Empowering Women Through STEAM Education
to Create an Inclusive Society

～Clé de Peau Beauté’s Commitment to Philanthropic Activities～

November 27, 2025

Clé de Peau Beauté, a global brand that combines luxury and science and is dedicated to unlocking the radiance of women, conducts philanthropy activities that empower women through STEAM education.
Established in 2019, “The Power of Radiance Awards,” recognizes women who take action in their communities by advocating for girls’ education in STEAM fields. It supports their activities through a pledged share of its sales from "The Serum,” one of the brand’s most iconic products.

This time, we bring you a dialogue between Sachiko Nakajima, recipient of The Power of Radiance Awards 2025, and Mizuki Hashimoto, Chief Brand Officer of Clé de Peau Beauté.

INDEX

Creating a Radiant Future Supporting Women Who Bring Positive Change to Society

The First Japanese Recipient: Ms. Nakajima’s Efforts in Breaking Boundaries

Talent Blossoms When Given the Right Environment

What Should Society Look Like? Diverse Creativity Drives Change

Clé de Peau Beauté

The brand was established in 1982 as Shiseido's first global luxury brand. Since its inception, it has had the mission of establishing a new frontier in skin cell science, offering modern, captivating, and dynamically effective products in 27^*1 countries and regions worldwide.

*1 As of October, 2025

STEAM

An educational concept encompassing five disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Liberal Arts, and Mathematics. Originating in the U.S. in the 2000s, STEAM evolved from STEM education, which initially focused on science and technology, but with the advent of AI, creativity and empathy became increasingly important, leading to the inclusion of Arts.

Profiles

Mizuki Hashimoto

Mizuki has built a distinguished career, marked by her pivotal role in the Clé de Peau Beauté team since starting in 2015 after joining Shiseido in 1997. With over two decades of expertise in global operations for cosmetic sales and marketing, Mizuki has worked with major European markets as an Area Manager and gained valuable experience in travel retail market operations.
Prior to her tenure at Clé de Peau Beauté, she broke new ground as Managing Director of Shiseido Singapore from 2012 to 2015, becoming the first Japanese woman to lead an overseas subsidiary of the Shiseido Group. She now serves as the Chief Brand Officer for Clé de Peau Beauté.

Sachiko Nakajima

Sachiko is a musician, mathematician, STEAM educator, and media artist. She is also the CEO of steAm Inc., the representative director of the steAm BAND (a general incorporated association). In addition to this, she was the Thematic Project Producer at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (Theme: Invigorating Lives) . In 2025, she became the first Japanese woman to receive The Power of Radiance Awards. She was also the first Japanese woman to win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Sachiko is also a mother to a 19-year-old daughter.

Creating a Radiant Future
Supporting Women Who Bring Positive Change to Society

―What thoughts and feelings are behind Clé de Peau Beauté’s philanthropy activities?

Hashimoto:　Clé de Peau Beauté means "the key to skin’s beauty" in French. Our brand mission is to "UNLOCK THE POWER OF YOUR RADIANCE." We aim to unlock the potential of women’s skin, allowing it to radiate beauty, while also empowering women to realize their inner radiance and achieve self-fulfillment. We hope to make a positive impact on society by increasing the number of radiant individuals. To achieve this, we are committed to initiatives that promote women’s empowerment.

Mizuki Hashimoto
Chief Brand Officer - Clé de Peau Beauté

―What specific activities does Clé de Peau Beauté conduct?

Hashimoto:　“The Power of Radiance Awards," which began in 2019, places focus on STEAM education, supporting women who contribute to this field. We also have a global partnership with UNICEF in which we provide girls with opportunities to acquire STEM skills through a gender equality program. To date, we have touched the lives of over 12.4 million girls^*2 worldwide and pledged $17.4 million through 2025, making us the largest private sector contributor to UNICEF’s Gender Equality Programmes.

*2 Since the Clé de Peau Beauté for UNICEF partnership launched in 2019.

Power of Radiance Award 2025

Clé de Peau Beauté for unicef

―Why does Clé de Peau Beauté place emphasis on education in its activities?

Hashimoto:　We believe that investing in women’s education is essential for creating an inclusive society. There are girls around the world who cannot attend school or continue school due to various circumstances. Data also shows that children of educated mothers tend to live in better conditions in the future, especially in regions that have challenging social and economic environments. Supporting women’s education not only benefits the women themselves but also has a significant impact on future generations.
The first recipient of “The “Power of Radiance Awards,” Muzoon Almellehan, was a refugee from Syria. She was the one at the time to become UNICEF’s youngest Goodwill Ambassador. Despite her difficult circumstances, she stated, "education is most effective means to seize equal opportunities" and worked to ensure that children in refugee camps could continue learning.

―What led Clé de Peau Beauté to focus on STEAM education?

Hashimoto:　For 40 years, Clé de Peau Beauté has pursued research in skin cell science. Science is an important factor for our brand, enabling unique approaches through new research findings. Among educational fields, STEM aligns closely with our focus on science and addresses high societal needs. STEM cultivates initiative, creativity, judgment, and problem-solving—skills essential for empowering the next generation of girls to become independent and successful.
Furthermore, from 2025, we expanded our support to STEAM by adding Arts to STEM. Arts foster flexible thinking and creativity, inspiring innovation—qualities particularly important in the AI era. We believe STEAM education can unlock women’s potential and adapt to the needs of the time.

―Ms. Nakajima, as a practitioner of STEAM education, what are your thoughts on the current state of education?

Nakajima:　In Japan, STEAM education began gaining attention around 2019 when the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, addressed its importance. It is expected to foster social value creation through interdisciplinary learning.
Globally, STEM/STEAM education is highly valued for equipping individuals with problem-solving skills and expertise needed to tackle societal issues in countries with challenging economic and social conditions. More countries are incorporating STEM/STEAM into girls’ education to address underrepresentation of women in these fields.
What will be vital moving forward is our passion toward the future society we want to create. There’s no single correct path to realizing this vision—rich imagination is key. Ideas won’t emerge without new experiences. It’s through trial and error that solutions are found. I encourage people to think like a child and enjoy what they don’t know.

Sachiko Nakajima
The Power of Radiance Awards 2025 Recipient

The First Japanese Recipient: Ms. Nakajima’s Efforts in Breaking Boundaries

―Ms. Nakajima, how do you feel about receiving ”The Power of Radiance Awards” 2025?

Nakajima:　I feel deeply honored to be the first Japanese recipient. At the same time, I feel that this award comes with responsibility, not just opportunity. According to the World Economic Forum’s^*3 "Global Gender Gap Report 2024," Japan ranks 118th^*4 out of 146 countries in terms of gender equality, underscoring significant disparities in STEM fields, where women are underrepresented. Because women remain a minority, we must continue pursuing what we love while creating an environment where everyone can realize their dreams without losing hope. I am committed to continuing activities that help build and support such an environment.
Working with Clé de Peau Beauté this year to see how far we can go in driving change in Japanese society has been exciting.

Hashimoto:　We’ve always wanted to share our initiatives to Japanese customers, so it’s deeply meaningful to present this award to Ms. Nakajima, who is active globally. This year, Ms. Nakajima is also Thematic Project Producer at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, making it a perfect opportunity.

Nakajima:　In Japan, as students move on to middle school, they tend to divide themselves into those who will go into the humanities and those who will go into the sciences based on their strengths. Unfortunately, this often leads to entrenched gender stereotypes. In some rural areas, there are still cases where girls are told, "You’re a girl, so it’s okay to not be good at math," leading them to give up. That’s why I collaborate with Clé de Peau Beauté to promote the idea of “fashionable math.”

Hashimoto:　Fashionable math?

Nakajima:　Yes. Girls who like math are often labeled as "serious" or "rigid", but many enjoy math in areas they love, such as fashion, art, or cooking. I want people to know that mathematical formulas and equations can be approached with a flexible perspective and applied to problem-solving. I am involved in “SURI JOSHI” (“Girl Mathematicians”), a website, to raise awareness about the diverse nature of these girls.

Hashimoto:　The fact that the term "Rikejo" (female science enthusiasts) brought attention to women in STEM was positive, but I think it also contains some gender bias, as in reality, there are still few women scientists. I attended an all-girls high school and was humanities-oriented, but I loved math. It was fun to learn.

Nakajima:　I feel the same! Although I participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad, which made me seem like a "nerd," I took many humanities classes at school because I thought math can be learned independently.

Hashimoto:　I also struggled with my career path and ultimately chose a liberal arts university. I still feel that Japan offers only binary choices.

Nakajima:　I think dividing fields for efficiency may have worked in the past, but we’ve reached the limits of that approach.

*3 The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a nongovernmental and nonprofit organization based in Switzerland aimed at resolving global economic issues by engaging political, academic, and other leaders of society.

*4 Based on the index for measuring the gender gap between areas and countries used in the Global Gender Gap Report 2024.

Talent Blossoms When Given the Right Environment

―After receiving the award, you and Clé de Peau Beauté jointly held the "STEAM Girls Award." How was that experience?

Hashimoto:　This award targeted girls from elementary to high school in Japan with the aim of providing opportunities for creative inquiry activities utilizing knowledge and skills in the STEAM fields, as well as for presenting the results of those activities. We prepared three themes for participants to choose from:

1. Become an artist or philosopher —create something, or view the world through new lenses.
2. Become a scientist or mathematician—come up with your own questions, and conduct research or deep exploration.
3. Become an inventor or entrepreneur—think about what you can do to contribute to a future society where life radiates.

For example, with the theme of “beautifying the oceans”, proposals ranged from figuring out ways to clean the ocean floor to ideas exploring ways to use technology to solve real-life issues. We were amazed to see the richness of the girls’ ideas.

Nakajima:　There were fascinating ideas, such as "How to prevent children from getting burned from microwaves?" or "Making desk pads from discarded potato-chip bags." The participants didn’t just present their ideas; they even created prototypes. They were impressive.
The problems they tackled were familiar, everyday issues, but their ideas were diverse. Their desire to solve problems and make things fun led them to take action, and I believe this will lead to future innovations.
The winning teams were invited to the "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion," at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, which I produced. I hope new collaborations will emerge from the opportunities for interaction that this event created.
It is precisely because we had the "STEAM Girls Award" that the girls were able to showcase their abilities. The children who were normally shy felt encouraged to participate, thanks to the "Girls Award" branding.

Hashimoto:　The participants also visited Shiseido’s Osaka Ibaraki Factory. I hope seeing the manufacturing process inspired them.
Compared to the rest of the world, Japanese women tend to be modest, which is a virtue, but it can also lead to missed opportunities. Instead of stepping back by saying, "I’m not good enough," I hope more women will step forward and say, "This is me" and take action with "I can do this."

STEAM Girls Award Ceremony

Tour of the Invigorating Lives

Tour of the Osaka Ibaraki Factory

What Should Society Look Like?
Diverse Creativity Drives Change

―A STEAM × Gender Panel Session was also held as part of the award’s related events. How did it go?

Hashimoto:　The session held on August 1, titled "The Thrill of STEM and the Power of Diversity" was incredibly engaging. There were four panelists, including Ms. Nakajima and myself, and everyone radiated positive energy.
One particularly memorable speaker was Dr. Emi Tamaki, a professor at the University of the Ryukyus and an entrepreneur who developed "Body Sharing," a technology that enables sharing various bodily sensations with others or robots. Her story was remarkable. She was inspired during a long hospital stay, where she wished she could experience things she couldn’t do herself. This led her to groundbreaking research and the development of technology that expands life experiences threefold.

Nakajima:　Her focus on "proprioception," the sense of body position, movements, and actions, an underexplored area of research, was fascinating. Her rich imagination and determination to explore new fields were inspiring. It’s rare to hear from women at the forefront of engineering, so it was a valuable opportunity.

Hashimoto:　If more role models like her emerge, women who follow will be empowered and inspired.

Nakajima:　Absolutely. I hope to see all sorts of role models. For example, someone said that after meeting a female mathematician at a university for the first time, they realized she was just a normal person. When there are few representatives, people tend to think they are "special."
As the moderator of this session, I felt it was important to have a broad range of individuals to speak authentically. It’s okay if they’re not used to public speaking. Just like learning to ride a bike, people can get used to speaking with practice. Creating opportunities for this is crucial. Diverse role models are key.

Hashimoto:　I think stereotypes in Japan about leaders and successful individuals are still deeply ingrained in society. People often imagine them as a specific type of person like they must be this special kind of a person, but in reality, they are multifaceted. In public, they behave appropriately for the occasion, but they’re not always the same person, so to speak. I make an effort to show my everyday self with my team members.

Nakajima:　People naturally want to present a polished version of themselves, but sharing vulnerabilities is important. When I attended The Power of Radiance Awards event in the U.S. last year, I was struck by how women with high aspirations openly talked about their weaknesses. They shared stories of challenging circumstances, being minorities, and what they learned and gained from those experiences. Life has ups and downs, and people’s emotions fluctuate. Perseverance opens the next door. These stories are incredibly inspiring.

―What are your future aspirations?

Nakajima:　I want to continue creating a society where people can experience the joy of creation and easily discover their strengths and interests. I recently held a STEAM lecture for Shiseido employees, and their positive reactions encouraged me to provide more opportunities to enjoy STEAM. I hope to collaborate further with Clé de Peau Beauté on meaningful initiatives.

Hashimoto:　As a brand that excels in luxury and science, we will continue to empower women through education and bring about positive changes through initiatives that are meaningful to society. Beyond being a cosmetics brand, we aim to expand the circle of radiance and realize a better future through the power of beauty. Ms. Nakajima, I look forward to working with you again.