Kao reports strong Q3 results, confirms full-year forecast

Kao Corporation announced net sales of 1,232,034 million yen for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, a 3.5% increase year-on-year, with operating income reaching 114,867 million yen, up 13.7%. This performance was primarily fueled by the expansion of high-value-added products, effective pricing strategies, and significant profitability improvements in its Cosmetics Business, which saw a 10.9 billion yen increase in operating income.

The company's Global Consumer Care Business in Japan showed strong growth, contributing to increased market share, while the Chemical Business also experienced substantial growth across all regions. Total assets decreased by 75.4 billion yen to 1,791.8 billion yen, mainly due to a decrease in cash and cash equivalents, offset by an increase in inventories.

Kao confirmed its full-year consolidated forecast, anticipating net sales of 1,690,000 million yen and operating income of 165,000 million yen for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. The company also announced a planned annual cash dividend of 154.00 yen per share, reflecting its commitment to shareholder returns and capital efficiency.