Shiseido was the Japanese cosmetics company founded by Arinobu Fukuhara in 1872.
Fukuhara, a former chief pharmacist of the Imperial Japanese Navy, established the Shiseido Pharmacy in Tokyo on September 17, 1872. It began as a Western-style pharmacy rather than a cosmetics-only business, reflecting the period’s interest in combining Japanese commerce with imported scientific and medical practices.
The company later expanded into beauty products, and its name became associated with cosmetics, skincare, makeup, hair care, body care, and fragrance. Shiseido also developed a distinctive design and advertising culture. A soda fountain added to the pharmacy eventually led to the Shiseido Parlour restaurant business and helped introduce ice cream to Japan.
Fukuhara’s son, Shinzō Fukuhara, became the company’s second president in 1913 and promoted photography, packaging, magazines, and visual branding. The business was incorporated as Shiseido Company, Limited, in 1927. SK-II, Kose, and Kanebo are separate Japanese beauty brands, so they are plausible category-related distractors but not the answer to this founding-history question.