CorporateHistory
1960's
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Jul. 1960
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Yutaka Beauty Chemicals Co., Ltd. and attached factory established in Higashi Yodogawa-ku, Osaka for the manufacture and sale of cosmetics products (cold wave perm solutions, shampoos, etc.).
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Sep. 1963
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Head Office relocated to Higashi Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka. Kire Factory was established also in Higashi Sumiyoshi-ku, following the closure of the original factory.
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Jan. 1965
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Trade name changed to Milbon Co., Ltd. Head Office relocated to Asahi-ku, Osaka the following month.
“Milbon” was the name given to the new company following the merger of Yutaka Beauty Chemicals and two other companies. Chosen for its catchiness and impression of beauty-related business, the name "Milbon" originally carried no specific meaning in the word itself so as not to cause issues for future global expansion.
“I want to make this industry a rewarding place for the stylists who are working so diligently.”
This took root in a Milbon employee’s heart and became an earnest desire when they visited a salon to collect receivables on a New Year’s Eve, and saw the stylist’s hands severely chapped. This core sentiment is the seed from which Milbon blossomed.
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Feb. 1969
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Ueno Factory established in Ueno City (now Iga City), Mie Prefecture; Kire Factory closed.
Milbon's first in-house factory was established in Mie Prefecture. Mie Prefecture was selected for its geographical advantages in nationwide distribution, and its reputation for high-quality water, used as an ingredient in Milbon’s products.
1970's
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May 1970
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Tokyo Branch opened in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
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Oct. 1975
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Ueno Dai-Ni Factory established in Ueno City (now Iga City), Mie Prefecture.
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Jun. 1979
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Osaka Branch opened in Miyakojima-ku, Osaka.
1980's
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Jul. 1980
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Tokyo Branch relocated to Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.
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Jul. 1982
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Nagoya Branch opened in Naka-ku, Nagoya.
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Mar. 1984
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Training Center opened in Miyakojima-ku, Osaka.
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Apr. 1984
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Launch of the Field Person Strategy Inaugural Class enters company.
Established a training center and launched training programs for what are now called Field Persons. As a sales strategy in an age of product saturation, Milbon shifted from pure selling pitches to activities that offer personalized solutions to stylists and salons under the slogan, "Don't sell products, sell concepts.”
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1987
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TAC※Launch of the TAC Product Development System.
Milbon pivoted from general product development, where needs are identified from market and general trends and tied into development, to a process where customer needs are identified via popular stylists known for their innovative techniques, which are incorporated into our product development. Products developed from this system serve to standardize their advanced techniques, concepts, and ideologies across hairstylists.
Note: TAC is the abbreviation for Target Authority Customer. “TAC Hair Designer” refers to a stylist who is widely admired by our target customers.
1990's
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Mar. 1991
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Training Center relocated to Joto-ku, Osaka.
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Oct. 1992
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Aoyama Factory established in Aoyama-cho, Naga-gun (now Iga City), Mie Prefecture.
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Apr. 1993
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Launched the NIGELLE, a brand for creating natural-looking hairstyles.
At the time, stylists had been incorporating the latest trends in the styles they create, especially those tailored to Japanese women. As a result, needs were growing for people to be able to easily recreate salon hairstyles on their own.
NIGELLE was born to address these needs, providing a system where stylists offer professional styling advice for hair maintenance at home while perming their customers’ hair at the salon.
Milbon's first overseas expansion was achieved thanks to NIGELLE, released in Taiwan after Milbon took notice of the Japanese culture boom there.
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Jun. 1996
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Company stock registered with the Japan Securities Dealers Association for over-the-counter trading.
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Apr. 1997
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Head Office relocated to Miyakojima-ku, Osaka; former Head Office renovated, and Central Research Institute established on its premises in Asahi-ku, Osaka.
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Apr. 1998
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Tokyo Branch relocated to Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
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Oct. 1998
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LISCIO, a hair straightening system using iron technology, launched.
LISCIO is applied using a flat iron, establishing a technical system that is not only simple to use but also consistent in achieving a stable result each time it is used. This feature allowed younger staff to become a substantial part of work, and contributed to attracting more customers while also increasing customer retention rates and retail sales at salons. This trend in Japan caught the attention of Japanese stylists working in New York, and LISCIO was brought over to the US market with their contribution, making its way to salons in the US. With the straight hair boom of the time, LISCIO resulted in a remarkable success, gaining popularity as “Japanese Hair Straightening.”
2000's
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May 2000
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Aoyama Factory expanded.
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Jul. 2000
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Company listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
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Nov. 2000
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Training Center and employee dormitory established in Joto-ku, Osaka.
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Jun. 2001
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Company listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
By going public, Milbon demonstrated to society that not only is it determined to bolster its corporate structure and fulfill social responsibilities, but also that it is committed to remain an industry leader, and to consistently creating a culture of beauty.
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Sep. 2002
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Head Office and Central Research Institute relocated to a newly constructed building in Miyakojima-ku, Osaka.
In anticipation of a shift from perming to hair coloring as a core service provided by salons, we established a new research institute to develop products focusing on hair dyes, rather than perm solutions. The institute was built on a site with enough room to gradually expand with growth of the Company, enabling employee growth in an optimal environment.
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Mar. 2004
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MILBON USA, Inc. established in New York City, United States of America.
MILBON USA, Inc. became Milbon's first overseas subsidiary. It marked the Company's full-scale business development in North America, a central player in global beauty culture. This development would initially be founded in the LISCIO hair straightener, which had gained popularity primarily in New York.
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Jul. 2005
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Yumegaoka Factory established in Iga City, Mie Prefecture.
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Dec. 2006
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Osaka Branch relocated to Nishi-ku, Osaka.
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Dec. 2006
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Fukuoka Sales Office, in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, upgraded to become Fukuoka Branch.
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Apr. 2007
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ORDEVE, a hair color line compatible with foil placement techniques, launched.
As hair color became a pillar of salon businesses, the Yumegaoka Plant was newly established as a dedicated factory for hair coloring products under the "500 Colors Concept.” This concept underlines Milbon’s aim to create a series of exquisite hair color dye that can maximize the ability of professional hairstylists and enable them to provide a high level of coloring service to their clients. In addition, we developed ORDEVE, a new comprehensive hair color line, with the goal of offering high quality hair colorings only available at a salon. Optimized for foil placement techniques, ORDEVE played an instrumental role in market development with the contribution of Field Persons who passed on this technique to hairstylists. This product embodies the very transformation of the industry from the age of perming to coloring.
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Nov. 2007
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Milbon Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. established in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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Dec. 2008
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Milbon Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Studio opened in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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Jun. 2009
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Ueno Dai-Ichi Factory closed.
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Jul. 2009
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Production Technology Development Center established at the Yumegaoka Factory.
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Jul. 2009
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Milbon Korea Co., Ltd. established in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
2010's
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Apr. 2010
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Launched AUJUA, a premium hair care brand born from Japan's social climate, culture, and hair characteristics.
With the spread of hair coloring, the condition of hair itself became the focus of attention in expressing the beauty of color. An increasing number of customers began to seek beauty not only in hair design, but also in its foundation - hair itself. To fulfill these wishes, the AUJUA premium hair care brand was born from research on the texture and shine of black hair, as well as on the unique climate and culture of Japan.
AUJUA is designed to provide not only personalized treatment for each individual’s needs, but also comprehensive services including professional counseling pre- and post-treatment, hair analysis, as well as tips for at-home care. -
Sep. 2010
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Tokyo Branch expanded and renovated; Marketing Department spun off and established as the Tokyo Office (now the Jingumae Sales Office).
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May 2012
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MILBON (THAILAND) CO., LTD. established in Rayong Province, Kingdom of Thailand.
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Dec. 2013
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MILBON (THAILAND) CO., LTD. Factory established in Rayong Province, Kingdom of Thailand.
Milbon's first overseas production factory was newly established in Thailand in order to deliver the Milbon brand to the rest of the world.
The Kingdom of Thailand was chosen because of its well-developed supply chains and urban infrastructure, as well as its advantages in logistics and tariffs in the event of ASEAN integration. Under the motto of "Made and Sold in Asia," which highlights the concept of local production for local consumption, a gradual shift is underway from Japanese products tested and sold in Thailand to Thai products made in Thailand, with export targets expanding in Southeast and East Asia. -
Jan. 2014
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Central Research Institute expanded.
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Mar. 2015
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Tokyo Ginza Branch opened in Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
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Jun. 2016
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Launch of milbon, a premium hair care brand for “360 Degree Beautiful Hair.”
The Company's namesake brand, milbon, was launched to bring Milbon hair care quality to the rest of the world. Based on the hair research technology we have cultivated since our founding, we analyzed diverse hair characteristics from 20 countries. Our analysis broke down the factors for common hair damage phenomena derived from our research, leading to the establishment of a new hair care system. In order for the world to grasp the high quality characteristic of Japan, and the expertise offered by its its hairstylistshair designers, the Company launched the milbon premium hair care brand, with a discerning eye on all elements - from container packaging design to series composition.
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Sep. 2016
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Aoyama Factory closed.
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Nov. 2016
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Yumegaoka Factory expanded.
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2017 Jan.
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Announced a capital and business alliance with KOSÉ Corporation.
We established a joint venture company with KOSÉ Corporation with the aim of developing cosmetics exclusively for salons and strengthening competitiveness.
The two companies agreed that, amid a maturing domestic cosmetics market in Japan, we both need to differentiate by providing preferred, high-satisfaction products. Simultaneously, we both realize that we must accelerate our global expansion for further growth. A capital and business alliance with KOSÉ Corporation was formed with the aim of combining the two companies’ strengths, generating new synergies so as to promote competitiveness of Japanese beauty companies competing on the global stage. -
Nov. 2017
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AUJUA, a premium brand, upgraded.
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Nov. 2017
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Head Office relocated to Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
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Dec. 2017
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Fiscal year-end changed from December 20 to December 31.
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2018 Jan.
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Saitama Sales Office, in Omiya-ku, Saitama, upgraded to become Saitama Branch.
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Sep. 2018
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MILBON MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. established in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Oct. 2018
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MILBON VIETNAM CO., LTD. established in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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2019 Jan.
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Hiroshima Sales Office, in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, upgraded to become Hiroshima Branch.
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Apr. 2019
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iMPREA, a premium brand for salon exclusive cosmetics, launched.
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Jul. 2019
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SOPHISTONE, a hair color brand for Europe and North America, launched.
SOPHISTONE is a hair color brand developed exclusively for the European and North American markets, based on rigorous study of Europe and North America’s hair color cultures, including shared values, techniques, and hair dye characteristics. It became Milbon's first full-scale brand to be developed exclusively for countries other than Japan. Local stylists offered high praise for the brand for its reminiscent evocation of Japanese meticulousness and attention to detail, bringing new value to hair coloring.
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Oct. 2019
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MILBON SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. established in Singapore.
2020's
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Feb. 2020
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Milbon (Zhejiang) Cosmetics Co., Ltd. established in Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
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Jul. 2021
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Tokyo Aoyama Branch opened in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
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Apr. 2022
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Milbon Europe GmbH established in Düsseldorf, Federal Republic of Germany.
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Jan. 2023
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Kyoto Sales Office, in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, upgraded to become Kyoto Branch.
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Apr. 2023
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Fukuoka Branch relocated within Chuo-ku, Fukuoka.
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Dec. 2023
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Innovation Center opened in Ota-ku, Tokyo.
