Who owns Molton Brown?
Molton Brown is owned by Kao (Japan, TSE: 4452), which has owned the brand since 2005.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Kao Corporation Integrated Report 2025, 31 March 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Kao Corporation reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, London
- Founded
- 1971
- Category
- Personal care & beauty › Bath, soap & hand care › Bar soap & body wash
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 4452
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Molton Brown
Molton Brown began as a London hair salon in 1971 and became a luxury bath and body brand whose hand washes are a fixture of British hotels and restaurants. Kao acquired it in 2005. Its distinctive tall pump bottles in hotel washrooms function as advertising to a customer who has already used the product.
Ownership timeline of Molton Brown
Where Molton Brown sits in Kao
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Kao ownership tree →
See the full Kao brand portfolio (7) →
Other brands owned by Kao
Kao controls 7 brands on Brandtree, 6 of them in personal care & beauty.
Also in personal care & beauty
- Bioré (1980)
- Curél (1999)
- Jergens (1882)
- John Frieda (1988)
- Merries (1983)
Other brands in bar soap & body wash, and who owns them
The 42 brands in bar soap & body wash on Brandtree belong to 29 owners. The largest is Unilever, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Dove | Unilever | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| MediHerb | Trade Kings | 🇿🇲 Zambia |
| Cavaillès | Bolton Group | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Cristalino | CasaLuker | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Protex | Colgate-Palmolive | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Bath Roman | Earth | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Jovia | Jyothy Labs | 🇮🇳 India |
| Ivory | Procter & Gamble | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Kao
Kao is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1887. Brandtree records 7 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 4452.
Kao Corporation was founded in Tokyo in 1887 to make a domestic facial soap of a quality then only imported, and its name comes from the Japanese word for face. It spans household products, personal care, cosmetics and chemicals, and is one of the largest consumer goods companies in Asia.
🇬🇧 Molton Brown and other British brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 552 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 291 of them (53%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Molton Brown among them.
- Andrex — Kimberly-Clark 🇺🇸
- Batiste — Church & Dwight 🇺🇸
- Charlotte Tilbury — Puig 🇪🇸
- Childs Farm — PZ Cussons 🇬🇧
- Creed — L'Oréal 🇫🇷
- Cushelle — Essity 🇸🇪
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Molton Brown?
The parent company of Molton Brown is Kao, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Molton Brown British or Japanese?
Molton Brown originated in the United Kingdom in 1971, but it is owned today by Kao, which is headquartered in Japan. So Molton Brown is a British-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Kao owned Molton Brown?
Kao has owned Molton Brown since 2005.
Is Molton Brown still owned by Kao?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Molton Brown is still owned by Kao. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Kao Corporation Integrated Report 2025 — Kao Corporation, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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