Who owns NARS?
NARS is owned by Shiseido (Japan, TSE: 4911), which has owned the brand since 2000.[1] NARS was founded in 1994 in New York and was independent until 2000.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Shiseido Company, Limited reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (1994–2000)
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, New York
- Founded
- 1994
- Category
- Personal care & beauty › Cosmetics & fragrance › Makeup
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 4911
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About NARS
NARS was founded in New York in 1994 by makeup artist François Nars, launching with twelve lipsticks in matt black rubberised packaging designed to feel like professional kit. Shiseido acquired the company in 2000. Its Orgasm blush, named deliberately to provoke, became one of the best-selling single cosmetics products of the following decades.
Ownership timeline of NARS
Where NARS sits in Shiseido
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Shiseido ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Shiseido in personal care & beauty
Latest news about NARS
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of NARS?
The parent company of NARS is Shiseido, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is NARS American or Japanese?
NARS originated in the United States in 1994, but it is owned today by Shiseido, which is headquartered in Japan. So NARS is an American-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Shiseido owned NARS?
Shiseido has owned NARS since 2000.
Who owned NARS before Shiseido?
NARS was an independent company from its founding in 1994 in New York until Shiseido acquired it in 2000.
Is NARS still owned by Shiseido?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, NARS is still owned by Shiseido. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Shiseido Company, Limited Integrated Report 2025 — Shiseido Company, Limited, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.
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