Echo Lo on SHISEIDO’s new chapter: LISA, ULTIMUNE and the power of trust

In today’s crowded beauty landscape, where trends move quickly and new brands emerge almost daily, Lo believes SHISEIDO’s greatest strength is trust. Not the instant trust created by a viral product or a single campaign, but the deeper trust earned slowly through consistency, quality and long-term relationships.

“The beauty market right now is very crowded. K-beauty is exciting. Social beauty is exciting.,” she says. However, SHISEIDO’s answer is to think beyond the short life cycle of a trend. “We take pride in offering deeper trust,” Lo says. “We are building a long-term relationship with consumers. We are not selling just one hit product for one campaign and then leaving.”

For a Japanese prestige cosmetic brand, trust is deeply personal. Its products touch the skin, enter daily rituals and accompany consumers through different stages of life. For SHISEIDO, trust is not simply a promise, but a responsibility.

That responsibility, however, does not mean standing still. Lo is clear that heritage must be a source of strength, not a constraint.

“The living belief stays the same,” she says. “But we always have to reimagine and reinvent ourselves to keep up with consumers today, because consumers live in real life. They do not live in our heritage. Our legacy gives us strength, but it should not hold us back.”

This idea now comes to life in Bangkok through SHISEIDO ULTIMUNE Studio: LISA’s Backstage, a major Asia-Pacific activation at CentralWorld running from July 1 to 9. Celebrating ULTIMUNE Power Infusing Serum, the brand’s iconic skincare hero, the immersive experience introduces what Lo calls “the new SHISEIDO”: fresher, more dynamic and more emotionally expressive.

“I hope they feel that this is not the SHISEIDO they already know,” she says. “This is the new SHISEIDO. First, if you go to an event, you need to have fun. Beyond having fun, I hope people can feel our creativity, our science and our quality in everything we do.”

At the heart of this new chapter is LISA, Lalisa Manobal, SHISEIDO’s Global Ambassador and one of Thailand’s most powerful cultural exports. Her presence brings undeniable star power, but for Lo, the partnership is rooted in shared values rather than visibility alone.

“SHISEIDO is an Asian brand that has become a global brand,” she says. “Lisa also has Asian origins, but she has this very beautiful global influence as an artist. We share the same value.”

That value is authenticity. In Japanese, Lo describes it as honmono (本物)—something genuine, something real.

“Lisa has demonstrated to the world her discipline, her creativity, her effort and her unwavering pursuit of evolution,” Lo says. “Her growth is very empowering and encouraging. I really admire that she can move across cultures, and we can feel that Lisa is very authentic. It is also true for SHISEIDO. We are moving across cultures too.”

With LISA, SHISEIDO does not abandon its legacy; it gives that legacy a new energy.

The campaign’s message, “FAST. SLOW. FREE.”, captures the spirit of this new chapter. On one level, it reflects ULTIMUNE’s skincare promise: fast visible results, clinically proven support in slowing signs of ageing and freedom from age as a limiting concept. For Lo, however, it also speaks to a way of living.

“Sometimes you want to be fast. Sometimes you want to be slow,” she says. “But most importantly, I think it is very luxurious to be free and to be true to yourself.”

That sense of freedom also extends into the world of ULTIMUNE Studio through SHISEIDO’s collaboration with VERDY, the celebrated Japanese graphic artist and designer known for his warm, expressive visual language and previous work with Blackpink.

For the first time globally, SHISEIDO brings VERDY into this universe, transforming the Bangkok activation into a cultural experience where Japanese creativity, global fandom and skincare innovation meet. Grounded in research and performance, ULTIMINE is elevated here by emotion, joy and self-expression.

Bangkok, too, plays a meaningful role in the story. For Lo, Thailand represents the kind of energy that pushes a heritage brand to stay open and agile.

“Every time I am in the Asia-Pacific market, the word I feel is always energy, energy and energy,” she smiles. “Thailand is a very energetic country. Bangkok is full of energy. Consumers here are energetic, bold, willing to try and very daring.”

This energy has offered SHISEIDO an important lesson. Japanese craftsmanship is exacting by nature, but fast-moving markets like Thailand reveal the beauty of spontaneity. “Sometimes, as a Japanese brand, we really care about craftsmanship and quality. We think you cannot miss even one millimetre,” Lo says. “But sometimes consumers are forgiving about that one millimetre if we can bring more excitement together. Sometimes, imperfection is perfect.”

This openness connects to one of SHISEIDO’s founding philosophies: “Richness in Everything.” For Lo, it is a reminder that inspiration can come from the smallest details if one pays close enough attention.

“That is how we do things as a Japanese brand,” she says. “We find richness in everything. We get inspiration, then we recraft it, reimagine it and reinvent it for the world.”

In Bangkok, she found this idea reflected in the newly reimagined Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, where old architectural pillars were preserved within a modern transformation. “Building a new modern building is easy,” she says. “But you can never build a building with 100 years of history.”

The metaphor is unmistakable. SHISEIDO, too, is preserving its pillars while rebuilding the experience around them.

Ultimately, Lo hopes that in ten years, consumers will remember SHISEIDO not only for its products, but for how it made them feel.

“I hope they will feel that SHISEIDO is not only a brand that gives comfort to their skin, visible results or good products,” she says. “I hope they feel that SHISEIDO can also give people inner confidence.”

It is a vision with history behind it. Lo recalls Miss SHISEIDO, the brand’s early beauty consultants, who gave women in Japan new professional opportunities and travelled across the country to share beauty knowledge. Today, that spirit of empowerment continues through a new icon.

Tatler asked whether LISA might be seen as the new Miss SHISEIDO, Lo answers warmly: “Yes, definitely. She is my dearest Miss SHISEIDO.”

For over 150 years, SHISEIDO has built its name on trust. Now, with ULTIMUNE Studio: LISA’s Backstage, the house is proving that trust need not be quiet, and heritage need not be still. The new SHISEIDO is not a departure from its past. It is a reawakening—fast, slow and free.

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