Prices as of 2026/10/30 close
Company comparison · Cosmetics
Kao is the largest by revenue at ¥1.7T, followed by Shiseido (¥970.0B), KOSÉ (¥330.2B) and POLA ORBIS (¥170.3B).
Kao has the highest operating margin at 9.7%, 12.7 points above the lowest, Shiseido (-3.0%).
Revenue growth in the latest results: Kao +3.7%, KOSÉ +2.3%, POLA ORBIS +0.0%, Shiseido −2.1%. For next year, Kao guides for the fastest operating profit growth (+10.9%).
Kao pays the most on average (¥8.11M), ¥0.90M more than Shiseido (¥7.21M).
Over the past year the shares moved Shiseido +49.1%, Kao +16.5%, POLA ORBIS +8.9%, KOSÉ +2.9%.
Head-to-head wins18 metrics
One win per metric for the company with the best value. Metrics with no better or worse (P/E, average age, employees) are excluded.
ScaleInvestors
Kao aheadKao 3 : Shiseido 0 : KOSÉ 0 : POLA ORBIS 0
Revenue: Kao ¥1.7T / Shiseido ¥970.0B / KOSÉ ¥330.2B / POLA ORBIS ¥170.3B
ProfitabilityInvestors
Kao aheadKao 3 : Shiseido 0 : KOSÉ 0 : POLA ORBIS 1
Operating margin: Kao 9.7% / Shiseido −3.0% / KOSÉ 5.6% / POLA ORBIS 9.2%
GrowthInvestors
Kao aheadKao 3 : Shiseido 0 : KOSÉ 1 : POLA ORBIS 1
Revenue growth (YoY): Kao +3.7% / Shiseido −2.1% / KOSÉ +2.3% / POLA ORBIS +0.0%
Stock & balance sheetInvestors
Shiseido aheadKao 0 : Shiseido 2 : KOSÉ 0 : POLA ORBIS 1
Share price, 1 year: Kao +16.5% / Shiseido +49.1% / KOSÉ +2.9% / POLA ORBIS +8.9%
Pay & workforceJob seekers
Kao aheadKao 2 : Shiseido 0 : KOSÉ 0 : POLA ORBIS 1
Average salary: Kao ¥8.11M / Shiseido ¥7.21M / KOSÉ ¥7.47M / POLA ORBIS ¥7.66M
| Metric | Kao | Shiseido | KOSÉ | POLA ORBIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ◎¥1.7T | ¥970.0B | ¥330.2B | ¥170.3B |
| Operating profit | ◎¥164.1B | −¥28.8B | ¥18.5B | ¥15.7B |
| Net income | ◎¥120.1B | −¥40.7B | ¥15.1B | ¥9.5B |
| Metric | Kao | Shiseido | KOSÉ | POLA ORBIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | ◎9.7% | −3.0% | 5.6% | 9.2% |
| Net margin | ◎7.1% | −4.2% | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| ROE | ◎11.3% | −6.6% | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Revenue per employee | ¥215M | ¥241M | ¥337M | ◎¥613M |
| Metric | Kao | Shiseido | KOSÉ | POLA ORBIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | ◎+3.7% | −2.1% | +2.3% | +0.0% |
| Operating profit growth (YoY) | +11.9% | — | +6.3% | ◎+13.6% |
| Revenue CAGRlast 4 years | ◎+4.4% | −1.0% | — | — |
| Guidance: revenue growthnext FY plan | +3.6% | +2.1% | ◎+6.0% | +1.6% |
| Guidance: op. profit growthnext FY plan | ◎+10.9% | — | +8.3% | +10.2% |
| Metric | Kao | Shiseido | KOSÉ | POLA ORBIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share price, 1 year | +16.5% | ◎+49.1% | +2.9% | +8.9% |
| Share price, 3 months | +10.7% | ◎+13.8% | +1.3% | +1.5% |
| P/E (trailing)lower = cheaper | 14.4x | — | 22.7x | 33.2x |
| Equity ratio | 58.4% | 49.0% | 77.5% | ◎82.4% |
| Share price (close) | ¥3,747 | ¥3,825 | ¥6,014 | ¥1,420 |
◎ marks the best value for each metric. Revenue and profit are from the latest full-year earnings release; share prices are closing-price references; P/E = latest close ÷ trailing EPS. For banks and some other financials, revenue means ordinary income.
| Metric | Kao | Shiseido | KOSÉ | POLA ORBIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average salary | ◎¥8.11M | ¥7.21M | ¥7.47M | ¥7.66M |
| Starting salary (monthly) | ¥247,100 | ¥237,890 | ¥251,000 | ◎¥296,000 |
| Average tenure | ◎17.0 yrs | 10.8 yrs | 12.8 yrs | 4.9 yrs |
| Average age | 40.8 | 38.9 | 40.5 | 43.1 |
| Employees | 7,861 | 4,023 | 981 | 278 |
Average salary is for the reporting (parent) company and is affected by average age and job mix. Holding companies with few employees are left out of the salary comparison.
Close (Oct 30, 2026)
¥3,747+16.5% (1Y)
Kao +16.5% over 1Y. Compared: Shiseido +49.1%, KOSÉ +2.9%, POLA ORBIS +8.9%.
Reference chart of daily closing prices, not real-time quotes (split-adjusted; weekly closes before the last year). Each line shows the % change from the start of the period. Updated Oct 30, 2026.
Kao7 segments
Shiseido6 segments
KOSÉ3 segments
POLA ORBIS3 segments
AAverage annual salary from the securities filings: Kao ¥8.11M, POLA ORBIS ¥7.66M, KOSÉ ¥7.47M, Shiseido ¥7.21M. Kao pays the most. Averages also depend on staff age and job mix, so check the average age too (Kao 40.8, Shiseido 38.9, KOSÉ 40.5, POLA ORBIS 43.1).
ARevenue in the latest results: Kao ¥1.7T, Shiseido ¥970.0B, KOSÉ ¥330.2B, POLA ORBIS ¥170.3B. Kao is the largest by revenue at ¥1.7T, followed by Shiseido (¥970.0B), KOSÉ (¥330.2B) and POLA ORBIS (¥170.3B).
AOperating margins: Kao 9.7%, POLA ORBIS 9.2%, KOSÉ 5.6%, Shiseido -3.0%. Kao turns the highest share of sales into operating profit.
AShare price change over the past year (closing prices, for reference): Shiseido +49.1%, Kao +16.5%, POLA ORBIS +8.9%, KOSÉ +2.9%. Shiseido has risen the most.
Comparing 4 companies (up to 4)
Sources: earnings releases (kessan tanshin), annual securities reports and other public information. Share prices are closing-price references, not real-time. Our data may contain errors; investment decisions are your own responsibility.
