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Kao by the Numbers

Company History and Scale

Since our founding in 1887, we have been by customers’ side, offering cleanliness, beauty and health for over 130 years. We will continue to enrich the lives of people around the world.

History

131 years in business (1887–2018)

Consolidated number of employees

33,560 ※FY2017 ended December 31

Sales

1,489.4 billion yen *FY2017 ended December 31

Cash Dividends per Share

28 consecutive fiscal years of increase. No.1 among Japan's public companies.

Products sold

about 100 countries and regions

Number of patents held

16,732

R&D expenses

56.7 billion yen

For the Earth and Society in the Future

We wish for a brighter future, for people and for the world. This is why we are focusing our energies on environmental activities, developing products that are easy for anyone to use, and providing education to children on cleanliness and sanitary practices.

Product improvements incorporating universal design considerations

4,666 *The data until 2015 covers Japan, the data for 2016 covers Japan and the Americas, and the data for 2017 covers Japan, the Americas and Europe (not including salons and Molton Brown Ltd.).

Water consumption

materials procurement, manufacturing, use, final disposal, recycling 19% decrease. *Usage volume per unit of sales (2005 baseline)

Support to establish cleanliness and sanitary practices

8.67 million people annually. *Free samples for educational purposes, hand washing lessons for children, cleaning lessons, etc.