How Shiseido and Unilever are changing lives with makeup and hygiene products

Beauty may only be skin deep — or so the saying goes — but Shiseido believes it can be a means of empowerment.

The beauty and personal care company's philosophy dates back to post-World War II times when it launched its Spots Cover line, tailored to mask wartime burns and scars and "heal the hearts" of those with skin concerns.

More than half a century later, it's continuing the legacy with its Shiseido Life Quality Center (SLQC), with one launched in Singapore in May 2019.

Free personal consultations for those with skin concerns

Providing complimentary consultations, SLQC aims to help those with appearance-related skin concerns such as vitiligo and skin discolouration such as port-wine stains and birthmarks.

In particular, appearance changes due to the side effects of cancer treatment are among the top concerns at SLQC, said Jiayun Fang, Shiseido Asia Pacific's Regional Corporate Sustainability Manager.

"Many cancer patients experience skin dullness, pigmentation and loss of eyebrows. It is particularly challenging to draw the eyebrows without any hair due to lack of a guide and smoothness of the skin.

"Appearance care plays an important role in supporting the psychosocial impact of such side effects and in empowering our customers to continue their interactions with society with confidence and in comfort," Fang explained.

The consultation sessions mainly involve a one-to-one discussion on the customer's appearance concerns and detailed recommendations on what makeup techniques could help. SLQC also collaborates with partners like medical institutes or support groups to organise workshops for people with appearance care concerns.

And the effects go beyond simply concealing perceived imperfections — according to Shiseido, there were significant improvements in the mental health of breast cancer patients who were dealing with anxiety and depression after receiving beauty care advice.

While the sessions have been put on hold due to Covid-19, Shiseido looks forward to their resumption once it is safe, Fang noted.

Also in line with Shiseido's corporate focus on empowerment is its emphasis on encouraging its employees to engage in skills-based volunteering.

Skills-based volunteering: Employees contribute time and expertise

Involving its employees in its social sustainability efforts is something the company has been doing for years.

Besides imparting their technical know-how at the SLQC, employees also volunteer at various workshops and talks — the company is always on the lookout for meaningful opportunities to expand its social contribution, Fang said.

For example, in December 2019, Shiseido partnered with Gladiolus Place, a residential home for at-risk teen girls, to bring some cheer to its residents.

About 50 employees volunteered at the home for the day, running skincare, haircare and personality-profiling workshops. They also packed goodie bags chock full of their products for the girls and gave the home's library and computer room a facelift with a fresh coat of paint.

"We had an eventful and enjoyable afternoon, and it was very heartening to see all our colleagues coming together for a good cause despite their busy schedules, reflecting Shiseido's commitment to realise a better world."

The goodie bags were also "met with a lot of excitement" from the girls, Fang recounted.

Champions of Good

With its many social impact programmes, it certainly came as no surprise that Shiseido is among the 74 Champions of Good recognised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC)'s Company of Good this year.

Launched in 2017, Champions of Good celebrates organisations which have been exemplary in doing good and have led by example, engaging their stakeholders and inspiring others to do the same.

Hailing from a diverse range of sectors, recipients range from F&B social enterprise Iron Nori to homegrown online marketplace Carousell. But they all share a propensity to do good and help those at risk in society — even as 2020 hasn't exactly been the best year for business, what with the global pandemic and recession.

The accolade is "a great recognition and encouragement", said Shiseido, adding that the company will "continue to advance a society that embraces diversity through respect through our Sustainable Beauty Initiative".

Joining Shiseido on the list is consumer goods company Unilever, which has geared its 2020 CSR efforts heavily towards frontliners and those most affected by the pandemic.

Making a difference one care package at a time

Unilever's purpose is to make "a real difference in the communities that we are in", said Dave Ingram, the company's Chief Procurement Officer and Singapore site leader.

That's why during the pandemic, Unilever has stepped up to the plate, donating over 500,000 essential products via organisations such as the Singapore Red Cross, Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre, the Food Bank, the Healthcare Services Employees' Union and more.

The company partnered with multiple stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), companies and the authorities to ensure that its products — from cleaning supplies to personal care products — were distributed to those who needed them the most, said Ingram.

As part of #ThankYouHawkers, Unilever worked with the National Environment Agency to pack and donate 14,000 hygiene kits consisting of sanitation products from Sunlight and CiF, thermometers and handy cleaning guides to stallholders at 114 hawker centres across Singapore.

FoodXervices, a local distributor for Unilever's food products, was also instrumental in distributing the kits to the hawkers, Ingram noted.

"In this way, the partnership was able to draw together people from various walks of life for the good cause of supporting hawkers, who are an important part of Singapore's social fabric and now regarded as Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco."

Of course, Unilever did not leave out Singapore's migrant workers, sending hundreds of thousands of shampoos and oral care products to workers via the Migrant Workers' Centre.

Unilever Singapore employees also started their own fundraising initiative, raising over $100,000 to purchase SIM cards for migrant workers to stay connected while in quarantine, joining forces with NGO Transient Workers Count Too to get the cards into the hands of the workers, said Ingram, adding that he's "immensely proud" of them.

Tech clinics for seniors

Not forgetting another segment of Singapore's population that may be struggling with the current situation, Unilever is also supporting the Infocomm Media Development Authority's Seniors Go Digital initiative, a programme to help senior citizens stay occupied and connected to their loved ones through technology.

As part of the programme, volunteers from the company help out at half-day clinics, explaining the basics of cybersecurity and other essential pandemic apps such as TraceTogether and Zoom to the elderly.

Reacting to Unilever's inclusion as a Champion of Good, Ingram said Unilever is honoured and looking forward to doing even more.

"We know we cannot go it alone when it comes to making positive social and environmental impact. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, Unilever is doing what it can to help protect lives and livelihoods in Singapore.

"We look forward to collaborating with other like-minded groups, organisations and individuals to support Singapore's vision of becoming a City of Good."

Champions of Good recognises organisations that are exemplary in doing good. Find out who the Champions of Good 2020 are and check out their featured highlights at companyofgood.sg/champions.

This article was brought to you in partnership with NVPC.