Fragrance house

Kao

Kao traces its origin to June 1887, when Tomiro Nagase established Nagase Shoten, a Western sundry-goods dealer in Japan. In 1890, the company launched Kao Sekken soap, whose name became the source of Kao’s corporate name. Kao expanded from cleanliness products into beauty and health, established a Research and Development Division in 1976, and adopted the name Kao Corporation in 1985. Its international business later included the 2005 acquisition of Molton Brown, the London fragrance and scented-body-care company founded in 1973. Today, Kao’s stated purpose is to realize a Kirei World in Which All Life Lives in Harmony, defining kirei as clean, well-ordered, and beautiful across personal, social, and natural life. In October 2021, it introduced “Kirei—Making Life Beautiful” as its corporate slogan. Fragrance remains integrated into consumer products and aroma chemicals, combining scientific odor data with artistic formulation. Kao White soap, whose fragrance was developed in 1970, is associated with a clean, fresh floral character and has become a lasting Japanese soap-scent reference.