Can we really biohack skin ageing? Why is everyone talking about bacteria? How does the way we walk dictate our skin health? Ashleigh Cometti found the answers at the Shiseido Beauty Innovation Summit 2025 in Cannes.
Few locations are quite as picturesque as Cannes, renowned for its glamorous international film
It proved the perfect setting for this year’s Shiseido Beauty Innovation Summit 2025, which saw 150 dermatologists, brand founders, media and influencers flock to the French Riviera for a full day of learning sessions and experiences.
The Shiseido group encompasses a handful of prestige beauty brands, including Clé de Peau Beauté, Ulé, Gallinée, Drunk Elephant, and Dr. Dennis Gross, alongside well-known fragrance houses Narcisco Rodriguez, Issey Miyake Parfums, Serge Lutens and more. Max Mara is set to join the fold from 2026.
Underpinned by the theme of harmony - with nature, skin and people - the Summit provided plenty of fascinating insights, emerging trends and groundbreaking beauty discoveries.
Here are the six most important things I learned at the Summit, and how these lessons will change my skincare routine (and yours) for good.
Lesson 1: Bacteria are powerful allies
There’s beauty in bacteria, says Lily Mijouin, an expert in microbiology who heads up Shiseido’s microbiome research platform.
“Nature and bacterial ecosystems are powerful allies. If we protect them, and work with them in harmony, they can protect us in return,” she explained, citing her research on how bacteria is able to break down microplastics and pollution.
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Advertise with NZME.More specifically, cyanobacteria and proteobacteria, which are powerhouses at breaking down heavy metals on skin.
Mijouin’s research in this field saw her conduct M.A.R.E, a study of marine bacteria in the Mediterranean Sea. Across two months, the team analysed bacterial diversity and identified pollution-cleaning bacteria.
These findings help inform the development of formulas that respect the delicate balance of the skin’s microbionic system, in a fusion of science and sustainability.
This concept was supported by Marie Drago, a pharmaceutical doctor and founder of Gallinee, who explained how the unique skin microbiome varies from person to person. “Everyone is their own little planet,” she said, adding that skin resilience is key to a healthy microbiome.
It was with this in mind that she developed Gallinee’s youth bacteria which evolves with skin as we age, helping to produce ceramides and hyaluronic in skin on site.
“It forms the basis of a new strategy for how we want the skin microbiome to work,” she said.
What this means for your skincare routine
Your skin’s microbiome is ever-changing, and needs to be cared for accordingly. These changes can be due to environmental aggressors, UV exposure, ageing, skincare and much more.
Understanding this means we can tailor our topical skincare to ensure we’re meeting the changing needs of skin - subbing in soothing products when skin is feeling inflamed or irritated, or upping our hydration in warmer climes.
Take Drago’s advice and boost your skin’s resilience and fortify your skin barrier by incorporating products containing pre-, pro- or postbiotics, which support the ecosystem that’s live on the skin’s surface.
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Advertise with NZME.What’s the difference? Prebiotics are non-living ingredients that feed the skin’s beneficial bacteria (already present on skin), probiotics come from live sources and protect the skin microbiome. Postbiotics are the byproducts left behind from this feeding process.
Viva loves Gallinee Youthful Serum, $112, which couples a marine prebiotic and postbiotic lactic acid to boost cell renewal and skin resilience.
Lesson 2: Treat dark spots at a cellular level
Researcher Saaya Koike has spent the last six years researching skin tone and, in particular, the mechanisms involved in the formation of dark spots.
During her keynote speech “Cracking The Code Of Dark Spots”, she shared her findings - namely that treating dark spots requires early intervention, and does more than just addressing the visible signs.
“It is not enough to target the pigmentation process, we also need to act at an earlier stage, at a cellular level,” she said, adding effective treatment involves understanding the structure of skin and the environment in which dark spots are triggered.
Koike pointed to mitochondria’s role in creating dark spots, explaining that these cell components can lead to an excessive deposition of melanin in the skin when they’re not functioning properly.
One of mitochondria’s many functions is supporting the health of melanocytes, or the cells that produce melanin. Mitochondrial dysfunction causes impaired melanin production and distribution - aka dark spots.
Koike explained that research showed how skin displaying dark spots had 211 upregulated genes linked to a particular protein known to slow down skin cell turnover.
This led to the development of a new skincare product featuring an embargoed plant-based extract known to suppress this protein. The formulation is supercharged by an ingredient called 4MSK, which slows the production of melanin in the skin.
What this means for your skincare routine
While you can’t stop dark spots at a genetic level, there are a handful of measures you can take to prevent or fade them.
Being sun smart is one of them, using broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 50, and reapplying every two hours. Avoiding UV exposure at peak times is also a good idea (generally between 10am and 4pm).
A consistent skincare routine will also help - look for formulas with brightening agents like vitamin C or retinol (used morning and night respectively) or incorporate gentle AHAs to fend off dullness caused by dark spots.
A Shiseido exclusive, 4MSK is a known tyrosinase inhibitor, which is said to help prevent pigmentation from forming in the first place. Other tyrosinase inhibitors include koji acid and azelaic acid, among others.
Viva loves Shiseido Vital Perfection Bright Revitalizing Emulsion, $150, which can be applied after cleansing to help brighten skin and fend off age-related discolouration.
Lesson 3: Biocompatible ingredients are best for skin
In all my years as beauty editor, I’ve never heard someone speak quite so passionately about ingredients than Nathan Rivas, vice president of global research and product development for Drunk Elephant.
His presentation at the Summit highlighted the importance of using clinically-proven active ingredients that work in harmony with skin.
“We look for biocompatible ingredients that mirror as closely as possible their natural counterparts in skin,” he explained, pointing to the brand’s newest innovation - the Amino Rain Glasswater Serum, $114.
Amino acid is produced naturally in the skin, crucial for strengthening and repairing, maintaining hydration, protecting against environmental aggressors, boosting cell renewal and fending off the signs of ageing.
It was with this in mind that the formulation expert sought to use a 1% fermented polyamino acid in the brand’s newest launch, a serum said to support the skin’s firmness, elasticity and moisture levels.
What this means for your skincare routine
Consumers are more informed about ingredients now than ever - decoding INCI lists and unpacking formulations online - which can only be a good thing.
Understanding naturally occurring skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, collagen, elastin and vitamins A, C and E helps demystify the skincare shopping experience. Always remember ingredients are listed in order of concentration.
There’s plenty of choice when it comes to serums and moisturisers containing these ingredients, but expect to see more targeted treatments unveiled over the next 12-18 months as new ways of producing biocompatible ingredients come to the fore.
Viva loves the Drunk Elephant Amino Rain Glasswater Serum, $114, which highlights naturally occurring amino acid to help build and repair proteins in the skin, alongside a suite of hardworking hydrators to leave skin with that “glass skin” finish.
Lesson 4: Ageing skin has an elasticity gap
Of everything I learned during the Summit, this was probably the one that made me gasp.
Yuki Ogura, a leading researcher at the MIRAI Technology Institute in Japan, heads up the development of technologies to visualise the skin’s inner structure.
Her research led to the discovery of what she calls the elasticity gap, or the differing rate at which the layers of the skin lose firmness and tone.
“The larger the elasticity gap between skin layers, the more easily wrinkles develop during facial expressions,” Ogura explained, adding new 3D imagery allows for a better view of the elasticity of each layer of skin.
The gap in elasticity between the surface layer of skin and the dermis means they soften and harden at different rates, fast-tracked by daily facial movements that contribute to the appearance of wrinkles.
Ogura noted Shiseido is working with a pure form of retinol that works at each layer of the dermis to stimulate these three types of collagen to better support healthy skin structure.
What this means for your skincare routine
This is relatively recent finding, so while there’s no immediate call to action for your routine just yet, there likely will be soon.
Expect to see formulations crop up, which include ingredients at varying molecular weights - meaning they can effectively target the different layers of skin - or products with unique delivery systems for enhanced penetration and efficacy.
Shiseido’s reinvented retinol product is embargoed for now, but we anticipate other beauty conglomerates following suit throughout 2026 and 2027, as the research on the elasticity gap becomes more widely adopted.
Lesson 5: New products push the limit of skin science
A fusion of skincare and technology, Shiseido’s newest innovation draws inspiration from aesthetic procedures, amplifying active ingredients using a delivery system that penetrates deeper into skin.
Nathalie Broussard, a pharmaceutical doctor and Shiseido’s scientific communication director, explained how scientific leadership continues to drive the group forward.
“Our goal is to find innovative techniques to enhance the power of renowned active ingredients,” she said.
This included new ingredient combinations, like fusing retinol with Shiseido’s safflower red for enhanced efficacy in treating wrinkles, along with enhanced delivery systems like the Bio-Performance Micro-Click Concentrate, $459.
The pen-like tool borrows inspiration from microneedling, dotted with 18 micropoints which you press and hold on skin while a click mechanism offers a precise dose of the formulation.
While niacinamide is widely used in skincare, Broussard explained it has a low ability to penetrate skin, which inspired the development of the micro-point applicator.
This targeted delivery at the right skin depth (20μm deep) helps to firm and hydrate skin while reducing fine lines and dullness.
Broussard recommends gently stamping the tool over areas prone to fine lines, like the eye contour, nasolabial folds (smile lines) or regions with enlarged pores like the cheeks.
What this means for your skincare routine
In-clinic microneedling has been widely praised for its ability to stimulate the skin’s own wound healing process for decades now, so it’s with great excitement that at-home options are gaining traction.
The Bio-Performance Micro-Click Concentrate feels like the tip of the iceberg, as topical skincare and aesthetic medicine become even more intertwined.
The hybrid bridges the gap between a dermal roller (just with a different stamping motion over rolling) and a serum.
Watch this space...
Lesson 6: Beauty is more than skin deep
At the Summit, I took six of the 13 tests available from the Shiseido Beauty Park in Yokohama.
It’s here that consumers can visit the park for a fully customised beauty diagnosis, which spans three hours and uses 13 different objective and subjective measurements to measure the skin’s innate qualities - not just from the outside but assessing your body as a whole.
Of course, we didn’t have three hours to spare, so we sampled a handful of tests to get a loose idea of where our skin sat on this scale and how it would look in the future.
I was tested on things like skin texture and firmness, how my skin is likely to age, my stress and fatigue levels, and how the shape and size of my nose can predict future skin concerns.
One of the most interesting tests was the gait analysis, which saw a small camera attached to a pair of shoes to measure my walking posture - which apparently dictates skin condition. Your gait score is measured on stretchiness (centred on upper body), liveliness (centred on lower body), and softness. I returned a score of 72 (the highest of the day I was told) which means I have boosted circulation and blood flow, which correlates to healthy skin.
What this means for your skincare routine
At the end of the test, one of 144 Artscape IDs is issued, which gives an accurate picture on how skin will look in three years’ time, and indicates how the skin will evolve and change over the next 20-30 years.
The holistic measure provides greater insights on which preventative measures will help support skin health and longevity into the future.
It’s more than just a skin diagnostic, and by engaging all five senses while accounting for lifestyle factors like fatigue, stress and movement it paints a clear overview of skin health.
Understanding that skin health is impacted by much more than simply the products we put on it gives a fresh appreciation for self-care as a whole.
Shiseido’s Beauty Diagnosis is one of the more comprehensive tests available, but it isn’t the only one. You don’t have to travel to Japan for an in-depth skin analysis, with innovations like the Observ Skin Diagnostic, AI-driven face mapping and Derma-Reader technology all readily available in Aotearoa.
Ashleigh Cometti was invited to the Shiseido Beauty Innovation Summit 2025 in Cannes as a guest of Drunk Elephant and Mecca.
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