Sales: $2.5 billion

Comments: For more than 130 years, Lion has been extolling the virtues of brushing one’s teeth and washing clothes—and selling products that help consumers accomplish these daily tasks.

“In the 131 years since our founding, we have helped people to achieve healthy minds and bodies by proposing and establishing improvements to daily habits such as tooth brushing and laundry. We believe that we can best contribute to society through this unique approach,” wrote Masazumi Kikukawa, chairman of the board of directors, in a recent company report.

This also helps Lion’s bottom line.

According to Kikukawa, “creating habits is very effective because it creates new markets for our products and grows existing markets. For example, in the past 50 years in Japan the average number of times an individual brushes their teeth each day has increased from once to twice, resulting in a fourfold increase in the toothpaste market. Developing good habits is the basis of Lion’s purpose—in addition to being our way of contributing to society, it is directly linked to the enhancement of the company’s economic value. As populations decline, we can no longer expect conventional approaches to expand our markets. That said, we believe that developing new habits is a highly effective way to achieve sustainable market growth.”

Looking ahead, Lion has set its sight on achieving approximately ¥600 billion in net sales by 2030.

Masayuki Takemori, who became representative director, president and executive officer in March, will be instrumental in meeting that goal. Takemori became a brand manager for Lion’s Look household cleaner brand at a time when it was, in his words, “struggling.” His  mandate: “Only create products that lead to exciting new cleaning habits.” From that focus came Look Plus Bath Antimold Fogger, a new product for mold that shifted this cleaning practice from after the fact to a daily habit. It was welcomed and expanded the market.

Sales: $2.6 billion

Consumer product sales rose less than 1%.

Oral care sales rose 4.5%, helped along by demand for Advantage toothpaste and the launch of Lightee toothpaste, a whitening toothpaste said to remove food particles and “micro-level imperfections” in the dental surface.
Beauty care sales plunged 21.5%, which was due to lower consumer demand for hand soaps, and antiperspirants and deodorants.

Fabric care sales rose 2.6% on the strength of Soflan fabric softeners. Detergent sales dipped less than 1%.

Living care products include dish and home care products. Sales rose 4.5% on the strength of Charmy Crysta dish detergent. Bathroom cleaner sales were positive, too.

This year, Lion launched Vision2030. The first stage calls for the rollout of high-value-added and environmentally-friendly products. Lion is also focused on expanding personal care sales in China.

For Q1, 2022, corporate sales rose 5.5%. In its domestic operations, Lion focused on expanding sales for high-value-added products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, household cleaners and antipyretic analgesics. In its overseas operations, in addition to efforts to expand its business in the personal care field, which includes oral care and beauty care products, Lion focused on bolstering its competitiveness and profitability in the home care field, which includes laundry detergents.

In May, Lion formed a joint venture in Bangladesh with Kallol Limited. Kallol manufactures brands in fabric care, beauty care and other fields, as well as a distribution network and sales capabilities covering all of the country.

In June, Lion joined a pilot program run by member companies of the Japan Association of Chain Drug Stores and major household product manufacturers.

Sales: $2.8 billion
Corporate sales: $3.3 billion

Corporate sales rose 2.3%, but consumer product sales increased 4.8%. Sales of oral care products, Lion’s biggest category, rose 2.9%, helped by demand for Systema Haguki Plus premium toothpaste. Sales of beauty products soared nearly 41%, as Covid-related demand surged for soap and personal cleansers. In contrast, fabric care product sales fell 2.7%. Lion blamed the decline, in part, to declining sales of Top Clear Liquid laundry detergent.

Like other household cleaning product manufacturers, Lion scrambled to meet consumer demand during the pandemic. Sales of household cleaners jumped nearly 22%. Gains were strong for dishwashing formulas like Charmy Magica and Charmy Crysta. There was a sales surge for bathroom cleaners like Look Plus Bath Cleansing, which added a silver ion-based formula, and Look Plus Bath Antimold Fogger.

In September, Kao and Lion announced a collaboration to recycle film packaging, to boost plastic packaging resource circulation in society. With the assistance of Ito-Yokado Co., Ltd., “RecyCreation” was implemented in Ito-Yokado’s Hikifune Store (Sumida-ku, Tokyo), with the aim of conducting separated collection field testing for used refill packs. Under this initiative, a special collection box was installed in the store to collect used refill containers for laundry detergents, shampoos and other household and personal products from store customers. Kao and Lion are expanding the scope of this recycling project by collaborating with more municipalities, businesses and stores.

Kao coined the term “RecyCreation” to denote upcycling through which more enjoyable and improved products are developed and resulting in new value creation, rather than recycling materials for the purpose of reproducing the same types of materials.

For the first quarter of 2021, corporate sales were flat, while consumer product sales fell 1.5%. More specifically, oral care sales rose 2.3%, fabric care sales increased 1.5% and living care sales rose 7.1%. In contrast, beauty care sales fell 32% as demand for foaming hand soap declined sharply.

In October, Lion will mark its 130th anniversary.

Sales: $1.5 billion for household and personal care products.
Corporate sales: $3.1 billion

Corporate sales fell less than 1%, due to a 4.8% decline in industrial product sales. Oral care accounted for 28% of sales, followed by fabric care (26%), other (17%), pharmaceuticals, (11%), beauty care (10%) and living care (8%). Consumer product sales rose 1.2% on the year and profit jumped more than 10%. More specifically, oral care sales rose 8.5%, beauty (+6.3%), fabric care (+1.7%), living care (+10.5%).

By region, sales in Southeast Asia fell less than 1%, but sales in Northeast Asia declined more than 9%. That decline was blamed, in part, to a worsening business environment in South Korea, which impacted sales of laundry detergent and hand soap. Last year, South Korea’s economy rose just 2%, it’s slowest pace in a decade. Observers blamed a slowdown in exports.

For Q1 2020, corporate sales rose 4.6%. Oral care sales rose 10.5% helped by the launch of Systema Haguki (the Gums) Plus Premium toothpaste, as well as sales of the Systema toothpaste lineup. Beauty care sales soared more than 47% driven by demand for KireiKirei Medicated and Foaming Hand Conditioning soaps. The launch of Ban Sweat-Blocking Platinum roll-on, featuring a new formula with a high-adhesion sodium sulfate, was well-received. Fabric care sales rose 3.5%, helped by greater demand for Soflan Premium Deodorizer fabric softener. Lion said that sales rose substantially for its super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent, Top Super Nanox.

To provide pandemic relief, Lion donated ¥100 million (about $1 million) to the Japan Red Cross Society, and has dramatically increased production of hygiene-related products such as hand soaps and disinfectants.

Sales: $3.1 billion.

Sales at Lion rose 2% last year as the company’s main business domain, the domestic consumer products industry, remained steady and the overseas market continued to expand. Core operating income was down 1.5% compared with the previous fiscal year and operating profit was up 12.2% year on year.

The consumer products business segment, which is comprised of the oral care products, beauty care products, fabric care products, living care products, pharmaceutical products and other businesses, saw net sales decrease by 4% and profits decrease by 5.8% compared with the prior year. Beauty care products saw strong sales and remained favorable, but sales of liquid and powder detergents were impacted by intensifying competition and market contraction.

The industrial products business segment saw net sales increase by 5.3% and segment profit increase by 1.7%. Overseas business, which includes operations in Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and China, was where the company really soared, reporting an increase of 2.4% year-on-year net sales and a 55.8% year-on -year increase in segment profit.

Last year, the Lion Group launched the LIon Value Evolution (LIVE) Plan, a medium-term management plan for the three years beginning fiscal 2018. The four main strategies of this plan are:

• Creating value through combinations of technologies and services, such as oral-to-body solutions in which oral care contributes to whole-body health care.
• Accelerating growth in overseas businesses through “glocalization,” via regional management and expanding business based on e-commerce channels and M&A.
• Reforming business structures to reinforce investment in the flexible, efficient manufacturing infrastructure that will drive business growth, create advanced and sustainable supply chains, reinforce information system foundations to promote more sophisticated group management and improve the efficiency of management resources and business activities.
• Creating dynamism to foster innovative change by promoting diversity and openness in human resources, organizations and corporate culture.

In 2018, Lion expanded primarily in Thailand and Malaysia, but penetrating the Chinese market remains the key to expansion in the overseas business. Lion reformed its business structure in China in 2018, and is taking steps this fiscal year for profitable growth there.

Lion’s first quarter 2019 corporate net sales decreased by 0.5% and core operating income went down 6.8% compared with the same period of the previous year. In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, in its domestic operations, Lion introduced new products such as toothpastes, fabric softeners, dishwashing detergents and antipyretic analgesics and worked to cultivate markets for these products through marketing initiatives designed to elicit an empathetic response in consumers. In its overseas operations, in addition to efforts related to the home care field which includes products such as laundry detergents, Lion sought to expand its business, focusing mainly on the personal care field, including oral care and beauty care products.

Sales: $3.2 billion for household and personal care products.
Corporate sales: $3.4 billion.

Sales rose 3.8% last year, as the company posted gains domestically and internationally, too. In Japan, which accounted for more than 64% of revenue, sales of oral care and beauty care products were strong. Overseas (26.4%), sales were firm in Lion’s mainstay markets, including Thailand and Malaysia in Southeast Asia and South Korea and China in Northeast Asia. Despite a rise in raw material prices, in Japan high-value-added products expanded and the streamlining of competition-related expenses continued. Overseas, sales of personal care products remained steady. Operating income grew 11.0% year on year, reaching a record high for the fourth consecutive year.

Oral care sales rose 7.4% on the year, driven by increased toothbrush and mouthwash sales. Beauty care sales increased nearly 10%, due, in part, to increased sales of personal cleansers. Fabric care sales fell less than 1% as softener sales increased and detergent sales declined. Household cleaner sales were flat.

This year, the company expects sales to rise 3.5% on the strength of oral care sales. Outside Japan, Lion is expanding its e-commerce business.

Now, through 2020, Lion is implementing a strategy called the LIon Value Evolution (LIVE) plan. Under the theme of evolving into a leading advanced daily healthcare company, Lion will advance long-term, future-oriented growth initiatives and framework-building efforts in and outside Japan while further accelerating improvements to management efficiency to reinforce the earnings structure.

In a nutshell, the four-part strategy calls for:

• Creating value through combinations of technologies and services, such as oral-to-body solutions in which oral care contributes to whole-body health care. Creating a health care business that will promote healthy habits that help enhance quality of life and develop new health care business models that leverage cutting-edge technologies, such as IoT and AI.
• Accelerate growth in overseas businesses through “glocalization,” via regional management and expanding business based on e-commerce channels and M&A.
• Business structure reform to reinforce investment in the flexible, efficient manufacturing infrastructure that will drive business growth, create advanced and sustainable supply chains, reinforce information system foundations to promote more sophisticated group management, and improve the efficiency of management resources and business activities.
• Create dynamism to foster innovative change by promoting diversity and openness in our human resources, organizations and corporate culture.

Successfully implementing LIVE is expected to generate ¥400 billion in net sales, ¥40 billion in operating income and an operating income ratio of 10%, all by 2020.

Lion’s first quarter 2018 corporate sales rose less than 2%, but consumer product sales fell 7.4%. Some categories did better than others. Sales of oral care products, for instance, rose 1.7% on higher sales for Systema Haguki Plus, a toothpaste that helps repair gum tissue and new Nonio toothpaste. Fabric care sales fell due to weak Top Hygia sales and an overall decline in powder purchases. Household cleaner sales increased, due to sales gains for Look Plus Bath Antimold Fogger and new Look Plus Cleanliness Reset. Also, Total Drain Cleaner for Kitchens, a detergent that removes slime from kitchen drains without requiring the user to touch it, received favorable consumer reviews.

Sales: $3.3 billion

Times are good at Lion. President Itsuo Hama noted that during 2016, raw material costs declined, the yen strengthened, personal consumption recovered and international markets were solid. In this environment, the company set a new sales record, and operating income rose nearly 50%. Domestic consumer product sales rose 5.3% last year, while Lion’s international business increased less than 2%. The company noted that profitability improved due to strong sales of high-value-added products and the streamlining of competition-related expenses in Japan as well as a solid performance in the personal care field overseas.

Hama credits, in part, Lion’s V-2 Plan (Vision 2020 Part 2). Under the plan, Lion continued to implement a range of measures based on four strategies: qualitative growth of the domestic business; quantitative international expansion; development of new business value and enhancement of organizational learning capabilities.

Internationally, sales were steady in Lion’s mainstay countries, including Thailand and Malaysia in Southeast Asia, and South Korea and China in Northeast Asia. Lion executives feel so strongly about their business prospects in Thailand that the company is building a 1 billion baht factory in Chon Buri province which will produce home care products and detergents. Elsewhere, Lion is determined to expand in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Outside Southeast Asia, Lion is expanding in the Middle East, particularly in Iran.

High-value-added products, such as toothpastes and toothbrushes in the oral care field and antipyretic analgesics and eye drops in the pharmaceutical products field, saw strong sales. Furthermore, Top Super Nanox super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent, Hadakara body wash and other new products received favorable consumer reviews, contributing to segment performance.

It’s all part of a broad strategy to become a next-generation health care company. For as Hama pointed out, in oral care, recent research has identified a close connection between the hygiene of a person’s mouth and their physical health.

“As Lion seeks to become a next-generation healthcare company, I think investors can look forward to dramatic growth and a future filled with potential,” predicted Hama.
Looking ahead to the remainder of 2017, domestic consumer product sales are forecast to grow 1.0%, and international sales are expected to rise 6.8%. Overall net sales are forecast to grow 2.4% year-on-year to ¥405 billion.

In 2018, Lion will announce its growth strategy for 2021.

Sales:  $2.8 billion

Sales rose 3% last year, the first in Lion’s three year, V-2 Plan. It calls for domestic growth, qualitative international expansion, new business development and enhanced organizational learning, all with the goal to improve profitability and boost sales. Pretty straightforward stuff, in fact, the company revised its performance forecasts upward twice in 2015—despite headwinds from a slowdown in China and instability in Europe.

So far, it’s working, according to CEO Itsuo Hama. Last year Lion was able to raise prices for its oral care, dishwashing detergents and other products as Japanese consumers’ interest rose in high-value-added products. Outside Japan, Lion has been able to satisfy the need for high-value products in Thailand, South Korea and China. Elsewhere, Lion repositioned its operations in Malaysia as a subsidiary and opened an office in Taiwan.

Despite these efforts, consumer product sales dipped (less than 1%), a drop that Lion executives blamed on the reactionary drop in spending that followed the surge in demand prior to Japan’s consumption tax hike in 2014. But there were bright spots. Operating income rose 18%. New products helped boost sales of Clinica and Systema oral care products, 108% and 112%, respectively. The roll out of Soflan Aroma Rich boosted the company’s fabric softener sales by 16%. Lion finished 2015 holding the No. 1 position in toothpaste, toothbrushes and hand soaps in Japan; and was No. 3 in laundry detergents, fabric softeners and dishwashing detergents. To maintain that momentum, Lion is focused on building its Clinica toothpaste brand, and supporting the launch of Top Super Nanox super-concentrated liquid detergent.

International sales more than doubled last year, led by a 33% gain in Philippines. Other countries posting growth included China (up 20%), Taiwan (+11%), Indonesia (+8%), Hong Kong (+6%), Malaysia (+4%) and Singapore (+4%).

This year, Lion is focusing on oral care and laundry detergents, with the goal of expanding market share and the overall Japanese market. Internationally, the focus remains on China with plans to boost marketing efforts in Northeast Asia, and build its personal care sales in Southeast Asia.

Sales: $3.3 billion

Last year, sales took off like a rocket, thanks to the successful completion of Lion’s V-1 Plan, which ended on Dec. 31, 2014. It’s the first portion of the company’s Vision 2020 plan, which is focused on four themes:

• Grow domestically;
• Expand internationally;
• Develop new business; and
• Enhance organizational learning.

Last year, consumer product sales rose 3.5%, helped by a 7.2% gain in oral care, as Lion rebranded its Clinica lineup of oral care products and launched Systema Haguki Plus toothpaste that is designed to improve gum health.

Beauty care sales increased 7.5% as Lion made a concerted effort to convince consumers to trade up to foaming soap formats. Meanwhile the launch of Ban Sweat-Blocking roll-on proved to be a big hit with consumers as sales were 240% above plan.

Perhaps efforts to convert Japanese consumers to high-value products were most evident in fabric care, where the switch is on from powders to liquid concentrates. Lion also answered consumer demand for products that remove malodor from laundry. New Top Nanox contains a dual enzyme formula to break down proteins that cause odors. Similarly, the introduction of highly fragranced and deodorizing fabric softeners has proved to be a hit with consumers. Lion also noted that automatic dishwashing detergent is rising as the segment of Japanese households with dishwashing appliances topped 30%. With market leading brand Charmy, Lion is well positioned take advantage of this trend.

Outside Japan, the company continues to make inroads in Thailand, South Korea, China and the Philippines, helped along by market share gains and favorable exchange rates.

But things didn’t flow as smoothly as Lion kicked off the V-2 portion of its Vision 2020 plan. For the first quarter of 2015, sales fell more than 7%, with consumer product sales falling more than 14% and sales of fabric care products plunging 27%.

Sales: $3.2 billion

Sales of consumer products were essentially flat at Lion last year, although income rose due to the success of premium-priced products. By category, fabric care sales, Lion’s biggest consumer segment, rose less than 1% to $777 million. Sales of liquid products such as Top Hygia and Top Clear Liquid led the way as demand for powders continues to decline in Japan. Fabric softener sales rose with the introduction of Soflan with Fragrance and Deodorant.

Oral care product sales declined 2.4% to $495 million due to weak sales of Dentor Clear Max. Also contributing to the decline were sales of Platius Beautiful Teeth Essence dental rinse.

Pharmaceutical product sales, which include categories such as eye drops and insecticides, fell 1% to $353 million.

Beauty care sales fell 6.5% to $183 million, due to declines in Ban deodorant sales.

Living care product sales, which includes household cleaners and dish detergents, were lower as demand for new Look Mame-Pika antibacterial toilet cleaner could not offset weakness in dish detergents. Sales fell about 1% to $207 million.

Other product sales, which include a wide variety of products, such as hair care and kitty litter, rose 3.9% to $530 million.

International sales jumped nearly 30% last year to $738 million. Demand for oral and laundry care products rose sharply in Thailand. Sales were up in China, although the gain was primarily the result of currency fluctuations. In Korea, sales were up on favorable exchange rates, although sales of KireiKirei hand soap and Beat liquid laundry detergent sales were strong.

For the first quarter of 2014, sales jumped 25% to nearly $880 million, thanks to a gradual recovery in the Japanese economy and an increase in personal consumption. Every consumer product category posted gains, ranging from 31% for OTC pharmaceuticals to nearly 43% for oral care products. Oral care sales rose as Lion completed the relaunch of its mainstay Clinica brand of products to appeal to the growing trend toward preventive dentistry. Sales of household products rose substantially, with Lion crediting sales of Charmy dishwashing detergents for the gain.

Sales: $3.5 billion

The double-whammy of economic malaise and heated competition on-shelf has wreaked havoc with Japanese companies’ results for the past several years and Lion, as a key domestic player in the household and oral care spaces, has felt the effects. The company notes that it competes in 42 “daily necessity” categories, where in recent years, has seen a steady decline in retail price of about 1% a year. Meanwhile, unit sales have risen 1-3% a year. As a result, the market has risen about 1% overall, which was the case in 2012, according to Lion, which reported corporate sales of $3.9 billion.

As for its own results, domestic sales rose 1.4% last year to more than $3.1 billion. Oral care sales were up 4.1% and fabric care sales rose 1.3%, but beauty care sales fell 10.7%.

Still there are some bright spots. Lion noted that the market share for high-value-added, super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent has risen from just 2% in 2009 to 20% in 2012. The company expects this product form will account for 40% of segment sales by 2015. No wonder why the company launched Top Hygia, which promises to enhance the antibacterial properties of clothing with each wash. Similarly, demand for premium toothpaste is rising, as witnessed by the 111% increase in sales posted by Lion’s Dent Health brand.

In the household space, Lion’s new Look Bath Antimold Fogger contains silver ions to kill black mold and spores throughout the bathroom upon application and makes it difficult for mold to regrow, thus making future cleaning easier.

Lion also competes outside Japan, primarily in Thailand, South Korea and China. International sales rose 10.1% last year to nearly $700 million.

This year, Lion has stepped up international marketing activities for its oral care and laundry detergents and began operations in the Philippines. To boost sales in its stagnant home market, Lion is launching high value-added toothpastes, toothbrushes, antiperspirants and laundry detergents, and will expand its lineup of products sold through direct-to-consumer channels.
One of these new products is Ban Shower deodorant, in a mist-spray format, that contains something called “deep nano ion sterilization” blended with proprietary micro powder ingredients to provide a long-lasting feeling of smooth skin. Another value-added launch making nano promises is Top Nanox, a super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent that removes dirt and odor by decomposing them into nano-sized particles. The new Clinica Advantage toothbrush has a super-slim head and neck to reach molars which, Lion contends, are lost by 14% of people in their 30s and 40s. Most recently, in June, Lion launched Fleuria, a hair care line that is designed to help older women achieve fuller hair. It contains 6-benzylaminopurine to promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. Interestingly, Fleuria is only available through mail-order.

Due to these and other activities, the company expects 2013 sales to rise 2%. So far in 2013, Lion is making good on that prediction, as first quarter sales rose 6% to nearly $760 million. While domestic consumer product sales rose less than 1%, sales outside Japan jumped 32.2% due, in part, to currency fluctuation, as well as strong demand for Pao laundry detergent in Thailand and Beat liquid laundry detergent in South Korea.

Sales: $3.6 billion

Sales of consumer products fell less than 1% last year, as Lion’s consumer product business felt the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Specifically, oral care and laundry detergent sales slipped due to the difficulty in procuring raw materials following the natural disaster.

Still, Lion maintains it is the No. 1 player in Japan in three categories (toothpaste, toothbrushes and liquid hand soap) and the No. 3 player in laundry detergent, fabric softener and dishwashing detergents. Now, Lion is implementing its V-1 Plan, which is focused on achieving qualitative growth in domestic businesses and developing new business value. That means launching new high-value-added products in growth categories such as oral care and liquid laundry detergent and increasing advertising.

Following the earthquake, Lion worked to launch and nurture brands that offer the benefits of “health, comfort and environmental-friendliness.” For example, in oral care, sales of Dentor Systema toothbrushes and Dent Health and Hitect value-added toothbrushes rose, while in beauty care, a reformulated Ban antiperspirant proved popular.

Within fabric care, Kaori to Deodorant No Soflan Aroma Rich fabric softener rose. During the year, Lion introduced an enhanced version of its super-concentrated liquid detergent Top Nanox, which soon became the best-selling brand in the category. Last month, Lion introduced Top Hygia, a super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent that is said to prevent the growth of bacteria and odors on clothing by enhancing its antibacterial properties.

The company noted that sales of premium toothpaste are rising as Japanese consumers age and recognize the importance of oral care. Specifically, sales of the Dentor Systema brand series, which contributes to the prevention of periodontal disease, are continuing to expand rapidly and have recorded annual average growth of 16% since they were launched in 1997, according to the company.

Within beauty care, demand for antiperspirants and deodorants rose, reflecting electric power conservation measures and the hot weather during the summer. Similarly, due to the effects of the norovirus epidemic, incidents of food poisoning and other factors, demand rose for hand soaps and disinfectants. Sales of shampoo rose slightly, but sales of hair treatments and men’s hair preparations declined. Within the beauty care business, Lion is focusing especially on hand soaps and antiperspirants and deodorants.

Household cleaner sales rose due to growing demand for toilet cleaners, a market marked by several new product launches. Lion expanded its lineup of dishwashing detergent products too, with the introduction of improved Charmy Crysta automatic dishwasher detergents were favorable. Meanwhile, sales of toilet cleaners received a big boost with the launch of Look Mame-Pika Toilet Cleaner, which Lion says makes it easy to clean with a “quick wipe” of toilet paper.

Sales of industrial and institutional cleaners were flat, due to a decline in production as a result of the Earthquake, flooding in Thailand and a stagnation in exports caused by the appreciation of the yen.
This year, Lion reorganized its health care and household businesses into one Health and Home Care business, to combine all the strengths in these businesses.

Sales: $2.9 billion

New product launches and an emphasis on megabrands are driving growth at Lion. The company maintains that new products now account for 53% of domestic sales, up from 21% in 2008. Moreover brands with sales in excess of 10 billion yen, now account for 60% of sales, up from 34% in 2005.

Last year, sales of fabric care and household cleaning products rose 3.4% to 165.6 billion yen on favorable sales of liquid laundry detergents and fabric softeners.

Sales of oral care and beauty products totaled90 billion yen, as Lion takes advantage of the dynamic growth drivers of the high-priced toothpaste and mouthwash markets.

Outside Japan, in markets such as China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, Lion aims to be the No. 1 brand in laundry and oral care products. Since 2007, Lion’s international laundry detergent and oral care sales have grown 40%.

In terms of product formulation, the company continues to expand its use of methyl ester sulfonate through its production plant in Malaysia. In other moves, the company says that its proactive approach to the environment is based a three-prong approach:

• Switch to plant-based ingredients;

• Develop products based on eco-standards; and

• Protect water environments.

Today, Lion relies on two plant-based surfactants. MES, based on palm, reduced CO2 emissions by 51%, while the use of MEE, based on coconut, reduced CO2 emissions by 74%, according to the company.

This year, like so many other laundry detergent producers in Japan, Lion faces rising raw material prices and declining unit price sales, which are expected to limit domestic sales growth to 1.8%. Outside its domestic market, however, the company expects sales to grow 6.9%, driven by results in China.

Sales: $2.7 billion

Corporate sales fell 4.8% last year, but net income jumped nearly 80%. By product category, oral care sales rose less than 1% driven by robust sales of Dent Health toothpastes and Dentor and Clinica mouthwashes.

In the beauty care segment, Lion focused on boosting sales of its KireiKirei brand. Sales of both the medicated foaming hand soap and foaming hand sanitizer got a lift from H1N1 concerns.

Sales of household products fell 2%, but sales of liquid laundry detergents surged following the introduction of Top Clear Liquid and Kaori Tsuzuku Top Sweet Harmony. Dishwashing detergent sales also rose. Unfortunately, sales of Top powder detergent declined as consumers continue to switch to liquids.

For the first quarter of 2010, sales rose 3.3% to $716 million. Oral care sales rose 2.2%, but beauty care sales fell 8.6%. Fabric care sales rose 7% and household care sales were up less than 1%.

Sales: $2.9 billion

In 2008, sales of household products fell 2.9% to $1.5 billion while revenues from Lion’s personal care business—which includes oral care, toiletries and beauty products—rose 0.7% to $1.3 billion. Corporate sales were $3.2 billion.

Sales: $2.65 billion for household and personal care products.
Corporate sales: $2.9 billion.

Lion markets a number of top-selling oral care, beauty and household products, making it a market leader and well-respected brand in Japan. And the company continues to grow its presence in surrounding Asian countries.

Lion’s oral care unit recorded sales of $459 million in 2007, a 3.6% gain with new products helping to offset declining sales of mouthwashes.  In this sector, many of Lion’s new products have been aimed at the needs of a changing Japanese society that is getting older and is more concerned with health issues.

Lion’s beauty sector sales rose 4.5% to $297 million in 2007. To enhance profitability, the firm has been strengthening its operational foundation by focusing on its strengths—liquid hand soaps and antiperspirants and deodorants—and by using advanced technologies to introduce new products. In 2007, Lion took steps to reduce manufacturing costs. Production bases for beauty care products were consolidated and production was shifted to subsidiaries and outside companies.

In fabric care, increased sales of higher-value-added, premium-priced products stopped the decline in unit prices, and sales rose 15.2% to $1 billion.

Lion’s living care business recorded a 7.1% gain to $421.6 million. The company said sales of dishwashing detergents increased in double digits, bolstered by a strong performance from the Charmy Awa no Chikara (Power of Suds) dishwashing detergent series. In household cleaners, Lion extended the Look Kirei no Mist series of antibacterial and sanitary sprays, with the launch of new variant for entranceways and shoes. Also new is Look O2 Cleaner, a multipurpose cleaner jointly developed with Henkel.

Lion’s international division recorded growth of more than 10% to $466 million in 2007, with Thailand and South Korea the largest contributors.