The Kao Way, Our Corporate Philosophy
The "Kao Way" embodies our corporate philosophy, and is the foundation of the business activities of the Kao Group. As our cornerstone, the "Kao Way" provides consistency to Group activities from the formulation of mid- to long-term business plans to each business decision that we make every day. Accordingly, it acts as a guiding principle for all of our members, bringing together the growth of our company and that of our individual members. As such, it is an essential element in making the work we do more rewarding and instilling in us a sense of purpose.

Mission

As one, we create a Kirei life for all- providing care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet.
As one Kao, we work together with passion to provide comprehensive care and enrichment to create a Kirei life—a cleaner, more beautiful, and healthier life for all people and the planet. Through innovation that provides excellent value, we share joy and create a safer, more harmonious world for all.

The Japanese word kirei describes something that is clean, well-ordered, and beautiful all at once. For Kao, this concept of Kirei not only describes appearance but also attitude—a desire to create beauty for oneself, for other people, and for the natural world around us. At Kao, Kirei is the value we want to bring to everyday life through our brands, products, technologies, solutions, and services—now and in the future.

Vision

To be closest to the individual and beyond their expectation
By deeply knowing and understanding our world and its people, we aim to improve people's lives beyond their expectations for a future where humans and nature thrive together.

Values

• Integrity as the only choice
•  Yoki-Monozukuri in plan & action-
  • In Japanese, "yoki" means good or excellent, and "monozukuri" means making or craftsmanship. For us, Yoki-Monozukuri means an excellent creation process that is good for everyone involved and enriches the lives of consumers and customers.
• Innovation for today & tomorrow

Principles

• We care for people and the planet
• We think from the Genba-
  • In Japanese, genba means the actual spot or on-site. At Kao, we believe that the deepest knowledge, best ideas and smartest decisions can be found in the Genba, both externally and internally. When in doubt, we go to the Genba.
• We trust, respect & need each other
• We act with courage

Our Promise

At Kao, we promise to continue making contributions to realizing a bright future for people throughout the world, and to creating a sustainable world where all life can coexist.

Sustainability as the Only Path
Kao's efforts to offer products close to the everyday lives of people has been in line with our original corporate motto, "A clean nation prospers." We consider the enrichment of daily life as being fundamental to our mission, "to create a world where all life can coexist and flourish." The threats to daily life that Kao must ward off will become greater and more severe as time goes by. That is why we are stepping up our commitment to protecting against and effectively mitigating these threats.

Kao takes the global environment and human life deeply into consideration. As such, Kao aims to become an indispensable part of society, as a company making essential contributions to the protection of all life on the planet.

Careers

Creating a workplace that motivates all, irrespective of nationality, creeds, race, gender, or age
The Kao Group respects human rights and diversity in terms such as culture, nationality, creeds, gender, and age. We firmly believe that bringing together the talents and personalities of individuals contributes to the overall strength of our organization.

Moreover, we aspire to be regarded by motivated and capable individuals as an attractive company, one that instills trust, pride, and a sense of community. To that end, we support our employees in their career development efforts, and cultivate the abilities of those who aspire to bold challenges by providing each of our employees with challenging roles and responsibilities, fair performance evaluations and appropriate compensation.

Moreover, the mission, vision, values, and principles outlined in our corporate philosophy, The Kao Way, are shared by all Kao Group divisions and members. Our philosophy guides us in the work we perform every day and acts as a foundation that enables us to realize sustainable growth of our organization and society.