Kao Corporation

As the year comes to an end, we would like to say a big thank you to all our employees, business partners and customers for their commitment, partnership and passion. We can’t wait to continue our journey in the next year! Here is to a happy and healthy 2025. Enjoy the holiday season! 

🎅 Santa’s Helpers in action: Each year, our Kao UK colleagues support the Molton Brown retail team during their busiest time of year by helping out in stores – with great success! This year, 104 Santa’s Helper’s slots were filled across the UK, with a total of 73 Kao employees signing up from across many different departments and regions. Once signed up, Santa’s Helpers support stores in a range of different ways, from taking center stage on the sales floor or rolling up their sleeves as a Back of House helper! Be it for a full day or even a few hours, all support was warmly received and appreciated by the store teams. To help the helpers prepare, the Molton Brown Sales Education and Development team ran ‘Santa School’ - training calls to prepare the helpers on what to expect in store and how best they could help. Catalina Gomez, Kao HCD Business Partner and Santa’s Helper, said: “Spending time in-store reminds me just how incredible our teams are. Their passion, dedication, and ability to create magic for every customer inspire me every day. It’s a privilege to support and work alongside them.”

The future of ESG work starts now: in the sustainability special of German news magazine Stern, Nicola Baeuerle, Director Sustainability AEMEA at Kao, shares her perspective on how we need to address current challenges and opportunities. In the feature, Nicola also talks about the new team she is establishing in the region and how this will further drive Kao’s sustainability efforts. “We recently set up a new sustainability team to manage our work across all business divisions”, says Nicola. “In collaboration with the experts in the company, we are now joining up our activities even more. This helps us with view to regulations such as the EU Green Deal, but also with complex issues such as data management and life cycle analysis in order to analyse and improve the environmental footprint of our products along their entire life cycle.” inpact media Verlag

🎁 Get the holiday season wrapped up with Molton Brown! This year, our British luxury brand celebrates the importance of human connections with their campaign ‘Gifting is the art of knowing’. If you are searching for a meaningful gift that says, ‘I know you’, explore some of Molton Brown’s iconic winter scents, be it Rose Dunes, Re-charge Black Pepper or Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold. And if you’re around one of Molton Brown’s stores, make your gift seriously personal with a fragrance consultation, personalised wrapping and Fragrance Bottle Engraving service*. In keeping with Molton Brown’s commitment to craftsmanship, this years limited edition the brand offers signature gift boxes featuring a unique marble print created by Natascha Maksimovic, an artist and wallpaper maker based in Kent. The design is inspired by the entrance of the Molton Brown’s original salon on London’s South Molton Street, which opened in 1971. Supporting sustainable packaging, the gift boxes are made from 100% recycled paper, are recyclable and reusable while helping reduce waste and excess wrapping. The gift set ribbons are made from 65% recycled materials. (*available at selected stores only).

💖 Team effort for the good cause: Every year, our colleagues from the German Charity Team organise the Kao Charity Warehouse Sale to support local organizations – this year with record results! The team spent days preparing the warehouse for the charity sale, where employees were able to purchase Kao bags and fill them with products in support of the good cause. On 12th of December the doors to the Charity Warehouse Sale opened at noon - and 4 hours later the team was able to report a record sale of 900 bags, resulting in over 13,000 Euro of donations raised for two organizations in the city of Darmstadt: ⭐️ The children’s grieving group of the Darmstadt hospice association ⭐️ Wildwasser Darmstadt e.V., supporting girls and women experiencing violence. “We are so grateful for all the donations", says Nicole Anthes from the Charity Team. “This year exceeded all our expectations, and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Charity Team members, our committed helpers and all colleagues who donated for the good cause!“

Did you know why the term Yoki-Monozukuri is so important to us at Kao? It is one of our core values and describes our commitment to excellence in the product creation process. It is also a key part of the Kao Way, our corporate philosophy that guides everything we do. Yoki-Monozukuri is the expression of something we hold dear: bringing together the creativity and energy of all employees to create products and experiences that enrich the lives of our customers. Across all parts of the business, we passionately commit to excellence in what we create.

Did you know that our founder Tomiro Nagase was not only an innovator in beauty and personal care, but also a pioneer in advertising?💡 When he founded Kao, Japan was rapidly modernizing and Tomiro was quick to understand his audience. Tomiro published advertisements in national newspapers, advertorial-like placements in journals and even started out-of-home advertisement with large billboards next to railway lines, on roofs and telegraph poles - something that was quite revolutionary back then. He even worked with famous Japanese models who promoted his products – possibly the original influencer marketing! Tomiro‘s efforts soon paid off as Kao became known all over Japan. Today, Kao is a global company with a presence in over 100 countries – maybe also because of our founder‘s advertising skills, but certainly thanks to his strong vision, his passion for innovation and his entrepreneurial spirit that we continue to live by today!

Did you know that Kao has been developing sustainable, high-quality products for over 135 years? It all started with a soap in 1887 – and our founder Tomiro Nagase‘s strong vision to improve people‘s lives. His entrepreneurial spirit and determination eventually resulted in the foundation of Kao. Ever since, we’ve carried on his values and spirit. Today, Kao is one of the biggest consumer goods manufacturers in Japan, with over 34,000 employees worldwide and a portfolio that covers iconic beauty brands like Goldwell, John Frieda and Molton Brown.

✨Feeling festive yet? Our British luxury brand Molton Brown is getting us in the spirit with its Christmas campaign that travellers can now experience at selected UK airports. Under the campaign motto “Gifting is the Art of Knowing”, Molton Brown showcases its festive collection through a focus on human connections, immersive experiences and fragrance. At a special pop-up site in Gatwick South, visitors can now explore the brand’s product range, capture special moments with loved ones and pick up that last-minute “I know you” present – finishing it off at Molton Brown’s complimentary gifting bar. Make sure to stop by on your next visit!

💥A fun afternoon at your favourite salon, a creative session with true color experts and a great laugh with friends – this is what the new Youtube show of our iconic brand Goldwell feels like. „Ride or Dye“ is a new vibrant Youtube format dedicated to professional hairstylists, colorists and beauty enthusiasts alike. The show, launching today, is hosted by renowned color experts Jools Purchase and Salome de Wet and dives deep into the world of professional hair color artistry. Each bi-weekly episode will explore a wide range of topics from the latest coloring techniques to real-life challenges faced by salon professionals, with a unique mix of education, entertainment and community spirit. Commenting, Jérôme Caharel, Associate Director Digital Education at Kao Salon Division, says: “We're incredibly excited to bring the ‘Ride or Dye’ show to life. This series is about more than just education; it’s about celebrating the creativity, passion, and collaboration within our beloved hairstyling community. We want to inspire stylists to push boundaries while connecting them to a global network of professionals who share their love for the art of hair.” Head to the link in the comments to check out the first episode!