Chemical Management

Shiseido aims to contribute to a sustainable society in which people and planet coexist in harmony by delivering products that consumers can use with confidence in order to realize their own ideal beauty. We manage the chemical substances used in our products and containers, bearing in mind the international agreement of "Global Framework on Chemicals - for a planet free from harm of chemicals and waste (GFC)”, which was adopted in 2023. We also collect a wide range of information on the safety of chemical substances as well as trends in laws and regulations on chemical substances in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Japan, and other regions. In addition, we evaluate the effects of the chemicals used in our products on people and the environment to confirm their safety based on the latest scientific knowledge.

Environmental risks are wide-ranging, and laws and regulations are becoming stricter year by year in countries and areas around the world.
In light of this situation, we collect information and assess risks regarding new environmental laws and regulations and social trends to share the information with relevant departments, including those overseas, and respond accordingly. We also ensure thorough compliance with laws and regulations by conducting compliance evaluations of environmental laws and regulations in our production department based on the ISO14001 system.

If concerns about the impact of ingredients in Shiseido products on human health or the environment are reported, we make a decision whether to continue using them based on the latest scientific knowledge at that time. According to the decision, we promptly discontinue using the substance and replace it with an alternative substance, if necessary.

Shiseido collects a wide range of information on safety of chemical substances as well as trends in laws and regulations on chemical substances not only in Japan but also in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and other regions. On top of that, we comply with the standards recommended in each country and respond to legal requirements regarding the chemical substances used in our products. Our major responses are as follows:

The European REACH regulation is the European chemical regulation that came into effect in June 2007. All chemical substances related to cosmetics, including cosmetics and containers exported from Japan to Europe, are subject to the regulation. In particular, substances that are imported into Europe in an annual amount of 1 ton or more must be registered in accordance with the procedures stipulated by the REACH regulation. Aware of all the substances that require registration, Shiseido has taken necessary measures.

Shiseido is committed to complying with the EU REACH regulation and will strive to reduce the number of products containing hazardous substances such as SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern). For example, in order to comply with the regulatory requirements of countries and regions as well as Shiseido's own high safety standards, we gradually reduced the use of cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), a type of the cyclosiloxanes. Furthermore, by December 2024, we stopped using D4 in all products not just in European regions but globally.

We not only make administrative reports required under the PRTR Act (Act on the Assessment of Releases of Specified Chemical Substances in the Environment and the Promotion of Management Improvement) but also thoroughly implement self-management in relation to use and disposal of chemical substances such as raw materials and reagents at factories, innovation centers and other sites. In addition, when providing chemical substances, such as content containing ingredients specified by the PRTR Act, the Industrial Safety and Health Act to our business partners, including when outsourcing filling operation to a business partner, we are taking measures from the perspective of occupational safety and health such as by systemizing the issuance of SDS (Safety Data Sheets) to ensure that SDSs are issued to our business partners.

CMR substances are chemical substances that have either carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, or reproductive toxicity. This is a category of substances that, either alone or in mixtures, can have harmful effects on the human body. In the EU, CMR substances are classified under the CLP Regulation, which is a regulation that aligns how chemical substances and mixtures are classified, labeled, and packaged. CMR substances are classified into 1A, 1B, or 2 based on the quality of the data on which they are based.
European Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009, which is one of the strictest cosmetic regulations in the world, aims to protect consumer health and prohibits the use of substances classified as CMR 1A or 1B in cosmetic products, with some exceptions.
Shiseido complies with European cosmetics regulations regarding the use of these CMR substances in its products.

According to the World Health Organization, an endocrine disruptor is defined as “an exogenous substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub) populations”. That is, it refers to a group of chemicals that are already known to have hormonal activity, or chemical substances that may have the potential to have hormonal activity.
Endocrine disruptors have long been a major concern in the European Union. In 2019, the European Commission compiled a priority list of 28 substances suspected to be potential endocrine disruptors which are used in cosmetic products, and divided them into two groups: Group A, consisting of high-priority substances, and Group B, consisting of low-priority substances. The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety conducts risk assessments for each of these substances and publishes the results in sequence. Based on the results of the assessments, some substances have been restricted or banned under the European Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009, while others have not been found to have endocrine disrupting effects from the result of the assessments.
According to the needs of each substance, Shiseido participates in consortiums (collaborative organizations in which multiple organizations and companies with a common goal work together) that include a consortium for safety assessments to obtain the latest information and update safety assessments so that appropriate use of these substances is guaranteed. Additionally, we are in the process of replacing some substances with alternative ingredients. We will continue to pay close attention to the future developments and is prepared to respond immediately if concerns about endocrine disrupting effects grow.