Initially comprising eight products, including a Hydra-Fortifying CBD Moisturiser, a Balancing Floral Mist, an In & Out Phyto Nutritive Oil and three serums, the range is set to be launched in France on May 2, 2022, where products will be available on the brand’s e-commerce site and a brand boutique in Paris, at prices starting from EUR 30 to EUR 119. Ulé will be rolled out to further markets, including the UK, in 2023.
Developed in Europe
Ulé is the brainchild of the Lindsay Azpitarte, Vice-President, New Brand Development EMEA, at the Japanese beauty giant. The development of the range has been led by Shiseido EMEA teams, with a focus on “conscious beauty”, a concept described as including responsible sourcing, a list of 1,400 banned ingredients, environmental impact reduction and transparency.
While tapping into the Shiseido’s skincare expertise and technology, Ulé is the first skincare brand the Japanese group has developed entirely in Europe, leveraging on open innovation with start-ups and experts including nutritionists and botanists.
Urban faming and local sourcing
In order to lessen the environmental impact caused by shipping, most of the ingredients (84% on average [1]) were sourced in France, where the products are manufactured [2].
Partnering with Tower Farm, a start-up that drives to develop an urban agriculture model through responsible local indoor production, Ulé built a vertical farm near Paris [3], where it is growing the three key exotic plants used in its formulas. Operating its own urban farm allows Ulé to be less dependent on global sourcing while locally producing fresh, pesticide free, and fully traceable botanical ingredients.
As far as packaging is concerned, Ulé has chosen to combine lightweight glass and bio-sourced caps. Paper envelopes have been preferred to cardboard for secondary packs.
For optimum transparency, Ulé pledges to disclose on its website all information on the ingredients and the origins of the products as well as the packaging.
