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

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

In 1923, the business was incorporated as Kabushiki Kaisha Hōyū Shōkai (株式会社朋友商会). The name was subsequently changed to the current Hoyu Co., Ltd. in 1964.4 Today, the company describes itself as a hair specialist and a “life partner” for customers globally, emphasising its contribution to the development of international hair fashion culture.5

Early period: 1905–1950s

Hoyu’s origins date to 1905, when Masujiro Mizuno established Mizuno Kankudo to manufacture and sell household medicines. The entity was incorporated in 1923 as Kabushiki Kaisha Hōyū Shōkai and expanded its domestic distribution network over the following decades.

A significant turning point 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 utilised a two-component oxidation process that substantially reduced colouring time. This technology served as an early predecessor to the permanent two-component hair colour systems widely used today.6

Entry into hair and beauty: 1960s

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

The adoption of the name Hoyu Co., Ltd. in 1964 marked the establishment of its modern identity as a specialist hair colour manufacturer. International business developed rapidly 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 colour industry. The brand became closely associated with grey hair coverage, convenience, and products designed for home application.

A major milestone occurred in 1984 with the launch of Bigen Cream Tone, the company’s first cream-type hair dye for the general consumer market. 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 portfolio.9

The company subsequently developed specialised Bigen products for various demographics, including dedicated ranges for men.

A recurring theme in Hoyu’s history is the development of technologies that make hair colouring faster and easier for consumers. Notable innovations include:

• Men’s Bigen Speedy Color: A fast-processing cream hair colour applied with a specialised brush.
• Ladies Bigen Speedy: A hair colour product featuring reduced processing time.
• Bigen Hair Color: Developed to address demand for lower-odour formulations.
• Cielo Hair Color Foam: A foam-based system designed to simplify application.
• Cielo Hair Color Cream: Features a two-in-one container that eliminates the need for manual mixing prior to application.10

This emphasis 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 one of Hoyu’s oldest and most internationally recognised brands, particularly associated with grey 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 colour brand focused on convenient home use. Its development included the early adoption of foam and two-in-one packaging technologies. Cielo Hair Color Cream, introduced in 1999, utilised a dual-chamber container that removed the conventional mixing step.12

Beautylabo

Beautylabo targets younger consumers with a focus on fashionable hair colour. The brand’s history includes the development of foam-type formulations and products aligned with contemporary colour trends.13

Beautine

Beautine is another youth-oriented hair colour brand that evolved from products such as Beautyne Hair Lightener, introduced in 1990. The range subsequently expanded into bleaching and fashion colours, with product development in the 2000s incorporating smoky and ash shades.14

Hoyu is also a significant supplier to the professional hair salon sector. Its professional division develops products specifically for hairdressers and colourists, comprising a portfolio of hair colours, 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 colour, tone, texture, and finishing results.

Promaster is one of Hoyu’s most prominent professional hair colour brands. Its origins trace to the company’s partnership with internationally renowned colourist Daniel Galvin, which began in 1990 with the launch of the Daniel Galvin series in 1991.

The Daniel Galvin Promaster series debuted in 1998 with an extensive colour lineup. It later expanded to include related products such as Promaster Color Care and Promaster Pigment. Promaster exemplifies Hoyu’s evolution from simple hair dye production to the development of comprehensive systems for professional colour formulation and post-colour care.

International growth is a defining characteristic of Hoyu’s corporate trajectory. Its first post-war overseas export was to Thailand in 1954, followed by the international launch of Bigen in the 1960s.

Over subsequent decades, Hoyu established subsidiaries and production operations across Asia before expanding into North America, Europe, and other regions. The company currently states that its products are sold 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

Southeast Asia has been a critical region for Hoyu’s international expansion. Following earlier entry into Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, the company established Hoyu Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. in 2007.18

The regional strategy has historically centred on products such as Bigen, which became firmly established across Asian markets through localised adaptation of Japanese hair colour technology.

Beyond its consumer reputation for hair dye, Hoyu maintains substantial research and development activities. Research focuses on areas including:

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

Hoyu cites more than a century of specialist manufacturing experience as the foundation for its technological development.19 A notable technical achievement was Actio Tint Off, introduced in 2006. Unlike conventional bleaching agents that primarily destroy melanin, this product used a different mechanism to remove oxidative hair dyes. Hoyu describes it as the first Japanese product of its kind to utilise a vitamin-C-based active ingredient for colour removal.20

Given that many permanent hair dyes rely on oxidative chemistry, safety remains a priority for Hoyu. The company has invested significantly in safety research, pursuing studies beyond conventional evaluation methods, including work in the field of allergies.21

This focus is integral to the company’s identity, as hair colour products are applied directly to the scalp and hair 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 the manufacture of hair colour products as well as broader hair and cosmetic items.

Hoyu has remained a privately held Japanese company throughout its international expansion. Key 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 established
• 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 appointed 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 presents the history of hair fashion through the lens of Hoyu’s products, documenting the evolution of colour technology and consumer preferences over more than a century.24

The collection serves as a record of changing Japanese and international attitudes towards grey hair, fashion colours, bleaching, salon colouring, men’s grooming, women’s hair fashion, and at-home beauty routines.

As of the latest published figures, Hoyu employs approximately 1,080 people, reports annual consolidated sales of roughly ¥52.7 billion, and has paid-in capital of ¥110 million. Its headquarters remain in Nagoya, Japan.25

Based on Intage SRI/SRI+ market data covering 1996–2025, Hoyu states that its domestic consumer hair colour business has held the number one 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 colour sector.

Hoyu’s activities are broadly categorised into four areas:

Consumer business

Products intended for direct purchase and home use, with a primary focus on hair colour.27

Professional business

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

Overseas business

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

Research and development

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

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

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 ranges, and professional systems like Promaster.30 Consequently, the brand portfolio addresses a spectrum of needs spanning grey coverage, fashion colour, bleaching, salon colour, hair care, and styling, rather than relying on a single flagship product.

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

Its corporate slogan, “COLOR YOUR HEART”, positions hair and beauty as means for expressing personality, confidence, and individuality beyond mere aesthetic change.32

Several factors differentiate 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
• Specialist focus: Unlike diversified cosmetics groups, Hoyu has built its identity specifically around hair colouring.
• Dual market presence: The company serves both ordinary consumers and professional hairstylists.
• Asian market strength: Bigen, in particular, has become a significant international hair colour brand across Asian markets.
• Emphasis on convenience: Fast processing, foam formulations, two-in-one containers, and specialised applicators are recurring themes in product development.
• Long-term R&D: The company combines a substantial 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