Kao Overview

  • Year Founded
  • 1887

Year Founded

  • Status
  • Public

  • Employees
  • 41,068

Employees

  • Stock Symbol
  • 4452

Stock Symbol

  • Investments
  • 17

  • Share Price
  • $42.44
  • (As of Friday Closing)

Kao General Information

Description

Kao is the largest household and personal care product manufacturer in Japan with a footprint across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Japan remains its largest market, contributing about 50% of sales and operating profits with several leading brands including Attack and Biore. Initially a soap producer established in the 1890s, Kao has expanded into cosmetics, disposable hygiene products, and chemicals, in addition to its home care and toiletry products. Asia, the largest overseas market contributes around 15% of group sales. Kao has also acquired several Western skin and haircare brands including Jergens, John Frieda, Curel, Molton Brown, and the latest, Oribe.

Contact Information

Website
www.kao.com
Formerly Known As
Taiwan-Kao Company
Ownership Status
Publicly Held
Financing Status
Corporation
Corporate Office
  • 1-14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho
  • Chuo-ku
  • Tokyo, 103-8210
  • Japan
+81
Primary Industry
Personal Products
Stock Exchange
TKS
Vertical(s)
Manufacturing
Corporate Office
  • 1-14-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho
  • Chuo-ku
  • Tokyo, 103-8210
  • Japan
+81

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Kao Stock Performance

As of 18-Apr-2025, Kao’s stock price is $42.44. Its current market cap is $19.7B with 464M shares.

(As of Friday Closing)

Stock Price Previous Close 52 wk Range Market Cap Shares Average Volume EPS
$42.44 $41.99 $37.02 - $50.45 $19.7B 464M 1.51M $1.53

Kao Financials Summary

As of 31-Dec-2024, Kao has a trailing 12-month revenue of $10.8B.

In Thousands,
USD 		TTM 31-Dec-2024 FY 2024 31-Dec-2024 FY 2023 31-Dec-2023 FY 2022 31-Dec-2022
EV 18,679,056 18,679,056 19,112,726 18,312,610
Revenue 10,752,499 10,752,499 10,907,241 11,802,453
EBITDA 1,575,111 1,575,111 1,081,893 1,539,770
Net Income 711,576 711,576 312,219 654,688
Total Assets 11,890,939 11,890,939 12,547,075 13,166,184
Total Debt 1,562,298 1,562,298 1,851,181 2,004,957
Public Fundamental Data provided by Morningstar, Inc. disclaimer

Kao Valuation & Funding

Deal Type Date Amount Valuation/
EBITDA		 Post-Val Status Debt

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Kao Comparisons

Description
Primary
Industry
HQ Location
Employees
Total Raised
Post Valuation
Last
Financing
Details
Kao is the largest household and personal care product manufacturer in Japan with a footprint across Asia, Europe, and t
Personal Products
Tokyo, Japan
41,068 As of 2024

Tokyo, Japan
 

Luxembourg, Luxembourg
 
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Kao Competitors (23)

One of Kao’s 23 competitors is Shiseido Company, a Corporation company based in Tokyo, Japan.

Company Name Financing Status Location Employees Total Raised Last Financing Date/Type Last Financing Amount
Shiseido Company Corporation Tokyo, Japan
L'Occitane International Private Equity-Backed Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Colgate-Palmolive Corporation New York, NY
Revlon Private Equity-Backed New York, NY
The Estée Lauder Companies Corporation New York, NY
You’re viewing 5 of 23 competitors. Get the full list »

Kao Patents

  • 89,980

    Total Documents Applications and Grants

  • Total Patents Families

  • 44,104

    Granted

  • 17,009

    Pending

  • Expiring in next 12 mo

Kao Recent Patent Activity

Publication ID Patent Title Status First Filing Date Technology (CPC) Citations
JP-2025065188-A Fungicide composition Pending 29-Jan-2025
JP-2025028354-A Liquid detergent composition for textile products for inactivating norovirus Pending 20-Dec-2024
JP-3250181-U Absorbent articles Active 16-Dec-2024
JP-3250155-U Absorbent articles Active 13-Dec-2024
JP-3250016-U Absorbent articles Active 02-Dec-2024
To view Kao’s complete patent history, request access »

Kao Signals

Growth Rate

Weekly
Growth
Weekly Growth

Size Multiple

Median
Size Multiple

Key Data Points

Similarweb Unique Visitors

Majestic Referring Domains

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Kao Investments & Acquisitions (17)

Kao’s most recent deal was a Merger/Acquisition with Hello Sunday SPF. The deal was made on 27-Aug-2024.

Company Name Deal Date Deal Type Deal Size Industry Lead Partner
Hello Sunday SPF 27-Aug-2024 Merger/Acquisition Personal Products
Bondi Sands 01-Aug-2023 Merger/Acquisition Personal Products
Mirairo 10-May-2023 Later Stage VC Information Services (B2C)
Dinette 28-Apr-2023 Later Stage VC Personal Products
Geno (Biotechnology) 20-Mar-2023 Later Stage VC Biotechnology
You’re viewing 5 of 17 investments and acquisitions. Get the full list »

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Kao ESG

Risk Overview

Risk Rating

Updated May, 31, 2024

17.07 | Low Risk

Risk Scale

A lower score indicates better sustainability

Negl

0-10

Low

10-20

Med

20-30

High

30-40

Severe

40+

Exposure

Exposure refers to the extent to which a company is exposed to different material ESG issues

Management

Management is related to actions taken to manage ESG issues

Peers Analysis

Peer performance insights compare the company’s ESG performance to the performance of selected peers to help inform future ESG decisions and drive internal performance improvements.

Global

Covered Companies

of 15,109

Rank

Percentile

Household Products

Industry

of 104

Rank

Percentile

Personal Products

Subindustry

of 81

Rank

Percentile

To view Kao’s complete esg history, request access »

Kao Exits (2)

Kao’s most recent exit was on 10-May-2023 from Mirairo. The exit was categorized as with 5 buyers.

Company Name Exit Date Exit Type Exit Size Status Buyers
Mirairo 10-May-2023 Completed
  • 5 buyers
Incubation Alliance 03-Mar-2016 Early Stage VC Completed
  • 5 buyers
To view Kao’s complete exits history, request access »

Kao Affiliates

Subsidiaries (6)

Name Industry Location Year Founded
Hello Sunday SPF Devon, United Kingdom 2018
Bondi Sands Port Melbourne, Australia 2011
Oribe Hair Care Miami Beach, FL 2008
Washing Systems Loveland, OH 1989
Kao Chimigraf Barcelona, Spain 1970
You’re viewing 5 of 6 affiliates. Get the full list.  »

Kao FAQs

  • When was Kao founded?

    Kao was founded in 1887.

  • Where is Kao headquartered?

    Kao is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

  • What is the size of Kao?

    Kao has 41,068 total employees.

  • What industry is Kao in?

    Kao’s primary industry is Personal Products.

  • Is Kao a private or public company?

    Kao is a Public company.

  • What is Kao’s stock symbol?

    The ticker symbol for Kao is 4452.

  • What is the current stock price of Kao?

    As of 18-Apr-2025 the stock price of Kao is $42.44.

  • What is the current market cap of Kao?

    The current market capitalization of Kao is $19.7B.

  • What is Kao’s current revenue?

    The trailing twelve month revenue for Kao is $10.8B.

  • Who are Kao’s competitors?

    Shiseido Company, L'Occitane International, Colgate-Palmolive, Revlon, and The Estée Lauder Companies are some of the 23 competitors of Kao.

  • What is Kao’s annual earnings per share (EPS)?

    Kao’s EPS for 12 months was $1.53.

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