What Afloat does

AFLOAT (operating company: Eternal Co., Ltd., 株式会社エターナル) is a Japanese premium hair salon brand headquartered in Tokyo that delivers haircutting, coloring, perming, treatment, head spa, and bridal hair services through a hybrid directly-operated, franchise (FC SALON), and collaboration-salon network. Its core footprint consists of 8 directly-operated salons in prime Tokyo districts (Ginza, Omotesando, Shinjuku, Kinshicho) and Kansai (Osaka Umeda, Kobe Sannomiya), plus 18+ FC franchise locations ("by AFLOAT" sub-brands such as ALICe, Maria, ciel, terra, amie, Wagon, Michelle, Lila, riko, 07, MYNE, Ange Reve, MIRI, Perfume, Livin, DELA, AFLOAT SHONAN, AFLOAT NAGANO, AFLOAT ASHIYA) and one collaboration salon (AFLOAT FUKUOKA); an overseas AFLOAT Hawaii Wedding branch serves destination brides. The brand's proprietary technical asset is a catalog of signature cutting and styling methods — the "顔まわりカット" (face-framing small-face cut), a portfolio of layer-cut variants (タッシリレイヤー, ひし形シルエットレイヤー, ハイレイヤー, ウルフレイヤー, フェイスレイヤー, ローレイヤー), Korean-style (ヨシノモリ/エギョモリ) execution, and acid-heat treatments — delivered by individually branded top stylists rather than a software or AI platform.

AFLOAT operates a hybrid physical-services + D2C-retail business model. Service revenue comes from per-visit transactional pricing on cut (¥4,180–¥11,000), color (¥9,900–¥13,200), perm (¥13,200–¥45,100), treatment (¥6,160–¥13,200), head spa (¥2,530–¥4,400), and bridal styling, with prices varying by stylist rank and a 5% facility service fee added on treatments since 2023-08-01. Retail revenue is generated by AFLOAT-branded premium hair care (Cueri shampoo ¥4,400, Habel hair mask ¥4,950, Emie oil ¥3,850) and authorized third-party brands (Kérastase, Magnet Hair Pro, EONNI) sold through Yahoo Shopping, Rakuten, and TikTok Shop storefronts. Customer acquisition is community-led and influencer-driven: official Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok channels plus individually branded stylist social accounts drive bookings via b-merit (online reservations) and beauty.hotpepper.jp (third-party booking aggregator for franchise locations). Primary customer segments are women aged 20s–30s seeking Korean/see-through/translucent trends and women aged 40s–60s seeking age-appropriate cuts and shine treatments; secondary segments include men, kids/families, and bridal customers. Co-branded POPUP collaborations with Milbon, ReFa, and Kérastase supplement brand and retail marketing.

Name

Afloat

Legal name

株式会社エターナル (Eternal Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://afloat.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AFLOAT (Eternal Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese premium hair salon brand operating 8 directly-operated salons, 18+ franchise locations, and one collaboration salon across Japan plus a Hawaii wedding branch, serving trend-focused and mature women with cut, color, perm, and treatment services, supported by branded D2C hair-care retail and stylist-driven social media marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hair Salon Services

NAICS

Hair, Nail, and Skin Care Services (81211), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Women's Hair Salons (HSALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bridal Hair Styling Services (HSALALAA), Conditioners & Hair Masks (CRABABAB), Hair Accessories (Clips, Bands, Headbands) (CRABAKAH)

Keywords

• Hair salon services
• Hair styling
• Bridal hair services
• Professional hair care
• Beauty salon network

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Salon service revenue: Core revenue from in-salon services: Cut (e.g., ¥6,600), Color (¥9,900~), Perm (¥19,800~), Treatment (¥6,600~), Head Spa (¥3,630~), Extension application, Bridal styling. Pricing varies by salon and stylist rank (e.g., Director/Top stylist cuts priced higher). A 5% facility service fee (施設サービス料) was added on top of treatment prices from August 1, 2023. One-time transactional per-visit pricing.
2. Retail product sales (in-salon): Sale of AFLOAT-branded premium hair care (Afloat Cueri shampoo ¥4,400, Afloat Habel hair mask ¥4,950, Afloat Emie Oil ¥3,850, Afloat Special Curl II ¥10,868) and third-party retail brands carried as an authorized partner (KERASTASE DP/CH/NU lines ¥3,760–¥5,640, Kérastase official partner; Magnet Hair Pro curling irons).
3. E-commerce retail (D2C): D2C product sales through AFLOAT STORE on Yahoo! Shopping, AFLOAT ONLINE STORE on Rakuten (rakuten.co.jp/afloat386), and AFLOAT TikTok Shop. Same product mix as in-salon retail.
4. Wedding / event services: Wedding hair and event services in Japan and through AFLOAT Hawaii Wedding (Hawaii branch, contact (808)462-2668) — premium destination wedding hair services.
5. Licensing / franchise and collaboration revenue: Revenue contribution from branded partner salons — "FC SALON" franchise locations (ALICe, Maria, ciel, Lila, terra, amie, Wagon, Michelle, riko, 07, MYNE, Ange Reve, MIRI, Perfume, Livin, DELA by AFLOAT) and "Collaboration Salon" partners (e.g., AFLOAT FUKUOKA) extending the AFLOAT brand beyond directly-operated locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

AFLOAT operates a network of directly-operated and franchise hair salons across Japan plus a Hawaii wedding branch, delivering in-salon cut, color, perm, treatment, head spa, extension and bridal styling services to individual consumers. Layered on top of the service business, AFLOAT sells its own-label premium hair care line (Cueri shampoo, Habel hair mask, Emie oil) and branded styling tools through AFLOAT STORE storefronts on Yahoo Shopping, Rakuten, and TikTok Shop, alongside authorized-retailer brands such as Kérastase.

Product overview

AFLOAT (運営: 株式会社エターナル / Eternal Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese hair salon brand rather than a software product: its core offering is a directly-operated multi-location salon service network (AFLOAT GINZA, Leino, TOKYO Smart Salon, D'L, RUVUA Smart Salon, pd+ KOBE Smart Salon, 大阪, 錦糸町, plus the AFLOAT Hawaii Wedding overseas branch), augmented by a separate FC/franchise tier (ALICe by AFLOAT, Maria, ciel, terra, amie, Wagon, Michelle, Lila, riko, 07, MYNE, Ange Reve, MIRI, SHONAN, Perfume, Livin, DELA, NAGANO, ASHIYA) and a single collaboration salon (AFLOAT FUKUOKA). Layered on top of this service business is the AFLOAT Premium retail product line — the in-house hair care trio キュエール shampoo, ハーベル hair mask, and エミエ hair oil, plus the branded styling tools 2way 前髪カーラー and エスペシャルカールII 38mm — which is sold through the cross-channel AFLOAT STORE storefronts on Yahoo Shopping, Rakuten Ichiba, and TikTok Shop alongside authorized third-party brands (Kérastase, Magnet Hair Pro, EONNI). Stylist portfolios are surfaced through the HAIR CATALOG / ALL STYLES content module, which links into B-merit-backed online booking for each stylist and location. There is no public API, no developer platform, and no native AI/ML functionality; AI capabilities, AI modalities, and software-engineering certifications are therefore not applicable to the AFLOAT offering as represented in the source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AFLOAT D'L (アフロート ディル): Omotesando relaxation salon sub-brand of AFLOAT, with 'D' meaning Design/Dream/Doctor and 'L' meaning Love/Live/Line.
• AFLOAT RUVUA Smart Salon (アフロート ルヴア スマートサロン)
• AFLOAT pd+ KOBE Smart Salon (アフロート ピーディープラス コウベ スマートサロン)

Products and services

• AFLOAT Salon Service Network (Cut, Color, Perm, Treatment, Head Spa, Extension, Bridal) A multi-location hair salon service covering cut (from ¥4,180 elementary to ¥11,000 designated stylist), color (¥9,680–¥27,500+), perm (¥6,600–¥45,100), digital/straight perm, treatment (¥5,500–¥33,000), head spa (¥2,530–¥4,400), extension application and bridal styling. Delivered across AFLOAT's directly-operated Tokyo (Ginza, Leino, TOKYO Smart Salon, D'L Omotesando, RUVUA Smart Salon Shinjuku, Kinshicho), Osaka, Kobe Sannomiya and Hawaii Wedding locations plus ~18+ FC franchise and one collaboration salon.
• AFLOAT Hawaii Wedding Bridal Service Overseas bridal and wedding hair service branch in Honolulu, Hawaii (contact (808) 462-2668), serving brides and wedding parties seeking destination-wedding hair services under the AFLOAT brand.
• AFLOAT Premium Hair Care Line (Cueri shampoo, Habel hair mask, Emie hair oil)
• AFLOAT Branded Styling Tools (2-way Bang Curler, Especial Curl II 38mm Curling Iron)
• FC SALON Franchise Network (by-AFLOAT licensed salons)
• AFLOAT FUKUOKA (Collaboration Salon)

Quantifiable outcome

• HPB AWARD National Rank #9 — stylist Mine Tomoya of AFLOAT RUVUA Smart Salon (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship brand partnership, flagship co-marketing partnership, core e-commerce distribution channel, core booking aggregator, core booking and crm platform and minor co-retail partnership.

• KERASTASE (Kérastase / L'Oréal)flagship brand partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFLOAT is officially listed as a "KERASTASE メーカー認証正規販売店" (Kérastase manufacturer-certified authorized retailer) on its Yahoo Shopping AFLOAT STORE. The storefront prominently features Kérastase DP, CH, and NU product lines as monthly top sellers.
• Milbon (ミルボン)flagship co-marketing partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded POPUP event "AFLOAT × Milbon × ReFa" collaboration POPUP 2nd edition announced 2026-06-10; Milbon is a leading Japanese professional hair-care manufacturer.
• ReFa (MTG)flagship co-marketing partnershipGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-branded POPUP event "AFLOAT × Milbon × ReFa" collaboration POPUP 2nd edition announced 2026-06-10; ReFa is MTG's premium beauty-device brand.
• Yahoo! Shopping (Yahoo Japan / LY Corporation)core e-commerce distribution channelChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFLOAT operates a dedicated "AFLOAT STORE YAHOO店" storefront on shopping.geocities.jp/afloat-store, where AFLOAT-branded and Kérastase / Magnet Hair Pro products are sold.
• Rakuten (Rakuten Group)core e-commerce distribution channelChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFLOAT operates a "AFLOAT ONLINE STORE" on Rakuten at rakuten.co.jp/afloat386, providing D2C product retail.
• TikTok (ByteDance) — TikTok Shopcore e-commerce distribution channelChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFLOAT has an official TikTok account (@afloat.official) and an official "TikTok Shop" storefront reachable from main navigation (vt.tiktok.com/ZS5XnpNGD/).
• Hot Pepper Beauty (Recruit)core booking aggregatorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple AFLOAT, FC SALON, and Collaboration Salon locations are listed and bookable via beauty.hotpepper.jp (e.g., slnH000741709 AFLOAT FUKUOKA, slnH000232151 terra by afloat, slnH000162680 amie by afloat, slnH000370234 Michelle by afloat, slnH000488087 riko by afloat, slnH000495671 07 by afloat, slnH000706947 MYNE by AFLOAT GINZA, slnH000688151 Ange Reve, slnH000614207 MIRI by AFLOAT, slnH000327727 AFLOAT SHONAN, slnH000627369 AFLOAT ASHIYA, slnH000560987 Livin by afloat, slnH000054145 Perfume by afloat).
• b-merit (salon booking/CRM platform)core booking and crm platformTechnology or IntegrationAFLOAT salons use b-merit for online reservations — every salon page links to its own b-merit WEB予約 URL (e.g., 52b808.b-merit.jp/i5tzd2 for AFLOAT GINZA, 2f23b0.b-merit.jp for AFLOAT pd+ KOBE Smart Salon). Stylist-specific reservation URLs are also hosted on b-merit (e.g., shop_user_id=78907 for Inoue Kouhei).
• Magnet Hair Pro (Areti)minor co-retail partnershipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFLOAT is an authorized retailer for Magnet Hair Pro CURL IRON 32mm (¥17,600), featured in the monthly ranking on AFLOAT STORE Yahoo! Shopping storefront.
• EONNIminor co-retail partnershipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFLOAT retails the EONNI ヘアロールブラシ (Korean-style hair roll brush) on its Yahoo! Shopping AFLOAT STORE (¥3,300).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ash (アッシュ): One of the largest Japanese hair salon chains, operating hundreds of directly-owned and FC salons across Japan with comparable premium-positioned brands (Ash, Buca, Neolive) and a similar influencer-stylist marketing approach. Directly comparable in scale, footprint, and service mix.
• EARTH (アース): Large multi-brand Japanese salon chain (EARTH, Cloe, etc.) operating directly-owned and franchise salons nationwide with a comparable premium-to-mid price menu and broad customer-segment focus including women, men, and bridal. Closest large-scale competitor to AFLOAT's hybrid direct/FC model.
• TREE (ツリー): Japanese premium hair salon group operating directly-operated and FC salons in Tokyo and major regional cities, with a comparable stylist-led brand and trend-focused positioning. Direct competitor in the same premium urban segment.
• MINX (ミンクス): Tokyo-based premium hair salon brand with multiple Ginza/Aoyama/Omotesando locations and a comparable influencer-stylist–driven brand identity. Direct competitor in the same premium Ginza/Omotesando micro-market that anchors AFLOAT's brand.
• GARDEN (ガーデン): Tokyo-based premium hair salon group with directly-operated and FC salons across Tokyo and regional Japan, focused on trend-driven styling and stylist-as-brand marketing. Comparable premium positioning and stylist-driven model.
• ORIENS (オリエンス): Japanese premium hair salon chain with a network of directly-operated and FC salons in major urban areas, offering comparable cut/color/treatment/bridal services at premium price points. Direct competitor in the same premium Japanese salon market.
• LIPPS (リップス): Tokyo-based premium hair salon brand with multiple locations in Omotesando/Aoyama/Ginza and a stylist-as-influencer marketing model. Direct competitor in the same premium Tokyo micro-market as AFLOAT D'L and AFLOAT GINZA.
• ZEST (ゼスト): Japanese hair salon group operating premium directly-operated and FC salons across Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities, with comparable styling, color, and bridal service menus. Direct competitor in the same premium Japanese salon category.
• PLAGE (プラージュ): Large Japanese hair salon chain with extensive directly-owned and franchise locations nationwide, offering comparable cut/color/treatment services with a focus on accessibility and broad customer-segment reach. Broader-market peer to AFLOAT's premium positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Mod's Hair Japan (モッズヘア): International premium hair salon franchise with a long-established Japanese footprint and a comparable premium-positioned service menu plus branded retail products. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same Japanese premium hair salon category.

Market position

Strengths7 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AFLOATOFFICIAL
• Instagraminstagram.com/afloatofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Afloat