Kao Corporation

n. Japanese company based in Tokyo that manufactures and markets and sells consumer products (soaps, cleansing agents, detergents, shampoos, cosmetics and chemical products)

is a chemical and cosmetics company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Kao began as a domestic toiletry soap in 1890 by Tomiro Nagase. Until 1940, they were known as Nihon Yuki Company, changing their name then to Kao Soap Company, and finally in 1985 to Kao Corporation. Kao entered the North American and European markets in 1986-1989, purchasing the Andrew Jergens Company. A research project on face powders resulted in the discovery of a dispersing system that was ideal for the management of magnetic particles spread over floppy discs, and Kao in 1985 established a U.S. subsidiary called Kao Infosystems Company to manufacture such discs. Their U.S. brands operations are based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the Canadian subsidiary is based in Mississauga, Ontario.
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