Cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. has started producing liquid sanitizers in France to provide to local medical institutions fighting the coronavirus, a company official said Thursday.
The company started production on March 26 at a cosmetics factory in Orleans with a capacity of 20,000 bottles per week.
Shiseido is also planning to begin manufacturing liquid sanitizers at a factory in the United States from April 6, the official said, adding the company will decide later how much to produce and where it will send the products.
Cosmetics production at Shiseido's factories in Europe and the United States has been declining due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Tokyo-based company decided to make the sanitizers as it already uses alcohol in various products, including perfumes.
The company is not thinking of producing liquid sanitizers in Japan at the moment, the official said.