Shiseido Wins Gold Award at IAUD International Design Award 2025

Shiseido Company, Limited (“Shiseido”) has received the Gold Award for Universal Design, General category, at the International Design Award 2025, organized by the International Association for Universal Design (IAUD). The award was presented for Shiseido’s makeup proposal “MY COLOR MY BEAUTY,” which enables people to experience color vision diversity (CVD) *¹ firsthand. This award is given to organizations and individuals whose outstanding initiatives and proposals help build a more inclusive and comfortable society for all. Shiseido has been honored multiple times in the past, including its social contribution program “Shiseido Life Quality Makeup,” which supports people with serious skin concerns through the power of beauty (Gold Award in 2022). With this year’s recognition, Shiseido has now received the IAUD award seven times as a company.

The award-winning project, “MY COLOR MY BEAUTY,” was highly praised for focusing on the approximately three million people in Japan with CVD and for presenting a new vision of “diversity in beauty” that goes beyond a traditional majority-centered perspective, achieved through co-creation with individuals directly affected.

Shiseido will continue to value comfortable and personalized cosmetic experiences for each individual and to advance initiatives aimed at creating a society in which everyone can shine with confidence and a genuine smile, true to who they are.


*¹ Color Vision Diversity:
The human retina contains three types of cone cells for color perception. Variations in these cone cells—caused by congenital factors such as genetics or by acquired factors such as injury or disease—lead to differences in how colors are perceived. The most common form of color vision is “C-type.” In Japan, individuals with “P-type” or “D-type” color vision account for about 5% of men and 0.2% of women. In Western countries, the figures are estimated at 8–10% of men and 0.5% of women. Other types, such as A-type and T-type, also exist.

Main Visual

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About the Award-Winning Project “MY COLOR MY BEAUTY”

“MY COLOR MY BEAUTY” is a project developed under the philosophy of SHISEIDO Universal Beauty Design®, Shiseido’s unique approach to universal design centered on the concept of beauty. The research team focused on CVD, exploring makeup expressions that encourage people to question existing beauty norms, often shaped by trends and majority values.
Shiseido collaborated with Ms. Ayami Azemoto, who has minority-type color vision and low vision, to co-create makeup expressions that allow people to experience CVD. A paired-color kit was produced by selecting shades from Shiseido’s wide range of lipsticks and eye colors: colors that Ms. Azemoto perceives as the most “beautiful,” with colors as they appear to her. Ms. Azemoto also participated in the creative direction of the photo shoot featuring models wearing these items, resulting in a visual experience that intuitively conveys differences in color perception.

Ms. Ayami Azemoto, Co creation Partner of “MY COLOR MY BEAUTY”

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Shiseido’s IAUD Award History

●　2018 “PRIOR” (Gold Award, Fashion)
●　2019 “LAVENDER RING MAKEUP ＆ PHOTOS WITH SMILES supported by SHISEIDO” (Gold Award, Social Design)
●　2020 “Shiseido's Inclusive Approach to Space Design” (Silver Award, Communication Design)
●　2020 “BAUM” (Bronze Award, Sustainable Design)
●　2022 “Shiseido Life Quality Makeup” (Gold Award, Social Inclusion)
●　2023 “Playing with Beauty, Touring Beauty, Understanding the Cycle of Beauty - Designing a factory that is open to customers.” (Bronze Award, Housing and Architecture)
●　2024 “Ten years after launch - the evolving Universal ‘Beauty’ Design of PRIOR” (Bronze Award, Fashion Design)

About SHISEIDO Universal Beauty Design®

Shiseido designers believe that “beauty” encompasses more than aesthetics. It is about creating designs that anyone can pick up and use with ease, free from stress, regardless of who they are. It is also about inspiring a sense of excitement and joy through use, while caring for the future of our planet. With this philosophy in mind, Shiseido strives to create designs that help customers feel beautiful and at ease in every situation in which they use cosmetics. These efforts are collectively known as SHISEIDO Universal Beauty Design®

Credits

•　Project Members: Emiko Shiota, Rena Uemura, Jun Kitamura (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
•　Photographer: Masato Kanazawa (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
•　Hair ＆ Makeup Artist: Sawako Yuri (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
•　Film Director: Tsuyoshi Ono (onophoto Inc.), Shingo Kasai (Urigaya Co., Ltd.), Ryusei Kashiwakura (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
•　Partner: Ayami Azemoto, Takara Supply Communications Co., Ltd., Ito Optical Industries Co., Ltd., Yuki Kamata
•　Special Thanks: Professor Shigeki Nakauchi (Toyohashi University of Technology), Aya Izuhara, Mariko Kondo, Saki Ebina (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
•　Casting: Proceed Co., Ltd.
•　Model: Céline Himekawa