Shiseido Announces New Product to Care for "Stress Odor"
Shiseido will launch six products in 17 varieties from its deodorant brand AGe deo24, which embodies the concept of "24-hour, anytime, anywhere skin comfort care." The lineup includes a powder spray designed to address "stress odors" caused by tension and stress, available from mid-February.
To coincide with the launch, the company will feature American perfumer Jennifer Hardaway as its "Scent Appraiser" in a series of web ads and TV commercials.
Prior to this, on February 13, the company held a new product launch event at Bellesalle Shiodome in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.
The company, which discovered "old age odor" in 1999, identified "stress odor" in 2018.
Masako Katsuyama, a researcher at the Advanced Research Center, explained that a distinctive "stress odor" emerges under conditions of elevated heart rate accompanied by tension or stress. "We discovered stress odor while researching the relationship between smell and the body. This odor changes depending on physical condition. By leveraging this, we can use the smell to understand the body's state, making it a barometer for physical health."
Brand Manager Mitsuyo Iwamoto, citing survey results showing that 90% of the brand's target users—men and women in their 20s to 40s—experience stress in daily life, stated, "By identifying the nature of stress and developing corresponding technology, we were able to create products that address stress odor," and unveiled the new products.
Comedy duo Wagyu's Shinji Mizuta and Kenshiro Kawanishi appeared on stage as guests.
Holding an AG DEO 24 spray bottle, Mizuta remarked, "This silver color suits me, right? It's the color of a silver medal," referencing their three consecutive runner-up finishes at the M-1 Grand Prix. Kawanishi responded with a smile, "AG is number one in sales, right? Wagyu will also aim for gold next time and do our best."
During a talk about stress, Mizuta confessed, "I have a lot of stage work and a tough schedule, so stress builds up." Kawanishi interjected, "Let's skip the real stress talk. At least make it event-friendly." Regarding his own stress, he revealed, "My partner says annoying things, so I try to let it go in one ear and out the other. Because of that, I've gotten more gray hair around my left ear."
With plastic bags over their left hands, the two explained they had previously cooperated in an experiment collecting stress odors, footage of which was shown.
After sniffing the odor collected in the bag, Mizuta-san frowned deeply, saying, "It's incredibly stinky. It smells exactly like a sample of stress odor. The thought that this is coming from me is awful!" When she then checked Kawanishi-san's odor, she grimaced even more, exclaiming, "It smells just like mine!"
Kawanishi-san sniffed Mizuta-san's odor, acknowledging the stress odor's existence but teased, "I don't hate it... You should learn to like it a little too!"
Ahead of Valentine's Day, the two were presented with chocolate designed with the "AG Deo 24" logo. Wearing running shirts, they sprayed "AG Deo 24" while chanting, "Sweat smell, stress smell, spray it all over!" and promoted, "Everyone, spray it all over yourselves too!"
Official website: https://www.shiseido.co.jp/ag/
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