Tom Branna, Editorial Director04.11.21
Well over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, pandemic-weary consumers, including kids, are letting their guard down. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in parts of the US, Europe and Latin America. To get children scrubbing again in the States, MyKirei by Kao partnered with TerraCycle to help instill the
Hand washing is a family affair.
importance of good hygiene in children. The Healthy Hands campaign, featuring a hand washing curriculum that makes the daily task a fun activity, will help teachers in schools across the country educate their students on how to properly wash their hands.
This new US initiative is an extension of Kao Corporation's practices in Asia, where thousands of schools are visited by the company every year. According to Marissa Vallillo, brand director, MyKirei by Kao, Kao Japan is very conscientious as it relates to hygiene, which is indicative of the Japanese culture.
“Understanding the role of proper hand washing can avoid illness in a very crowded country so people can live a healthy, more beautiful (Kirei) life,” explained Vallillo. “Knowing the importance of hand washing and how it can drastically impact the spread of germs, Kao Japan started teaching this to children at a young age in order to equip them with good habits that they can take through their life.”
And as a major manufacturer of hygiene products in Japan, it makes good business sense to engage with children on this level to create an awareness of Kao products, which helps to develop brand loyalty and trust, noted Vallillo. With COVID cases climbing, there is no time like now to expand this mission globally, teaching children the importance of caring for themselves, their families and communities by doing their part to reduce the spread of germs, she added.
A Global Program
MyKirei by Kao is built on the Japanese Kirei philosophy that caring for self, society and the world around you makes life more beautiful. According to Kao, The Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program helps children care for themselves with proper hygiene, their society in keeping others around them safe and healthy, and their world by encouraging them to recycle and use packaging that creates less waste.
"It is our mission to embody the Kirei principles in all of our products but also in our actions as a company," said John Sullivan, VP-business growth/international, Kao. "While always important and pertinent, the Kirei sensibility has never been more relevant than today as we face such challenging times. With MyKirei by Kao and our Healthy Hands program, we are expanding our culture of cleanliness into the next generation with beautiful, practical examples of kinder, more sustainable ways of living."
MyKirei by Kao Healthy Hands began last year.
This initiative started in Japan in 2009, and is one of many school programs with curriculums that teach children how to conserve water, properly care for their skin and how to live a more eco-friendly life. To date, Kao has visited nearly 3,000 schools and will reach 5,000 schools by the end of 2021. In addition to Japan and now here in the US, the Healthy Hands program has also been implemented in Vietnam and Indonesia.
Valllillo admits that there is no data confirming that the program has improved overall hygiene, but said it is Kao's mission to continue to expand this program as far as possible. After starting in Japan in 2009, the Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program has extended into other countries in Asia such as Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The six-step hand washing curriculum—brought to life by a pop-inspired custom created song making the typically mundane act of handwashing fun and something to look forward to—will be shared with teachers along with a MyKirei by Kao Clean Routine Healthy Hands Kit featuring the brand's Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash and a UV-light germ detector box that help students reveal germs that were missed through improper washing to make the lesson more interactive and engaging.
Following the lesson, each student will take home a complimentary bottle of the brand's best-selling Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash in a reusable bottle, along with a discount code to shop for refills so they can keep clean while creating less waste at home. This richly-textured, gentle, and effective foaming hand wash has become a social media sensation, says Kao, and is particularly loved by children, featuring a unique dispenser that leaves behind a foam flower on the palm of the user's hand.
As part of the program, Kao USA and TerraCycle will hold the Clean Hands Clean World recycling contest that will award up to $5,000 in prizes, including a garden bed for their school made from recycled packaging, to the top three schools that recycle the most MyKirei by Kao refills. Schools have already been selected to be a part of the curriculum in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Cincinnati and Washington DC and selections will continue throughout the year.
A Well-Timed Launch
Launched in April 2020, MyKirei by Kao is a personal care line that includes biodegradable, plant-based formulas incorporating traditional Japanese ingredients like yuzu fruit and rice water and packaging utilizing up to 50% less plastic vs. traditional bottles. MyKirei refills reduce plastic by up to 82%. The five-item line includes
Plant-based MyKirei debuted a year ago.
Tsubaki and Rice Water Nourishing Shampoo, Tsubaki and Rice Water Nourishing Conditioner, Nourishing HandWash with Yuzu and Rice Water, Yuzu Flower Foam HandWash and Pampering Yuzu Flower Foam BodyWash, each priced at $18.
MyKirei by Kao debuted just weeks after the pandemic reached the US. Since then, Kao personal hygiene product sales are more than double what they were pre-pandemic and manufacturing plants have been working overtime to keep up with demand.
“We continue to see strong sales in all areas of hygiene, even with the vaccine well underway,” noted Vallillo
As a market leader in a number of hygiene-based categories such as laundry and hard surface care, Vallillo said there’s more to come from the company.
“Kao is looking at how they can improve hygiene well beyond hand wash,” she said. “Stay tuned for more!”
Hand washing is a family affair.
This new US initiative is an extension of Kao Corporation's practices in Asia, where thousands of schools are visited by the company every year. According to Marissa Vallillo, brand director, MyKirei by Kao, Kao Japan is very conscientious as it relates to hygiene, which is indicative of the Japanese culture.
“Understanding the role of proper hand washing can avoid illness in a very crowded country so people can live a healthy, more beautiful (Kirei) life,” explained Vallillo. “Knowing the importance of hand washing and how it can drastically impact the spread of germs, Kao Japan started teaching this to children at a young age in order to equip them with good habits that they can take through their life.”
And as a major manufacturer of hygiene products in Japan, it makes good business sense to engage with children on this level to create an awareness of Kao products, which helps to develop brand loyalty and trust, noted Vallillo. With COVID cases climbing, there is no time like now to expand this mission globally, teaching children the importance of caring for themselves, their families and communities by doing their part to reduce the spread of germs, she added.
A Global Program
MyKirei by Kao is built on the Japanese Kirei philosophy that caring for self, society and the world around you makes life more beautiful. According to Kao, The Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program helps children care for themselves with proper hygiene, their society in keeping others around them safe and healthy, and their world by encouraging them to recycle and use packaging that creates less waste.
"It is our mission to embody the Kirei principles in all of our products but also in our actions as a company," said John Sullivan, VP-business growth/international, Kao. "While always important and pertinent, the Kirei sensibility has never been more relevant than today as we face such challenging times. With MyKirei by Kao and our Healthy Hands program, we are expanding our culture of cleanliness into the next generation with beautiful, practical examples of kinder, more sustainable ways of living."
MyKirei by Kao Healthy Hands began last year.
Valllillo admits that there is no data confirming that the program has improved overall hygiene, but said it is Kao's mission to continue to expand this program as far as possible. After starting in Japan in 2009, the Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program has extended into other countries in Asia such as Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The six-step hand washing curriculum—brought to life by a pop-inspired custom created song making the typically mundane act of handwashing fun and something to look forward to—will be shared with teachers along with a MyKirei by Kao Clean Routine Healthy Hands Kit featuring the brand's Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash and a UV-light germ detector box that help students reveal germs that were missed through improper washing to make the lesson more interactive and engaging.
Following the lesson, each student will take home a complimentary bottle of the brand's best-selling Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash in a reusable bottle, along with a discount code to shop for refills so they can keep clean while creating less waste at home. This richly-textured, gentle, and effective foaming hand wash has become a social media sensation, says Kao, and is particularly loved by children, featuring a unique dispenser that leaves behind a foam flower on the palm of the user's hand.
As part of the program, Kao USA and TerraCycle will hold the Clean Hands Clean World recycling contest that will award up to $5,000 in prizes, including a garden bed for their school made from recycled packaging, to the top three schools that recycle the most MyKirei by Kao refills. Schools have already been selected to be a part of the curriculum in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Cincinnati and Washington DC and selections will continue throughout the year.
A Well-Timed Launch
Launched in April 2020, MyKirei by Kao is a personal care line that includes biodegradable, plant-based formulas incorporating traditional Japanese ingredients like yuzu fruit and rice water and packaging utilizing up to 50% less plastic vs. traditional bottles. MyKirei refills reduce plastic by up to 82%. The five-item line includes
Plant-based MyKirei debuted a year ago.
MyKirei by Kao debuted just weeks after the pandemic reached the US. Since then, Kao personal hygiene product sales are more than double what they were pre-pandemic and manufacturing plants have been working overtime to keep up with demand.
“We continue to see strong sales in all areas of hygiene, even with the vaccine well underway,” noted Vallillo
As a market leader in a number of hygiene-based categories such as laundry and hard surface care, Vallillo said there’s more to come from the company.
“Kao is looking at how they can improve hygiene well beyond hand wash,” she said. “Stay tuned for more!”
