TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 18, 2026--
Kao Corporation (TOKYO:4452) today announced that its skincare brand Bioré will accelerate its international expansion as it enters the South Korean market and rolls out a globally unified campaign.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260318478193/en/
As a core brand under Kao’s “Global Sharp Top” strategy—aimed at establishing leadership in key market segments through high-value products—Bioré plays a central role in driving the company’s global growth. Currently available in 66 countries and regions across Asia, the Americas, and Europe, the brand has steadily strengthened its global presence. Building on this foundation, the latest initiatives are designed to further expand Bioré’s footprint across Asia and accelerate its growth worldwide.
Strategic Entry into the South Korean Market
South Korea is a strategically important and highly influential market in the global beauty and skincare industry, serving as a key hub for global trends and consumer standards. The suncare segment in particular ranks among the largest globally and continues to grow.
Leveraging its proprietary technology, Bioré offers high-performance sunscreens that combine high-level UV protection with an exceptionally lightweight feel. By entering the globally influential K-beauty market, Bioré aims to further strengthen trust in its technological expertise and enhance brand credibility on a global scale.
Success in Korea will serve as a strategic springboard for broader expansion across Asia and other international markets.
Global Campaign Featuring Stray Kids to Launch
Coinciding with its entry into South Korea, Bioré will launch a global campaign centered on Bioré UV. For the second consecutive year, the campaign will feature Stray Kids as its face and will roll out simultaneously across more than 15 countries and regions where Bioré UV is available. Through its ongoing collaboration with Stray Kids—a globally acclaimed group with a strong fan base spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas—Bioré aims to further expand its connection with consumers worldwide.
In recent years, rising global temperatures driven by climate change and shifts in UV conditions have led to growing emphasis on limiting outdoor activities and avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun. Against this backdrop, Bioré is redefining the sun as a spotlight that empowers you to shine. Under the global message, “SUNLIGHT IS YOUR SPOTLIGHT.”, the brand aims to encourage people around the world to step confidently into the sun.
Beginning with the “YOUR ONE AND ONLY. Bioré Global Brand Event”, to be held on March 19, 2026, in Seongsu, Seoul—one of South Korea’s most vibrant cultural hubs—and bringing together influencers from key markets around the world, Bioré will anchor its campaign in globally unified creative assets while layering locally optimized initiatives tailored to each market. The brand will also partner with influencers across multiple markets to deliver engaging, culturally relevant content.
Through its multi-layered approach, Bioré will communicate across borders the unique value of Bioré UV—the combination of superior UV protection and a lightweight, refreshing feel—strengthening its global brand identity and maximizing engagement worldwide.
Campaign Overview
The campaign will feature a range of integrated initiatives, including an anthem film, out-of-home advertising, global graphic rollouts, social media content and campaigns, and pop-up store activations in select markets.
Products to be Launched in South Korea
*Available from March 2026 onward
Emi Kobayashi, President, Skincare Business, Kao Corporation (Bioré), said:
“Global marketing plays a central role in accelerating Bioré’s growth. By bringing together Bioré UV—backed by our proprietary, world-class UV sunscreen technology—and Stray Kids, a group that continues to evolve on the global stage, we aim to establish Bioré’s position as a global leader.
Our entry into the South Korean market is a pivotal step toward expanding our business across Asia and advancing our broader global growth strategy. Going forward, we will continue to refine our technological expertise and build a brand that is trusted by consumers around the world.”
About Stray Kids
Stray Kids is a South Korean boy group under JYP Entertainment that debuted in 2018. The name “Stray Kids” reflects the idea of breaking away from outdated traditions, conventions, and systems to forge their own path.
They are heavily involved in self-producing their music and writing their own lyrics. In 2025, they became the holder of the record for the best-selling K-pop album in the United States. Their November release, SKZ IT TAPE “DO IT,” debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, marking their eighth consecutive album to debut atop the chart. This milestone makes Stray Kids the first act in history to debut at No.1 with eight consecutive albums and further establishes them among the top-charting groups of the 2000s on the Billboard 200.
Last year, the group successfully completed its largest world tour to date, “Stray Kids World Tour <dominATE>.” Their popularity now extends beyond Korea and Japan, reaching audiences worldwide, including the United States.
About Bioré
Bioré is a global skincare brand of Kao Corporation, offering high-performance facial cleansing, pore care, body care, and UV protection products designed to fit seamlessly into everyday life. Leveraging proprietary technologies developed through Kao’s long-standing research expertise, Bioré offers solutions that combine effectiveness with a comfortable feel, tailored to diverse skin needs.
Available in 66 countries and regions across Asia, the Americas, and Europe, Bioré continues to grow its global presence and to be chosen by consumers worldwide.
About Kao
Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of cosmetics, personal care and household products, as well as specialty chemicals, creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Curél, SENSAI, and MOLTON BROWN cosmetics, Bioré and Jergens skin care products, Oribe hair care products, Attack laundry detergent, and Laurier sanitary products, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,690 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 31,500 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation.
Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.
Image of Bioré & Stray Kids
Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union.
The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to alter memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and has been long revered by many Democratic leaders in the U.S.
In a statement released Wednesday, Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.
Huerta described two sexual encounters with Chavez, one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”
“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way,” she said.
Huerta, who is a labor rights legend in her own right, joined Chavez in 1962 to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America.
For many, they were akin to Martin Luther King. Jr. and Rosa Parks because of their work advocating for racial equality and civil rights.
The New York Times first reported Wednesday that it found Chavez groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement. Huerta, too, revealed to the newspaper that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s.
Huerta later said both sexual encounters with Chavez led to pregnancies, which she kept secret, and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families. “No one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago,” she said in her statement.
Huerta said she did not know that Chavez hurt other women and condemned his actions but emphasized that the farmworker movement is bigger than one person.
“César’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people,” Huerta said in her statement. “We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.”
Chavez's family said in a statement that they are devastated by the news and “wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward.”
“We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people,” the statement said.
Streets, schools and parks across the Southwest bear Chavez’s name. California became the first state to commemorate his birthday, and in 2014, then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national César Chavez Day.
President Joe Biden had a bronze bust of Chavez installed in the Oval Office when he moved into the White House. Neither Biden nor Obama have yet commented on the allegations.
But otherwise, reactions Wednesday were swift from many in both parties.
Days before the allegations were revealed publicly, several César Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and in his home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the César Chavez Foundation. Organizers of canceled events did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state will not observe the César Chavez Day holiday and that he will urge the state Legislature to remove it altogether.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was still processing the news. The Democratic governor wouldn’t commit to making any changes to the state holiday, saying the farmworker movement was much more than Chavez. “It’s about labor. It’s about social justice, economic justice, racial justice.”
A spokesperson for Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she has declined to recognize March 31 as César Chavez Day as she has in the two prior years. César Chavez Day isn’t a state holiday in Arizona.
Next week, the Phoenix City Council is set to vote on whether to rename the March 31 holiday, as well as buildings and city streets that bear Chavez’s name. The mayor and two city council members want the holiday to be renamed Farmworkers Day.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller ordered a review of how Chavez is recognized across the city. And U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, said: “His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions and honors."
Born in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up in a Mexican American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Chavez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
The César Chavez Foundation pledged unequivocal support for the labor leader’s victims on Wednesday and said that -- with the Chavez family’s support -- the organization will figure out its identity going forward.
“We are committed to restorative justice and healing for those who have been harmed, and to ensure our organization reflects the dignity and safety every person deserves,” the foundation said in a statement.
Latino leaders and community groups are now weighing the impact of Chavez's actions on the labor rights movement while emphasizing that the farmworker movement was led by thousands who came together to fight for justice.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights organization, released a statement condemning any form of sexual violence, stating that “no individual, regardless of statue or legacy is above accountability.” Similarly, leaders from the nonprofit Voto Latino said in a statement that no matter his legacy or historical framing Chavez’s actions are inexcusable. But, they said, the news does not erase the work done by others.
“The women who organized, marched, and sacrificed alongside farmworkers carried this movement on their backs,” Voto Latino said.
U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued a statement saying she was heartbroken and deeply disturbed by the stories of women who say they were abused.
The United Farm Workers union quickly distanced itself from annual celebrations of its founder, calling the allegations troubling.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said allegations of “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough to urge people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Chavez’s legacy.
Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, Calif.; Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles; Felicia Fonseca and Jacques Billeaud in Arizona contributed to this report.
FILE - Dolores Huerta, the Mexican-American social activist who formed a farm workers union with Cesar Chavez, stands for the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish while visiting the New Mexico Statehouse in Santa Fe. N.M., on Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)
FILE - United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta, center, leads a rally in San Francisco's Mission District on Nov. 19, 1988, along with Howard Wallace, president of the San Francisco chapter of the UFW, left, and Maria Elena Chavez, 16, the daughter of Cesar Chavez, right, as part of a national boycott of what the UFW claims is the dangerous use of pesticides on table grapes. (AP Photo/Court Mast, File)
FILE - United Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez talks to striking Salinas Valley farmworkers during a large rally in Salinas, Calif., on March 7, 1979. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
Civil rights leader Cesar Chavez leads a picket against Dole in front of the offices of Castle & Cooke, its parent company, at 50 California St. in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 1982. The United Farm Workers are sponsoring a consumer boycott on Dole products where 300 union members from Ventura, Calif., have been on strike since November. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Civil rights leader Cesar Chavez leads a picket against Dole in front of the offices of Castle & Cooke, its parent company, at 50 California St. in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 1982. The United Farm Workers are sponsoring a consumer boycott on Dole products where 300 union members from Ventura, Calif., have been on strike since November. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A statue of farmworker union leader César Chávez stands in a plaza named after him in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)
FILE - Dolores Huerta, the labor leader, civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, is seen at the California Democratic Party's 2025 State Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Books about Cesar Chavez are seen on a library shelf at San Lorenzo High School Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in San Lorenzo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about the sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez during a press conference at San Lorenzo High School, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in San Lorenzo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
FILE - Cesar Chavez, a farm worker, labor organizer and leader of the California grape strike, is seen in a California works office in 1965. (AP Photo, George Brich, File)
