Interview with Jordi Rius, Sales & Marketing Vice President, Kao Corporation, S.A.

Jordi Rius Sales & Marketing Vice President
Kao Corporation, S.A.

What is the Mission of Kao Chemicals Europe?

As a part of the Kao Group, the mission of Kao Chemicals Europe is to strive for the wholehearted satisfaction and enrichment of the lives of people globally and contribute to the sustainability of the world.

At Kao Chemicals Europe, we work hard to implement our newly created ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategy, the Kirei Life Style Plan. A Kirei lifestyle means living a beautiful life inside and out. A Kirei lifestyle is full of compassion, where making your own life clean and beautiful never compromises the beauty and cleanliness of the world around you.

We are a company that moves with solid principles, where integrity and innovation are synonymous of the responsible and sustainable progress that we understand and apply in our work. I firmly believe that our success has to be based on the three pillars of our Kirei lifestyle Plan – ME, making my everyday more beautiful – WE, making thoughtful choices for our society and - PLANET, making the world healthier and cleaner.

How is J-Beauty different?

Following our mission, we would like to approach J-Beauty trend to Western lifestyle.

J-Beauty appeared in the market as a strong defender of preventive solutions rather than corrective, with innovative developments and high-quality products with long-term reliability. This concept has had a big impact in Western lifestyle, as it helps to balance stressed routines and brings scientifically proven results.

At the end, we follow our Kirei lifestyle plan bringing to everybody materials to support cleaner, more beautiful and healthier formulation options

With what kind of products do you support the J-Beauty trend?

KAO has some exclusive ingredients for skin care coming from our Japanese R&D labs that we want to expand now in our area of influence

• EXCEPARL IS-CE-A, extremely active moisturizing ingredient with a skin biomimetic structure and grease freefeeling.
• PENETOL GE-IS, an emulsifier for W/O emulsions containing high amount of water, especially designed to avoid any sticky feeling and provide easy spreadability.
• RHEODOL 430V a high performance emulsifier for formulations with high oil content and excellent cleansing performance.

Recently, Kao Chemicals developed new eco-friendly personal care prototype formulations. What are their properties and applications?

New realities demand new solutions, with challenge comes opportunity. We are proud to announce the launch of our new formula kits, Sustainable Personal Care Solutions for hair and body.

Safer for the environment with reduced water content, Kao’s new formula kits represent a new, more caring, approach to cosmetics.

Our two newly developed formula kits for hair and body also introduce upgraded product concepts:

• Solid Waterless Kit, including solid Creamy Shampoo, Body Moisturizer and Hair Conditioner bars. Solid Waterless Kit has significantless environmental impact and reduced water content.  Kao’s solid formula kits represent a more caring approach towards cosmetics.
• Dilutable Formula Kitcontains concentrated Conditioner and Hair & Body Cleanser. Dilutable products are provided in a high concentrate form 1:10, once mixed with water are ready to use. Diluted ready to use materials maintain basic physicochemical features

Kao formula kits blend science, creativity and environmental responsibility, proposing a new way forward for the global cosmetics industry.

How do you fare during this COVID-19 pandemic?

Our first priority as Kao Group is the health and safety of all our stakeholders, including our customers and our employees and their families. 

We are working hard to prevent the spread of the virus while we are safely running our facilities to keep producing essential materials and finish goods around the globe that helps on the hygiene and protection of our customers and society. 

The COVID-19 crisis is a serious challenge, but it also should be an opportunity to accelerate how we adapt to change. Being able to adapt to change is key to survival and when emergency response measures end and we return to regular life, we need to be sure to make positive changes rather than just return to things as they were. This is the origin of growth.

How do you keep in touch with your clients?

We will continue to connect with our customers on digital platforms but also over the phone as a more traditional way. We want to be of service to society and to create a foundation for the future growth of the Kao Group. Things may be tough, but there is always a road to success. 

COVID-19 cases may continue to increase globally, and I expect the business environment to remain unpredictable through the third quarter and we are keeping in mind a delayed economic recovery in the fourth quarter. That said, no matter what circumstances we face, we would not give up our customer connection and support. 

If you told me in January I would be facilitating online learning sessions about our businesses from my own home, I would have laughed but changes are constant and demand a lot of learning, I know we can do it.

Do you think we will return to large international exhibitions soon?

Not sure how fast will return to international exhibitions but in the long run physical connectivity is still very important for our business development. 

Fairs or congresses will not go down, on the contrary, the more dispersed the companies, the more telework there is, the more need there will be for people to come together from time to time and it will do so in interesting and well-connected places.