Owned by Kao Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the Bioré brand made its European debut in the UK in 1998 and we continue to lean into our Japanese beauty heritage to this day.
The Kao story begins in 1887, with a small face-care company founded by Tomiro Nagase. Nagase was on a mission to do things differently — to make high-quality facial soap that was also affordable. He called it “Kao,” pronounced the same way as the Japanese word for “face” (makes sense, right?).
As the first skincare brand to focus on the root of problem skin — THE PORE — Bioré Skincare has taken a “Do Different” approach since the very beginning. Even though we create our own line of high quality, affordable skincare products in Europe and in the U.S., we develop formulas according to the Japanese beauty philosophy of functionality and simplicity with long-term results. If you have been to Japan, you may have noticed a similar line of Bioré products. While the formulas and development are separate from those in Europe or the U.S. , we’re able to leverage our parent company’s innovative Japanese technology, backed by years of scientific research and development — hello, skincare jackpot!
Our Japanese beauty roots inspire us to advance and enhance everything we do — innovation is in our DNA. When it comes to cleaning and caring for those 20,000 pesky pores, we’re all about working smarter, not harder. We’re serious about helping you get the skin of your dreams, but we’re also serious about making it fun, affordable and truly achievable.