is a Japanese multinational company that manufactures

cosmetics Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either Natural product, natural source ...

personal care products Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as Human skin, skin, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as Human tooth, teeth and mucous membrane of ...

, and beauty products. It is headquartered in

Chūō, Tokyo is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chūō City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. C ...

History

The company was founded in 1946 by Kozaburo Kobayashi with his son as the principal chemist. In 1956, the company established

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

, a manufacturer of premium cosmetics. Kosé and L’Oréal of France signed an agreement for technological cooperation, a joint venture that lasted until 2001. The company expanded its international presence in Asia during the 1960s to the 1980s. The company's name was changed to its present one in 1991. In 2000 it was listed on the First Section of the

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...

. Kazutoshi Kobayashi, the founder's grandson, took over as the company's CEO in 2007. Under the leadership of the new CEO, Kosé introduced the

Jill Stuart Jill Stuart (born 1955) is an American businesswoman and fashion designer based in New York City, where she has been operating since 1988. She established her eponymous label in 1993. She also has a significant international client base, partic ...

branded cosmetics after the company acquired global trademark rights for the brand in 2009. Kosé subsequently expanded into the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n markets when it acquired

Tarte Cosmetics Tarte Cosmetics is an American cosmetics company headquartered in New York City. It was founded by Maureen Kelly in 1999; her first product was a cheek stain that was used the following year for the cover of ''Self'' magazine. Also in 2000, Tar ...

in 2014.

Advertising

Kosé's products were advertised over the years by models and athletes including

Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Basebal ...

and

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

for its Decorté brand photographed by

Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva Order of the British Empire, OBE Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in ...

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer. Universally regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history for his well-rounded skills, achievements, innovations, longevity, popularity, and impact on the sport, he started skat ...

for Sekkisei and

Yui Aragaki is a Japanese actress, model, singer and occasional radio show host. She has been selected several times as the most desired girlfriend and the most desired female celebrity face in Oricon's yearly survey. Early life She was born on June 11, 19 ...

, for the Esprique line of makeup.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cosmetics companies of Japan Chemical companies based in Tokyo Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Chemical companies established in 1946 Japanese companies established in 1946 Multinational companies headquartered in Japan Japanese brands

History

Advertising

See also

References

External links