Shiro to open its first US store in New York

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jan 26, 2018

Shiro, the Japanese cosmetics brand known for its use of traditional natural ingredients, will open a flagship on West Broadway this January, its first location in the US.

 
The store will carry the brand’s skin, hair and body care ranges, as well as its color cosmetics and fragrances. New Yorkers will therefore be able to pick up lotions, face creams and bb serums in store, along with tapioca face powder and mint ginger lip butter. 
 
Shiro produces its cosmetics in Japan, where the company aims to “Meet, communicate, and keep in close touch with ingredients producers”.

Some of the brand’s most popular product lines include those made using Gagome Kombu, a kind of kelp which – aside from being a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine – is valued in the cosmetics industry for its moisturizing qualities, and Sake Kasu, a natural by-product of the sake-making process which is high in amino acids and is reported to promote smooth skin. Other ingredients include ice plant (for sensitive skin), adzuki beans (pore cleansing) and flaxseed.
 
Besides its over twenty stores throughout Japan, the brand also operates three locations in London, having expanded into the UK in November 2016.
 
The arrival of the brand in the US seems to be astutely timed as industry observers predict a resurgence for J-beauty in 2018, a comeback that would pit the Japanese cosmetics industry against its South Korean counterpart, for whom business is currently booming thanks to the popularity of the K-beauty trend.
 
The Shiro New York flagship will open at 436 West Broadway on January 30.