May 2026
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Largest Health & Beauty Public Companies in Japan
Benchmark revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples for public comps like
Kao, Unicharm, Shiseido, Yakult Honsha and Rohto Pharmaceutical.
 | 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 Bioré. Initially a soap producer established in the 1890s, Kao has expanded into cosmetics, disposable hygiene products, and chemicals, in addition to its homecare 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, Curél, Molton Brown, and the latest, Oribe. | $38 | -9% | $17B | $17B | 1.6x | 10.5x | ||
| Focusing on personal hygiene products utilizing nonwoven fabric, Unicharm is the largest manufacturer of disposable baby diapers and feminine sanitary and adult incontinence products in Japan and Asia. Its personal care business accounted for around 80% of its sales as of 2024, with the balance mainly from pet care. Unicharm generates 66% sales from overseas, of which nearly three-fourths are from Asia, mostly China, Indonesia, and Thailand. India is the fastest-growing market, followed by Vietnam. Outside Asia, Unicharm operates in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, and Europe. Drugstores, supermarkets, baby product specialty stores, and e-commerce are the key sales channels. | $6 | -20% | $10B | $8B | 1.3x | 7.7x | ||
| Shiseido is a leading Japanese cosmetics manufacturer focused in the prestige and premium categories. Founded in 1872, it was the first Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo, and is one of the oldest cosmetics companies globally. Shiseido’s suite of 31 brands, which include its namesake brand, Clé de Peau Beauté, and NARS, had a 10.2% share of Japan’s beauty and personal care market in 2024 according to Euromonitor. It is also ranked in the top 4-5 globally, with around 7% to 8% market share in premium and prestige color cosmetics and skincare. In terms of revenue, Japan and China, which include travel retail, are the two key markets making up 65% of group revenue in 2025. | $17 | +14% | $7B | $8B | 1.3x | 11.7x | ||
| Yakult Honsha is a pioneer in probiotics. It launched the probiotic drink Yakult in 1935 after Minoru Shirota’s discovery of Lactobacillus casei Shirota, a strain of lactic acid bacteria proved to be able to live in intestines, in 1930. It operates in 40 countries across four continents selling mainly Yakult probiotic drinks. Apart from the retail outlets, the home delivery channel, served by a team of 83,000 Yakult Ladies globally, contributes about 45% of its probiotic drink volume. Overseas markets contribute 40% of group sales and profits. Yakult has built a meaningful presence in populated emerging markets, including China, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. It plans to step up expansion in the US. It also operates a pharmaceutical business with an emphasis on oncology drugs. | $17 | -5% | $5B | $4B | 1.4x | 6.2x | ||
| Rohto Pharmaceutical Co Ltd is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of health and beauty care products. The company operates through four reportable segments: Japan, America, Europe, and Asia. Each segment manufactures and sells products related to eye care (such as eye drops and eyewash), skin care (including dermatological medications, lip balm, sunscreen, and functional cosmetics), oral medication (such as gastrointestinal and herbal medicines, and supplements), and other products such as in-vitro diagnostic reagents. It generates the majority of its revenue from Japan. | $16 | +23% | $4B | $3B | 1.7x | 9.6x | ||
| Lion Corp is a Japanese household and personal products manufacturer. It is engaged in the manufacture, sale, and trade of daily necessities, over-the-counter medicines, and chemical products. The company operates through three main segments: Consumer Goods, Industrial Products, and Overseas Business. Its consumer goods segment includes products such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, hand soap, detergents, and pet supplies; the industrial products segment handles chemical raw materials and commercial products; while its overseas segment focuses on the manufacture and sale of daily necessities in international markets. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Consumer Goods segment. | $10 | +2% | $3B | $3B | 0.9x | 7.1x | ||
| Menicon Co Ltd is a contact lens manufacturing company. It is involved in manufacturing, sales, export, and import of contact lenses and other medical goods, manufacturing and sales of medical instruments, sales of medical supplies and research and development of intraocular lenses. The firm's products include soft lenses, gas permeable lenses and lens care products. | $10 | -- | $773M | $1B | 1.4x | 8.9x | ||
| MTI Ltd is engaged in the content distribution business for mobile phones in Japan. The company provides health care services through Lunaruna app, Lunaruna baby, and Lunaruna medicine notebook. It is involved in providing music/video services, electronic book services, life information services, and entertainment services. | $4 | -31% | $201M | $114M | 0.6x | 3.0x | ||
| Kyowa Corp Co Ltd is engaged in developing the amusement business in the Chubu and Kanto areas. | $10 | -- | $62M | $70M | 0.7x | 3.5x | ||
| Waqoo Inc is engaged in planning and developing its brand-name goods, like cosmetics, and selling them on the company's website and others, by using digital marketing strategies. It has two segments the D2C business involves planning and developing original brands (cosmetics, etc.) using digital marketing, and the Medical Support Business is an initiative in the field of regenerative medicine, and is expanding into the areas of orthopedics and AGA. | $10 | +43% | $35M | $30M | 2.4x | 16.3x | ||
| Median | $10 | -1% | $3B | $3B | 1.3x | 8.3x |
Financial data powered by FactSet and Morningstar. Valuation multiples as of current fiscal year. For more data, start your free trial here.
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