The “Fierce Marketing War” in the Shampoo and Body Soap Industry

And a ¥10,000 hair-growth shampoo.

Kao’s marketing ability to create and capture customer demand extended to body soap as well. In 1984, the company sold the body soap “Biore-u” with the copy “No more soap. At a time when the majority of people washed their bodies with soap, this product caused an unprecedented boom.

Kao continues to reign as the absolute king of the shampoo and body soap industry. However, the companies that are following in the footsteps of the king are now in hot pursuit in two categories: “high price” and “high quality. They are “high price” and “men. Men’s beauty researcher Gaku Fujimura says, “High-priced products are becoming a hit.

The first time a high-priced product became a hit was with the COVID-19 crisis. Products costing more than 1,500 yen began to sell because they were a familiar luxury. In particular, the high-priced shampoo “Botanist” (launched in 2003) by I-ne, a manufacturer of beauty-related products, became very popular, and in 2010, the company’s shampoo “YOLU” recorded 10 million units sold annually.

To compete with this, Kao launched “Melt” last year.

Another recent trend is that an increasing number of middle-aged men are now choosing shampoos for their own hair, although they used to use shampoos bought by their families at random.

One high-priced product for men is Amphur’s “Scalp D” (launched in ’05). What was revolutionary about this product was its marketing approach of using shampoo to wash the scalp rather than the hair. The “Scalp D” series is quite expensive, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 yen.
Hair-growth shampoos do not “make hair grow,” but rather create an environment conducive to hair growth. They are characterized by the abundance of ingredients that improve scalp circulation and the balance between oil and moisture.

Shampoos for men are a major focus of each company, including the aforementioned “h&s for men” sold by P&G, which has hit products such as “Pantene”; Lion’s “PROTEC” (launched in 2011), which includes “Octo Medicated Shampoo” (launched in 1985); and hair conditioner products such as “Pantene” (launched in 2010), “Pantene” (launched in 2011), and “Pantene” (launched in 2011). The “Medicated Scalp Deo Shampoo” (launched in 2003) is sold by Mandom, the company behind the GATSBY hair styling products.

Of course, Kao also has a full lineup of products for men. Originally, Kao approached hair growth with the Success brand (launched in 1987), but the company has expanded this approach horizontally to sell a wide variety of men’s shampoos, including Success 24 (launched in 2007).

Unilever Japan, the giant manufacturer of the popular shampoo “Lux” and body soap “Dove,” is also trying to survive in the men’s market with its shampoo “Clear for Men” (launched in 2002).

In contrast to the shampoo industry, the body soap industry is dominated by “Biore-u” and “Dove.

Compared to shampoos that claim to provide scalp care and hair growth, body soaps tend to be more difficult to understand in terms of functionality, so many people tend to stick to standard products. However, in 2007, “Deoko Medicated Body Cleanse” sold by Rohto Pharmaceutical was an extraordinarily big hit. Originally intended for women, the product unexpectedly became a huge hit among middle-aged men as well.

The product has a sweet, flowery fragrance rather than the usual refreshing scent for men,” said Mr. Kurokawa, “but it was a hit on social networking sites. However, men who tried the product on social networking sites said, ‘If I use this, I can smell sweet on myself,’ and the hashtag ‘Uncle Deoko’ was created, creating a social phenomenon. The product became so popular that sales were temporarily suspended.

The shampoo industry, with its “high price” and “men’s” products, is challenging the king of the shampoo industry, while the body soap industry has produced a record-breaking hit product. The “fierce battle for Reiwa” that is taking place in the shampoo industry is like a “marketing war to attract men.

From the February 14, 2025 issue of FRIDAY