fibona is an open innovation program led by Shiseido Research Institute. The second product, "RETREAT STICK," born from one of its activities, "Speedy trial," was a project on Makuake from July 21 to September 30.

The "Speedy trial" activity utilizes crowdfunding and other services to speedily introduce products that take advantage of technology created through research to the market as beta versions.

The RETREAT STICK project is a product that allows the user to experience the sensation and fragrance of nature's fluctuation. What kinds of trial and error and challenges were involved in the process of incorporating the concept developed by the project members into the form of a cosmetic product and manufacturing it in the laboratory located in Minato Mirai, Yokohama?

Four members from the development team who worked on the RETREAT STICK's formulation, package design, and manufacturing facility talked together.

The concept of "Fluctuation of Nature" is expressed in the form of a stick type cream.

Marubashi:
I worked as a designer in the Creative Division (now Shiseido Creative Co., Ltd.) until 2021. I am now an independent art director and graphic designer. I became involved with RETREAT STICK when I was in charge of video design for S/ENSE™, a space concept expressing the fluctuation of nature, which was jointly developed by fragrance researchers and members of the Creative Division during my tenure.

Igarashi:
I am a member of the Mirai Technology Institute. I joined fibona in 2021 after being asked to join by an existing member. I had just arrived at the manufacturing facility at the institute and had become somewhat familiar with the work, so I decided to try it as a new challenge.

──I am sure each of you must have had your own difficulties and challenges in the development of the "RETREAT STICK," with researchers and creative members from each area of expertise working as a team. First of all, Mr. Nakamura, who was in charge of formulation development, how did you do?

Nakamura:
The difficult part of formulation development was to link fragrance and sensation. Essentially, formulation development is the process of materializing an abstract idea. This is common to our usual work, but this was the first time we focused on fragrance in formulation development.

In developing the formulation, we had numerous discussions with Ms. Ashizawa, a member of the RETREAT STICK planning team and fragrance researcher, about how to express things like the warmth of the morning sunlight and the coolness of the breeze, in order to materialize the image.

For example, compared to "coldness," which is easily transmitted as a temperature stimulus, "the gradual warmth of the morning" is harder to feel on the skin. It was a challenge until the very end, but it was also an area where I was able to make use of my knowledge of skincare product development.

Special stick shape, until 4 kinds of products are born.

──Mr.Nakahira is in charge of developing the package that holds the four sticks. How was it?

Nakahira:
As mentioned earlier, stick-shaped containers are costly. Compared to our usual products, the production volume this time was small, so the printing process had to be done manually at one time, which was difficult and limited our options.

When I was approached, I was told, "We need you to think of a case to hold the four sticks. However, the available budget was limited." After discussions with the creative members, we decided to go with a paper box. The case was to be assembled by the customer, but it was difficult to find the right balance between strength and ease of assembly.

Even under such conditions, the creative team members were able to come up with a variety of ideas based on their wisdom. In my daily work, I do not have the opportunity to work with the creative members before the design is decided, so it was a new experience for me, and I learned a lot from it. I think I was able to be involved in a wider range of production than I would normally be in charge of.

──The design of the package was done by Mr. Marubashi. How did you come up with the current design?

Marubashi:
We came up with various ideas, starting with the idea of fitting four sticks into a single box. The concepts of "natural fluctuation" and "fragrance" are both abstract and invisible to the eye. We asked a photographer to take pictures of the flickering light using polarizing film and combined them to create a minimalist design of the changing seasons, time, and weather, which are the features of the RETREAT STICK. I could have done it with computer graphics, but I think it was more interesting to have a professional take the photos.

The logo of the RETREAT STICK is based on the tip of a lipstick, from which the fragrance wavers and spreads outward from the center. The design of each of the four sticks also expresses this image. Morning Bloom is pink, evoking the scent of flowers blooming in the morning and the warmth of flowers on the skin; Evening Bloom is light purple, evoking the coolness of the skin and flowers blooming in the afternoon; Gentle Breeze is green, evoking the scent of trees; and Refreshing Rain is a pale blue color that evokes the fragrance of rain blending with flowers and grass.

As for the box, we struggled with how to translate the fragrance and fluctuation into a graphic that anyone can see. Visibility was also a point of emphasis. There are four types of sticks of the same size, so we were conscious of creating a design that would be easy to distinguish at a glance.

Consistent production system, manufacturing facility located in a laboratory

──What did you learn through the RETREAT STICK project?

Nakamura:
Through this project, we have been able to establish a flow that allows us to consistently handle all processes from study to production at our research facilities, and I think this is a great achievement because it has reduced one barrier to the realization of our ideas. Since we usually propose formulations in response to requests from marketers, it has been difficult for us to create products from scratch, even if we wanted to do so ourselves.

Nakahira:
Through this project, I reconfirmed how important it is to cooperate with related departments when manufacturing products in a short period of time. Although there are things I regret that I could have done better, it was a very good learning experience that I could not have in my daily work, and I hope I can make use of it in the next project.

Igarashi:
Through the project, I was able to feel the members' strong desire to "bring such products to the market" and "ask questions to consumers" from a close distance. I feel that I have begun to see the potential of the manufacturing facilities of the institute as a receptacle for the realization of these aspirations. In the future, I hope we can create an environment where we can say, "If you have something you want to make, please come here first. I believe that the development of the RETREAT STICK was the first step in this direction.

Marubashi:
As the name "Speedy trial" implies, it was interesting because it was speedy. I think I was able to use my brain in a different way than usual, thanks to the direct communication with the people at the research institute and their willingness to listen to my unreasonable requests. There were times when I felt that designers and researchers use their brains in surprisingly similar ways. While they are logical, they also place great importance on the right side of their brains, or their senses. This discovery was also very stimulating.

I am someone outside of Shiseido, but I feel that having the opportunity to try something like this is a very good chance for Shiseido. I hope that interesting ideas originating from fibona will eventually emerge from them.

──We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Makuake. Please let us know what you all think of the RETREAT STICK as you try it out in the development stage.

Igarashi:
The appeal of this product is that it has four different fragrances that can be enjoyed in various ways. However, as the person in charge of production, I paid close attention to quality control because each fragrance has its own character.

Nakamura:
I am the one who developed the formulation itself, so I am curious to hear what others think, but I believe that the scent approach of not only being able to use each of the four individually, but also mixing them together is a value that few others have. I hope you enjoy it.

Marubashi:
I was first surprised by the idea of giving shape to "warm" and "cold" in the form of fragrance and the attitude of trying to realize it. I had never experienced "warm" and "cold" in a fragrance before, so I thought it was unique.

Nakahira:
During the quality test, I was checking the formulation every week, and the moment I smelled RETREAT STICK’s fragrance, it was very soothing. My daily stress was relieved every time I smelled the fragrance. I would like everyone to experience this.

（text: Hanae Abe　edit: Kaori Sasagawa）