08.01.23
Japan
www.kao.com
Sales: $7.7 billion
Key Personnel: Michitaka Sawada, chairman; Yoshihiro Hasebe, president and chief executive officer; Masakazu Negoro, senior managing executive officer, finance; Toru Nishiguchi, senior managing executive officer, global consumer products and Kao professional services; David J. Muenz, managing executive officer, senior vice president, ESG global; Osamu Tabata, managing executive officer, senior vice president, supply chain management global; Yoshihiro Murakami, managing executive officer, senior vice president, DX strategy; Hideaki Kubo, managing executive officer, senior vice president, research and development, managing executive officer, senior vice president, corporate strategy; Hiroaki Yamaguchi, senior executive officer, vice president, supply chain management; Kotaro Nuriya, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, health & beauty care business; Natsumi Hotta, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, hygiene & living care business; Hideki Mamiya, senior executive officer, senior vice president, human capital strategy; Yosuke Maezawa, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, cosmetics business, global
Major Products: Beauty Care—Sofina, Kanebo, Molton Brown, Bioré, Curel, Jergens, Asience, John Frieda, Goldwell, My Kirei by Kao, Wakati, KMS; Fabric and Home Care—Attack, Haiter, Magiclean; Human Health Care—Ban, Pyoura and Clear Clean oral care, Bub bath additives
New Products: Beauty Care—Nivea Cream Care Body Wash W (Double) Water Retention Skin, Spot Jelly, Kanebo Comfort Skin Wear, Space Kibun Space Shampoo Sheet, PureOra36500 oral care, Bioré The Cleanse Oil makeup remover, Curel Moisturizing UV lotion/UV essence; Home Care—Attack Zero Refill, Bath Magiclean Air Jet Sterilization EX, Humming Deodorant Jikkan, Quickle Magnet Wiper, Resesh Sanitization Ex Wide Jet deodorant spray
Comments: Corporate sales rose 9% last year. The hygiene and living care division, which includes fabric and hard surface cleaners, posted a 4% increase in sales, primarily due to forex changes. Fabric care sales rose in Japan, but fell in the rest of Asia. Home care sales were flat.
Health and beauty care sales, which includes skin and hair care, rose 4.2%, but again, much of the gain came from favorable exchange rates. A heat wave in Japan propelled seasonal sales of sun care and related products. In Thailand, there was demand for Bioré Guard Mos Block Serum, a repellent lotion.
Life care sales increased 5.1% due to rising demand for kitchen cleaning agents and guest room amenities in the I&I sector.
Sales of cosmetics rose 5.1%, helped by gains from Sensai and Molton Brown.
Q1 2023 corporate sales rose less than 1%. Consumer product sales were as expected, but chemical sales didn’t live up to projections due to a slower-than-expected recovery. Consumer product sales were up, but the market in China remained weak and sales in Japan declined. In contrast, sales in the Americas jumped more than 28% and sales in Europe increased 13.4%.
In May, Kao and Lion expanded its collaboration on horizontal recycling of used refill packs for laundry care formulas. Kao launched Attack Zero Refill, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent. Lion (ranked No. 15 in Happi’s International Top 30) launched Top Super Nanox Odor-Exclusive Extra Large Refill. The launches expand on a September 2020 collaboration to reduce packaging waste.
Kao was front and center at the CESIO World Surfactant Congress in June. Company representatives detailed the benefits of formulating with Bio IOS, a bio-based surfactant with a carbon chain of C16-C18. Ester quat alternatives based on supramolecular structures were also highlighted.
www.kao.com
Sales: $7.7 billion
Key Personnel: Michitaka Sawada, chairman; Yoshihiro Hasebe, president and chief executive officer; Masakazu Negoro, senior managing executive officer, finance; Toru Nishiguchi, senior managing executive officer, global consumer products and Kao professional services; David J. Muenz, managing executive officer, senior vice president, ESG global; Osamu Tabata, managing executive officer, senior vice president, supply chain management global; Yoshihiro Murakami, managing executive officer, senior vice president, DX strategy; Hideaki Kubo, managing executive officer, senior vice president, research and development, managing executive officer, senior vice president, corporate strategy; Hiroaki Yamaguchi, senior executive officer, vice president, supply chain management; Kotaro Nuriya, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, health & beauty care business; Natsumi Hotta, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, hygiene & living care business; Hideki Mamiya, senior executive officer, senior vice president, human capital strategy; Yosuke Maezawa, senior executive officer, president, consumer products, cosmetics business, global
Major Products: Beauty Care—Sofina, Kanebo, Molton Brown, Bioré, Curel, Jergens, Asience, John Frieda, Goldwell, My Kirei by Kao, Wakati, KMS; Fabric and Home Care—Attack, Haiter, Magiclean; Human Health Care—Ban, Pyoura and Clear Clean oral care, Bub bath additives
New Products: Beauty Care—Nivea Cream Care Body Wash W (Double) Water Retention Skin, Spot Jelly, Kanebo Comfort Skin Wear, Space Kibun Space Shampoo Sheet, PureOra36500 oral care, Bioré The Cleanse Oil makeup remover, Curel Moisturizing UV lotion/UV essence; Home Care—Attack Zero Refill, Bath Magiclean Air Jet Sterilization EX, Humming Deodorant Jikkan, Quickle Magnet Wiper, Resesh Sanitization Ex Wide Jet deodorant spray
Comments: Corporate sales rose 9% last year. The hygiene and living care division, which includes fabric and hard surface cleaners, posted a 4% increase in sales, primarily due to forex changes. Fabric care sales rose in Japan, but fell in the rest of Asia. Home care sales were flat.
Health and beauty care sales, which includes skin and hair care, rose 4.2%, but again, much of the gain came from favorable exchange rates. A heat wave in Japan propelled seasonal sales of sun care and related products. In Thailand, there was demand for Bioré Guard Mos Block Serum, a repellent lotion.
Life care sales increased 5.1% due to rising demand for kitchen cleaning agents and guest room amenities in the I&I sector.
Sales of cosmetics rose 5.1%, helped by gains from Sensai and Molton Brown.
Q1 2023 corporate sales rose less than 1%. Consumer product sales were as expected, but chemical sales didn’t live up to projections due to a slower-than-expected recovery. Consumer product sales were up, but the market in China remained weak and sales in Japan declined. In contrast, sales in the Americas jumped more than 28% and sales in Europe increased 13.4%.
In May, Kao and Lion expanded its collaboration on horizontal recycling of used refill packs for laundry care formulas. Kao launched Attack Zero Refill, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent. Lion (ranked No. 15 in Happi’s International Top 30) launched Top Super Nanox Odor-Exclusive Extra Large Refill. The launches expand on a September 2020 collaboration to reduce packaging waste.
Kao was front and center at the CESIO World Surfactant Congress in June. Company representatives detailed the benefits of formulating with Bio IOS, a bio-based surfactant with a carbon chain of C16-C18. Ester quat alternatives based on supramolecular structures were also highlighted.