Kao Corporation

Kao Corporation is a Japanese global chemical and cosmetics company, founded in 1887 by Tomiro Nagase as a manufacturer of domestic toiletry soap. The company's mission is to strive for the wholehearted satisfaction and enrichment of people's lives globally and to contribute to world sustainability through valuable products and brands created from the consumer's and customer's perspective. Its corporate philosophy, "The Kao Way," aims to realize a "Kirei World in which all life lives in harmony," with "Kirei" embodying cleanliness, order, and beauty. Kao Corporation is headquartered in Nihonbashi-Kayabacho, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan.

Kao operates across two primary business domains: Consumer Products and Chemical Products. The Consumer Products segment includes Hygiene & Living Care, Health & Beauty Care, Life Care, and Cosmetics, offering a wide array of products such as fabric care, home care, sanitary products, skin care, hair care, personal health products, commercial hygiene, health drinks, and various cosmetics. Prominent brands under Kao include Attack, Bioré, Curel, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, KATE, Molton Brown, and Oribe. The Chemical segment focuses on providing oleochemicals, functional materials, and specialty chemicals for industrial applications.

As a leading manufacturer in Japan with a significant global presence, Kao Corporation is led by Yoshihiro Hasebe, its Representative Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer. The company has consistently been recognized for its ethical business practices, earning a spot on Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies list for 19 consecutive years, and has been acknowledged by CDP as a global environmental leader for its sustainability efforts. Recent strategic activities include the acquisition of Bondi Sands brands and the launch of new product lines and campaigns for brands like SENSAI, Liese, KATE, and Curél. Kao is committed to ambitious sustainability targets, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2040, carbon negative by 2050, and net-zero plastic packaging waste by 2040.