The Legend

play, master, create your own beauty – enter the tokyo hair atelier and discover cutting-edge hair artistry with top-quality japanese excellence services.

from tokyo to the world, shu uemura delivers the expertise of asian beauty through the art of hair, infused with the DNA of the legendary japanese makeup and hair artist, mr. shu uemura.

discover unique products and tools made with a frontier spirit of innovation, micro-detailed japanese craftsmanship and a dazzling spectrum of colors. be inspired by the visionary hair care creations and advices of our in-house professional hair dressers artists.

crafted in japan

timeless yet cutting-edge, luxurious yet functional…the fascinating paradox of the deep japanese culture shapes our brand – enjoy our iconic products and tools designed & crafted in japan with skilled craftsmanship and premium japanese ingredients.

1955

mr. shu uemura, the only male student at tokyo beauty academy, lands a job as a makeup artist at hollywood

1962

oversees the makeup of an academy ward winning actress, shirley maclaine at the production of ‘my geisha’ – remarkably transforming her into a japanese geisha. his reputation soared, and he becomes a hollywood favorite among famous stars such as frank sinatra.

1965

opens a makeup atelier at his family home in tokyo, offering private lessons to aspiring makeup artists.

1967

establishes japan makeup inc. which would later grow into a revolutionary global brand of shu uemura. launches the first cleansing oil “unmask” when no other specialized oil cleansers existed at the time.

1968

the world’s first mode makeup collection "flaggy" at the time when mode was only considered as a territory of fashion, mr. Shu Uemura liberated the makeup scene with his launch of “flaggy”, bringing it to a state of art. in the following years, he also hosted the world’s first onstage makeup performance.

1983

opens the first shu uemura beauty boutique in omotesando, tokyo. the innovative style of display, simple and transparent packaging allowed both women and professional makeup artists to experiment with the color in an instant – this unprecedented open tester style was later hailed as a “revolution” in cosmetic retail.