SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT Respect Oceans,
Protect Beauty.

SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT Coral-respect

Our Mission

SHISEIDO is dedicated to improving the health and beauty of our planet’s oceans. In collaboration with the World Surf League, the global home of surfing, and PURE, the World Surf League’s environmental initiative committed to inspire, educate and empower ocean protection, the SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT encourages ocean lovers from around the world to join hands in protecting and supporting the beaches we love, the oceans we depend on, and the skin we live in.

The environmental impact of sunscreens.

  • A Study on the effects of UV filters on coral

    SHISEIDO conducted joint research with Associate Professor Takashi Nakamura of the Faculty of Science, Ryukyu University, Japan. Professor Nakamura is actively conducting research related to reef-building corals and coral reef organisms. SHISEIDO scientists conducted research to assess the impact of each UV filter used in our products on two types of corals – the soft coral (Alcyonacea) and hard coral (Scleractinia) – collected under the special permission of the prefectural governor based on the rules of Okinawa prefecture. The research focused on the changes in the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis*1 in the symbiotic zooxanthellae of the corals*2, as well as the coral polyps’ expansion and contraction under experimental treatments.

  • A Study of the dynamics of sunscreens when people use our sunscreens

    At the same time, SHISEIDO scientists used an in silico evaluation model to elucidate a worst-case ocean elution scenario of using SHISEIDO's water-resistant sunscreens for leisure. The simulation assumes overconservative conditions with the largest number of swimmers in midsummer*3. Tokyo Bay was used as the model in the risk assessment. This is a model developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. This model is used in detailed risk assessments by governments, businesses, universities, etc. and multiple reports and papers using the model have been submitted.

    From the results obtained from the above, it is considered that the impact on coral colonies in the ocean when using SHISEIDO water-resistant sunscreens for leisure is insignificant even under exaggerated conditions.
    SHISEIDO is committed to developing products that can protect the skin from harmful UV rays while trying to minimize the impact on the marine environment.

  • *1 The value when light energy can be used most efficiently when organisms perform photosynthesis under certain conditions.
  • *2 Colony of egg-laying size excluding planktonic larvae and juvenile coral colonies.
  • *3 Calculated from information such as the parts used, the amount used, and the number of ocean swimmers in the past

Activations of SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT

2024 BLUE PROJECT Activities

Under the theme of 'Respect the Ocean, Protect Beauty,' we are expanding our global initiatives in collaboration with local communities, NGOs, and the youth of next generation.

  • Oyster Restoration and Beach Clean-up in USA

    To continue reinforcing SHISEIDO’s commitment to sustainability, respect for people, nature, and the planet, we proudly activated at the WSL US Open of Surfing from August 7 to 11, 2024. The event kicked off with a Celebrity Beach Clean-Up hosted by Nina Dobrev in collaboration with Wildcoast. The clean-up attracted 45 attendees, including local organizations, influencers and the media. The effort helped remove from the beach 32 pounds of trash & microplastics.

  • Global action on June 8, World Oceans Day

    On June 8 this year, World Oceans Day, various sustainability activities were organized at 9 different locations across 5 countries. A beach cleanup was conducted in Ichinomiya Town where the first surfing competition for the Tokyo Olympics was held. About 250 people, including numerous volunteers from Ichinomiya Town, also participated in the activities in addition to SHISEIDO members, and collected approximately 140 kg of combustible trash and 30 kg of noncombustible trash. From April 27 to July 7, Shiseido EMEA team actively participated in the M.A.R.E (Marine Adventure for Research & Education) project. This initiative, led by the Centro Velico Caprera Foundation and the One Ocean Foundation, aimed to conduct surveys and research to protect and conserve marine life and ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. The project covered various locations including Italy, France, and Spain.

  • Fishing nets cleaned up in Portugal

    On March 5th, 2024, SHISEIDO conducted its first marine conservation activity of the year in preparation for the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2024 event at Peniche Beach in Portugal. The team that consisted of more than 60 people, including Italian pro surfer Leonardo Fioravanti, 15 influencers from 8 European countries, local children from the ”Peniche Surfing Clube,” and Kanoa Igarashi cleaned up approximately 9 kilograms of fishing nets collected from Peniche Beach.

2023 BLUE PROJECT Activities

In 2023, we proudly launched impactful initiatives including Kelp Restoration in Portugal, Coral Restoration in Tahiti, Beach Clean-up efforts in Los Angeles, USA, and Sunscreen Education programs in Japan.

  • Sunscreen Education programs in Japan

    For the Christmas event, SHISEIDO hosted the Blue X'mas Sunscreen Education on December 23 at the Shiseido Global Innovation Center, featuring Kanoa Igarashi, Kianu Igarashi, and 200 young participants. During the event, a Shiseido sunscreen researcher delivered an insightful presentation on the importance of sunscreen application, and Kanoa Igarashi gifted SHISEIDO sunscreen to the participants.

  • Beach Clean-up efforts in Los Angeles, USA

    We hosted a variety of activations in Huntington Beach, CA during the WALLEX US Open of Surfing between July 30 and August 7 to showcase SHISEIDO’s sustainability impact with Kanoa Igarashi – who also recruited ~200 Junior Lifeguards to join the cause. SHISEIDO was on-site hosting a sunscreen sampling booth for public as well.

  • Coral Restoration in Tahiti

    Our coral restoration initiative in Tahiti was carried out in partnership with Kanoa Igarashi, the nonprofit organization "Coral Gardeners," and local youth during the SHISEIDO title-sponsored championship tour, the 2023 SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro. Approximately 50 local children participated in this meaningful effort, contributing to the preservation of the breathtaking ocean and coral ecosystems.

  • Kelp Restoration in Portugal

    For our first event in 2023, we organized a kelp restoration activity in Peniche, Portugal, in collaboration with Kanoa Igarashi, members of the professional surfing community, surfing influencers, and local children. This event took place a day before the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, which was held from March 8 to 16. SHISEIDO was proud to be on-site, hosting a sunscreen booth in Portugal for the first time.

2022 Beach Clean up with Kanoa IGARASHI at Tsurigasaki, Japan

On October 28, 2022 (Friday), a beach cleanup was held at Tsurigasaki Beach (Ichinomiya-cho, Chosei-gun, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) as part of ocean protection activity, in conjunction with Kanoa Igarashi, just after becoming the world champion at the World Surfing Games 2022.

  • Tsurigasaki Beach is a mecca for surfing in Japan, where Kanoa Igarashi won the silver medal in 2021. Together with Kanoa Igarashi, more than 100 people participated, including youth who love the sea, local people from Ichinomiya, and Mayor of Ichinomiya Masaya Mabuchi.

  • Before the beach cleanup, Kanoa Igarashi directly explained to the local youth the importance of using sunscreen to protect their skin from UV rays and of using products with ingredients that are less harmful to the global environment. In addition, he stressed that we should try to reduce garbage in our daily lives, and through activities such as beach cleaning, we can help/support to protect the ocean environment.

2021 Beach Clean up at Huntington Beach

As this exciting event drew crowds to Huntington Beach from all over the world, the SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT came out to make a positive impact, with our beach cleanup activity on September 23rd, 2021

  • Beach cleanup

    Kanoa Igarashi participated in the beach cleanup. With Huntington Beach full of surfers, spectators and fans, and Kanoa Igarashi on our team, it was a great opportunity to collect various types of garbage and keep it out of the oceans and off the sand, and to have fun doing it.

2019 Beach Cleanup and dine planting at Osgour in France

For our first SHISEIDO BLUE project, at the beach of Osgoar in France, we organized a beach clean up and dune planting on Oct 5th , where surfing champion Kanoa Igarashi joined in and worked alongside the volunteers.

  • Dune Planting

    Together with WSL PURE, we hosted an educational dune planting event led by the Hossegor City Council, focusing on informing people locally and globally on how to protect the dunes at their local beaches, and planting grasses on the beach at Hossegor.

  • Beach Cleanup

    Led by the French environmental education organization Water Family, 48 people including Kanoa Igarashi helped tackle the beach litter problem. “There is a lot of trash on the beach, so it’s important for surfers like myself to clean it,” Kanoa remarked. “As a project ambassador, I want to continuously clean up the beach, and I hope the importance of this issue will spread further as a result.”

SHISEIDO SUNCARE

SHISEIDO Suncare delivers scientifically advanced solutions
for sun protection, sun makeup, after sun skin restoration,
and skin tone enhancing self-tanning.