods on site, allowing everyone to intuitively feel the positive psychological changes brought about by treating oneself with care.

Shiseido's latest research found that makeup not only makes elderly people's expressions more cheerful and bright, but may also have positive effects such as relieving accompanying symptoms of dementia, thereby helping to improve the quality of life of elderly people.

"Makeup is not only a way to showcase one's personality and convey oneself to the outside world, but also a way to make oneself more confident and gain inner peace," a Shiseido spokesperson said.

Since entering China in 2009, Shiseido has been continuously conducting social care beauty lectures. As of 2025, more than 300 lectures have been held nationwide, serving over 10,000 consumers, with over 30 percent of them being elderly.

"When China welcomes the largest 'retirement wave' in history at a rate of 20 million people per year, and when the silver haired population's demand for beauty is increasingly awakening, what can companies do? The answer, to Shiseido, is to use professional skills to help them create a better life," Shiseido said. "This is the value of Shiseido's makeup campaign."

Data from consultancy Frost & Sullivan showed that China's silver economy is estimated to surpass 16 trillion yuan ($2.38 trillion), with considerable growth space.