The latest corporate data published by Hoyu confirms the employee count and FY2025 sales figures listed above.3

The company is officially registered as Hoyu Co., Ltd. (ホーユー株式会社). It was not originally founded as a cosmetics entity; its history began with a household medicine business named Mizuno Kankudo, established by Masujiro Mizuno in 1905.

The business was incorporated in 1923 as Kabushiki Kaisha Hōyū Shōkai before adopting its current name, Hoyu Co., Ltd., in 1964.4 Today, the company positions itself as a hair specialist and a “life partner” for customers globally, emphasizing its contribution to the development of international hair-fashion culture.5

Early period: 1905–1950s

Hoyu traces its origins to 1905 when Masujiro Mizuno established Mizuno Kankudo to manufacture and sell household medicines. The company was incorporated in 1923 as Kabushiki Kaisha Hōyū Shōkai and spent the subsequent decades expanding its distribution network within Japan.

A pivotal moment occurred in 1909 with the introduction of Niwagarasu (“Two Crows”), the company’s first hair dye. This was followed in 1916 by Sanwagarasu (“Three Crows”), which utilized a two-component oxidation process that significantly reduced coloring time. This innovation served as an early predecessor to the permanent two-component hair color systems widely used today.6

Entry into hair and beauty: 1960s

During the 1960s, Hoyu shifted its focus toward the hair color and beauty industry. In 1962, it entered the professional barber and beauty market with Harrell Wave Hair Color. The following year, the company established a trading division and began exporting Bigen hair color products to overseas markets.7

In 1964, the company officially adopted the name Hoyu Co., Ltd., cementing its modern identity as a specialist hair color manufacturer. International expansion accelerated during this period, with Bigen products introduced in Thailand and subsequently exported to markets including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Middle East, and Africa.8

Bigen represents one of Hoyu’s most significant contributions to the mass-market hair color industry. The brand became synonymous with gray and white hair coverage, convenience, and at-home application.

A major milestone was reached in 1984 with the launch of Bigen Cream Tone, the company’s first cream-type hair dye for general consumers. The product allowed users to dispense smaller portions for root touch-ups rather than using an entire package. According to Hoyu, cumulative sales of Bigen Cream Tone surpassed 300 million units by 2012, and it remains a core product in the lineup.9

The company later expanded the Bigen range to address specific demographics, including dedicated hair color products for men.

Throughout its history, Hoyu has prioritized making hair coloring faster and easier for consumers. Notable innovations include:

• Men’s Bigen Speedy Color: A fast-processing cream hair color applied with a specialized brush.
• Ladies Bigen Speedy: A hair color product designed for shorter processing times.
• Bigen Hair Color: Developed to meet demand for lower-odor formulations.
• Cielo Hair Color Foam: A foam-based system created to simplify application.
• Cielo Hair Color Cream: Features a two-in-one container that eliminates the need for manual mixing prior to use.10

This focus on user convenience has become a central pillar of Hoyu’s consumer product strategy.

Hoyu operates as a multi-brand company rather than relying on a single label. It owns and manages numerous brands targeting distinct consumer segments.

Bigen

Bigen is among Hoyu’s oldest and most internationally recognized brands, particularly associated with gray-hair coverage. It maintains a significant presence in Asia and other global markets, historically serving as one of the company’s flagship overseas brands.11

Cielo

Cielo is a consumer hair color brand focused on convenient at-home use. Its development featured early adoption of foam technology and two-in-one packaging. Cielo Hair Color Cream, launched in 1999, utilized a dual-chamber container that removed the traditional mixing step.12

Beautylabo

Beautylabo targets younger consumers with fashion-forward hair colors. The brand’s history includes the development of foam-type dyes and products aligned with contemporary color trends.13

Beautine

Beautine is another youth-oriented brand that evolved from products such as Beautyne Hair Lightener, introduced in 1990. The line later expanded into bleaching and fashion colors, with product development in the 2000s featuring smoky and ash shades.14

Hoyu is also a significant supplier to the professional salon industry. Its professional division develops products specifically for hairdressers and colorists, including hair colors, treatments, care products, and styling agents.15

Key professional brands include:

• Promaster
• Promaster Applie
• Prostep
• Irojikake
• Somarcare
• BYKARTE
• NiNE
• Etrus

The professional business focuses on providing stylists with greater control over color, tone, texture, and finishing results.

Promaster is one of Hoyu’s most prominent professional hair color brands. Its origins are linked to the company’s partnership with internationally renowned colorist Daniel Galvin, which began in 1990. The Daniel Galvin series launched in 1991, followed by the Daniel Galvin Promaster series in 1998, which offered an extensive color lineup.

The brand subsequently expanded to include related products such as Promaster Color Care and Promaster Pigment. Promaster exemplifies Hoyu’s evolution from simple dye manufacturing to developing comprehensive systems for professional color formulation and post-color care.

Global expansion is a defining characteristic of Hoyu’s corporate history. The company’s first postwar overseas export was to Thailand in 1954, followed by international sales of Bigen in the 1960s.

Over subsequent decades, Hoyu established subsidiaries and production operations across Asia, eventually expanding into North America, Europe, and other regions. The company currently reports sales in approximately 70 countries, with local operations in nine nations and production facilities in China, Thailand, and Indonesia.16

Its international footprint includes markets such as:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• France
• Australia
• South Korea
• China
• Taiwan
• Philippines
• Indonesia
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• India
• Pakistan
• Saudi Arabia
• Egypt

and others.17

Malaysia serves as a key component of Hoyu’s Southeast Asian expansion strategy. Following earlier entry into Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and other Asian markets, the company established Hoyu Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. in 2007.18

This regional strategy has been particularly vital for brands like Bigen, which have become well-established across many Asian markets.

While best known for hair dye, Hoyu maintains substantial research and development capabilities. Research areas include:

• Hair-color chemistry
• Dyeing technology
• Hair structure
• Hair-care technology
• Product safety
• Formulation technology
• New approaches to bleaching and color removal
• Hair and scalp science

The company cites over a century of experience as a specialist manufacturer as the foundation for its technological development.19

A notable technical achievement was Actio Tint Off, introduced in 2006. Unlike conventional bleach that primarily destroys melanin, this product used a different mechanism to remove oxidative hair dyes. Hoyu describes it as the first product in Japan to utilize a vitamin-C-based active ingredient for this type of color removal.20

Safety is a critical priority for Hoyu given that many permanent hair dyes rely on oxidative chemistry. The company invests significantly in safety research, pursuing studies beyond conventional evaluation methods, including work in the field of allergies.21

This focus is increasingly integral to the company’s identity, as hair color products are applied directly to the scalp and can cause allergic reactions in susceptible individuals.

Hoyu operates manufacturing facilities in Japan, including:

• Seto Factory, Aichi Prefecture
• Sakuragaoka Factory, Aichi Prefecture

Overseas production facilities are located in China, Thailand, and Indonesia.22 These operations cover hair color products as well as broader hair and cosmetic categories.

Hoyu has remained a privately held Japanese company throughout its international growth. Significant corporate milestones include:

• 1905: Mizuno Kankudo founded
• 1923: Kabushiki Kaisha Hōyū Shōkai incorporated
• 1962: Entry into the professional beauty industry
• 1964: Company renamed Hoyu Co., Ltd.
• 1963–1960s: Bigen expanded into overseas markets
• 1990: Partnership with Daniel Galvin
• 1998: Promaster launched
• 2001: First overseas factory established in China
• 2003: Hoyu America established
• 2004: Hoyu Indonesia established
• 2005: 100th anniversary of founding
• 2007: Hoyu Malaysia established
• 2022: Yoshihiro Sasaki became president
• 2023: 100th anniversary of incorporation; Hoyu Hair Color Museum opened23

In 2023, to mark the centenary of its incorporation, Hoyu opened the Hoyu Hair Color Museum. The museum showcases the history of hair fashion through the company’s products, documenting the evolution of hair color technology and consumer preferences over more than a century.24

The collection provides a historical record of changing attitudes toward gray hair, fashion colors, bleaching, salon coloring, men’s grooming, women’s hair fashion, and at-home beauty practices.

According to the latest published figures, Hoyu employs approximately 1,080 people, generates annual consolidated sales of roughly ¥52.7 billion, and has paid-in capital of ¥110 million. The company is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan.25

Based on Intage SRI/SRI+ market data covering 1996–2025, Hoyu states that its domestic consumer hair-color business has held the No. 1 position by sales value for 30 consecutive years.26 This sustained performance establishes Hoyu as one of Japan’s most enduring specialist companies in the hair color sector.

Hoyu’s operations are broadly categorized into four areas:

Consumer business

Products intended for direct purchase and home use, primarily focusing on hair color.27

Professional business

Products and services for beauty salons and professional hairdressers, including professional hair color, care, and styling.

Overseas business

International sales, subsidiaries, and production operations across Asia and other global markets.28

Research and development

Research into hair color, hair care, product formulation, safety, and related technologies.29

Hoyu distinguishes itself from traditional diversified cosmetics companies through its core specialization in hair color. The company’s history is defined by solving practical challenges related to effectiveness, safety, convenience, speed, and aesthetic appeal in hair coloring.

This philosophy is evident throughout its product lineage, from early oxidation dyes to fast-processing Bigen products, two-in-one Cielo packaging, fashion-oriented Beautine lines, and professional systems like Promaster.30 Consequently, the brand portfolio addresses a spectrum of needs ranging from gray coverage and fashion color to bleaching, salon color, hair care, and styling.

Hoyu’s corporate message centers on helping people live more “Iki-iki, Waku-waku,” conveying a sense of energy, vibrancy, and excitement. The company’s broader mission is to contribute to the continued development of global hair-fashion culture.31

Its corporate slogan, “COLOR YOUR HEART”, reflects the view that hair and beauty serve as means for expressing personality, confidence, and individuality beyond simple aesthetic change.32

Several factors distinguish Hoyu within the Japanese beauty industry:

• Historical longevity: With origins dating to 1905, the company possesses over 120 years of experience in chemical and personal care products.33
• Specialization: Unlike diversified cosmetics groups, Hoyu has built its identity specifically around hair coloring.
• Dual market presence: The company serves both ordinary consumers and professional hairstylists.
• Asian market strength: Bigen has become a significant international hair color brand, particularly across Asian markets.
• Focus on convenience: Fast processing, foam formulations, two-in-one containers, and specialized applicators are recurring themes in product development.
• Long-term R&D: The company combines a vast historical product base with ongoing research into hair science, formulation, and safety.34

1. 会社概要 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
2. 海外事業 | 事業紹介 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社
3. 商品情報 | ホーユー株式会社
4. プロフェッショナル事業 | 事業紹介 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社
5. News Release
6. hoyuの歴史 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
7. ごあいさつ | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
8. 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
9. 沿革 | 会社情報 | ホーユープロフェッショナル
10. プロフェッショナル向け（理美容師様向け） | 商品情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
11. 研究事業 | 事業紹介 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社
12. News Release
13. ホーユー株式会社
14. 事業紹介 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
15. 会社案内 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
16. プロマスター | プロフェッショナル向け（理美容師様向け） | 商品情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
17. その他のホーユー商品 | プロフェッショナル向け（理美容師様向け） | 商品情報 | ホーユー株式会社
18. プロステップ | プロフェッショナル向け（理美容師様向け） | 商品情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
19. hoyuの想い | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
20. ホーユーの人と取り組み（hoyu STORY） | ホーユー株式会社
21. ホーユー株式会社 ｜ COLOR YOUR HEART 心に彩りを
22. 拠点案内 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
23. コーポレート・ガバナンス | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社
24. ホーユーと藤田医科大学がヘアカラーの即時型アレルギー診断に有用な特異的IgE抗体検査法を確立 | 研究開発トピックス | 研究開発 | ホーユー株式会社
25. 海外拠点一覧 | 会社情報 | ホーユー株式会社 | ヘアカラーに関する製造・卸
26. 採用情報 | ホーユー株式会社
27. 社員の1日に密着01 | 社員の1日に密着 | 採用情報 | ホーユー株式会社
28. プロマスター カラーケア | 公式ブランドサイト | hoyu
29. ホーユープロフェッショナル（hoyu professional）
30. ホーユープロフェッショナル（hoyu professional）
31. INFINIAL | 公式ブランドサイト | hoyu
32. 会社情報 | ホーユープロフェッショナル
33. Filmography_INFINIAL | 公式ブランドサイト | hoyu
34. MOOOOD vol.1 編集長 磯田基徳の見つめる世界〜MODE〜｜Mooood｜ホーユープロフェッショナル