Key Takeaways:

• Beauty brands supporting LGBTQ+ causes dropped from 16% to 9%. 
• Shiseido strengthened LGBTQ+ internal efforts and participation in Pride events. 
• Shiseido's consistency could set it apart as competitors retreat.

During this past Pride Month, consumers noticed it was fairly quiet on the corporate front. This sparked discourse on Reddit within the LGBTQ+ community, and morale was split over whether the community even wants large corporations' performative support or if corporate support means more in the increasingly conservative political climate of the US.

Brands supporting the LGBTQ+ community have dropped from 16% to 9% over the past 3 years, according to the SeeMe Inclusivity Index for Beauty, and corporate support for Pride has continued to dwindle in 2026. These companies are running the risk of losing a large part of their consumers. The Human Rights Campaign, a queer rights organization, stated that 71.5% of LGBTQ+ consumers buy fewer products from companies they perceive as reducing their inclusion efforts.

The LGBTQ+ community craves real support from brands, and it has always been obvious when a rainbow is slapped on a product as a marketing tactic rather than genuine recognition. Shiseido did not stay silent on the subject; its push for stronger LGBTQ+ initiatives challenged this posturing this past June and rang in Pride Month with its “Diversity Week for LGBTQ+ 2026,”  a series of initiatives that leaned more into employee training and customer experience than seasonal marketing tactics.

Shiseido updated its LGBTQ+ customer service training for its beauty consultants, a program they’ve run since 2019, with updated case studies for in-store scenarios. Additionally, the brand further developed its makeup guide and held a makeup workshop for transgender women and non-binary people.

Shiseido didn’t stop there. They had a booth at Tokyo Pride for its eighth consecutive year, where customers were able to enjoy personalized beauty experiences. This was also the first year the brand introduced beauty consultants proficient in sign language for visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Shiseido also continued to support PIAMY FES, a Japanese community event that took place in February, centered on lesbian women.

The company’s efforts in supporting the LGBTQ+ community have not gone unnoticed. In 2025, Shiseido achieved a Gold Rating and a Rainbow Certification from the Japanese nonprofit organization Work with Pride (wwP). wwP established a “PRIDE Index” to evaluate Japanese companies across their inclusion efforts surrounding the LGBTQ+ community; wwP awards companies based on their performance in the PRIDE Index.

Shiseido additionally expanded its Pride initiatives beyond Japan, with participation in Pride events in Cologne, New York, and Taiwan.

Shiseido’s efforts in championing the LGBTQ+ community—through real customer experience and internal change instead of performative gestures—will certainly set the company apart in a time when fewer and fewer brands are showing up for the queer community at all.