Kao Corporation finished fiscal year 2025 with a positive performance in its personal care and beauty businesses, especially in the areas of Health Beauty Care and Cosmetics, which consolidated their role as strategic drivers of the group
Health Beauty Care: sustained growth thanks to hair care and skincare
The Health Beauty Care division registered sales of 432.9 billion yen (approximately 2.55 billion euros), a 2.1% year-on-year increase. Growth was largely driven by volume increases (+2.0%), reflecting strong demand in hair care, skin care, and personal health products
The new premium hair care brands that were launched in 2024, such as melt and THE ANSWER, drove the business expansion in Japan, while the facial care segment benefited from the good performance of sun protection lines and seasonal products. The personal health category also maintained solid growth, with good results from the toothpaste PureOra Carbonic Acid Toothpaste and the eye masks MegRhythm.
In terms of profitability, the area reached an operating profit of 39.1 billion yen (approx. 230 million euros), which represents an increase of 4.7 billion compared to the previous fiscal year.
Cosmetics: the category that marked the year for its great dynamism
The Cosmetics business was the fastest-growing segment within Kao's beauty portfolio, with sales of 261.6 billion yen (1.54 billion euros), an increase of 7.2% year-on-year The impulse proceeded mainly from:
-
The solid performance of strategic brands such as Curél, KANEBO, SOFINA and SENSAI.
-
The recovery of consumption in Asia, especially in China, supported by improvements in local production and inventory optimization.
-
The strength of international tourism, which favored the consumption of premium lines in Japan.
The profitability of the segment improved notably: the operating profit reached 10.4 billion yen, which represents an improvement of 14.1 billion compared to the previous fiscal year, thanks to the concentration of investments in priority brands and business optimization
Beauty and personal care as a strategic lever for the group
Together, the areas linked to beauty, Health Beauty Care and Cosmetics, consolidated their role as growth engines for Kao's global consumer business, with advances in both volume and premium positioning. The company continues to bet on scientific innovation, marketing digitalization and the strengthening of its strategic brands as axes of its profitable medium-term growth strategy