Headlight
Headlight is a Japanese beauty services group operating approximately 160-200 hair and eyelash salon locations across all 47 prefectures, serving individual retail consumers through multiple sub-brands and a ~1,000-stylist commission-based contractor network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersMinato, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Headlight does
Headlight Inc. (株式会社ヘッドライト) is a Japanese beauty services group operating approximately 160-200 hair and eyelash salon locations across all 47 prefectures of Japan, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company serves individual retail consumers seeking haircuts, coloring, perming, hair-quality improvement treatments, and eyelash services, delivered through a portfolio of differentiated sub-brands including Moana, ursus, clan, soen, RAYGLOW, lueur, and FLAG, each positioned to capture distinct customer style and price segments. Stylist supply is sourced primarily through its owned training academy, TOKYO BEAUTY INSTITUTE (TBI), which runs an accelerated 4-month curriculum and feeds directly into Headlight's network of ~1,000 stylists nationwide.
The business model is anchored on a business entrustment (業務委託) independent contractor structure, where stylists earn commissions ranging from 42% to 74% of service revenue, converting fixed labor costs into variable, performance-linked compensation. Customer acquisition and reservations flow primarily through the HOT PEPPER Beauty marketplace platform, which functions as the dominant booking channel. Secondary revenue streams include proprietary retail products under THE PROFESSIONAL HAIR CARE line, distributed through salons, and ancillary partnerships such as the Mama Square childcare initiative aimed at retaining female stylists post-maternity leave. Headlight was recognized as BEST BEAUTY COMPANY 2026 and has historically received funding from AZ-Star Co., Ltd. in February 2021, with ongoing multi-prefecture store openings through 2026 indicating a continuing physical-network expansion strategy.
Headlight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Headlight
- Legal name
- 株式会社ヘッドライト
- Website
- https://headlight-inc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Headlight is a Japanese beauty services group operating approximately 160-200 hair and eyelash salon locations across all 47 prefectures, serving individual retail consumers through multiple sub-brands and a ~1,000-stylist commission-based contractor network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Headlight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hair Salon Services
- NAICS
- Beauty Salons (812112)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Women's Hair Salons (HSALAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Haircutting & Styling Services (HSALAAAD), Hair Coloring & Highlights Services (HSALAAAE)
Keywords
Where Headlight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minato
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Headlight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Hair Salon Services (Styling, Coloring, Perms): Revenue is generated from hair salon services including cutting, coloring, perming, and treatments at group salons across Japan. The company operates a commission-based contractor model for stylists (業務委託), with commission rates from 42% to 74% based on sales volume.
- Eyelash and Nail Salon Services: Some group salons offer combined eyelash and nail services, generating additional service revenue.
- Product Sales (店販): Salons sell hair care products (e.g., hair wax, hair oil, treatments) to clients, with a 20% product sales commission for stylists.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Commission-based contractor (業務委託): 42%–74% commission rate |
| Subscription | Monthly | Regular employee (正社員): Starting salary ¥259,000/month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Headlight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HEADLIGHT Inc. operates a multi-brand network of approximately 160–200 hair, eyelash, nail, and men's grooming salons across all 47 prefectures of Japan. The company offers hair cutting, coloring, perming, hair quality improvement treatments, eyelash extensions, and nail services through distinct sub-brands targeting different customer segments. Headlight also runs a proprietary beauty academy (TOKYO BEAUTY INSTITUTE / TBI) for stylist training and sells professional hair care products through its salons and online channel.
Product overview
HEADLIGHT is a Japanese hair salon group operating multiple sub-brands including hair salons (Moana, ursus, clan, clan en., soen, lueur, RAYGLOW, FLAG, Tigle, AROLA, Ursus hair Design), eyelash salons (lit., Moana eyelash, Ma Vie eyelash, RAYGLOW eyelash), nail & eyelash combination salons (Moana nail & eyelash), and a men's hair salon (Osmann). The group also operates a proprietary beauty academy (TOKYO BEAUTY INSTITUTE/TBI) for stylist training and sells hair care products (THE PROFESSIONAL HAIR CARE). Customers can book through HOT PEPPER Beauty platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TOKYO BEAUTY INSTITUTE (TBI): Proprietary beauty academy that trains stylists, offering courses such as Stylist Training Course (BASIC) and Cut Specialist Course (BASIC), enabling fastest stylist debut in 4 months.
- H.L ACADEMY
- Moana by HEADLIGHT
- ursus by HEADLIGHT
- soen by HEADLIGHT
- clan by HEADLIGHT
- RAYGLOW by HEADLIGHT
- lueur by HEADLIGHT
- FLAG by HEADLIGHT
- lit.
- Tigle by HEADLIGHT
- clan en. by HEADLIGHT
- Moana nail & eyelash by HEADLIGHT
- Moana eyelash by HEADLIGHT
- Moana Lua by HEADLIGHT
- Ma Vie eyelash by HEADLIGHT
- RAYGLOW eyelash by HEADLIGHT
- ursus hair Design by HEADLIGHT
- ursus hair Living by HEADLIGHT
- ursus hair salone by HEADLIGHT
- ursus hair cose by HEADLIGHT
- soen × clover by HEADLIGHT
- soen hair bloom by HEADLIGHT
- soen hair eight by HEADLIGHT
- Tino by soen HEADLIGHT
- hair flores by HEADLIGHT
- AROLA by HEADLIGHT
- Hair Salon F +Moana by HEADLIGHT
- yulrica
- THE CLAN by HEADLIGHT
- Osmann Men's Hair Salon
- BONIA by HEADLIGHT
- THE PROFESSIONAL HAIR CARE
Products and services
- Moana by HEADLIGHT Hair salon sub-brand specializing in next-generation hair quality improvement (次世代髪質改善), Korean-style layer cuts, translucent coloring, and face-framing layer cuts for a small-face effect. Targets trend-conscious adult customers.
- ursus by HEADLIGHT Hair salon sub-brand offering styling and trend-focused services with personalized consultations.
- clan by HEADLIGHT Hair salon sub-brand with experienced stylists providing lifestyle-oriented styling recommendations. Includes combined beauty/barber format (THE CLAN by HEADLIGHT).
- soen by HEADLIGHT Established hair salon sub-brand under the HEADLIGHT group.
- lueur by HEADLIGHT Hair salon sub-brand focusing on personal style matching and a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere.
- RAYGLOW by HEADLIGHT Hair salon sub-brand offering professional hair coloring and styling services.
- lit. (リット)
Companies that use Headlight
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Headlight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Headlight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mama Square (ママスクエア)coreHEADLIGHT partnered with Mama Square to provide childcare spaces at select salon locations, enabling stylists (primarily mothers) to work near their children. The partnership aims to help female stylists continue their beauty careers after childbirth by creating a work environment where children can be near their mothers. FLAG by HEADLIGHT長岡花園店 is the first location to offer this service, with plans to expand to more locations.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Headlight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Regis Corporation: US-listed global owner of multiple salon brands (SmartStyle, Cost Cutters, Supercuts) operating thousands of locations; comparable as a multi-brand salon roll-up, though focused on North America rather than Japan.
- Great Clips Inc. Largest US hair salon franchise with 4,000+ locations; comparable as a multi-brand-adjacent national salon operator with central marketing and franchise-style geographic density, though franchised rather than directly operated.
- Toni&Guy (TIGI / Mascolo Group): Global hairdressing brand with branded salons and academies across multiple countries; comparable as a multi-location salon operator with proprietary training and brand-led customer acquisition, though global rather than Japan-focused.
- Aoyama Shoji (Aoyama Total Beauty): Primarily a men's apparel company that operates Aoyama Total Beauty salons in Japan; overlaps with HEADLIGHT in hair salon services but is part of a much broader apparel-and-beauty portfolio rather than a focused salon operator.
Direct peers
- Heaven Inc. (ヘヴン): Multi-brand Japanese hair salon group with national presence; comparable in operating multi-brand salons aimed at trend-conscious consumers with similar contractor-based stylist recruitment.
- ARCREW Inc. (アークニュー): Japanese salon group operating brands such as Koe and FIVE; comparable in running a multi-brand portfolio of hair salons across Japan targeting different customer aesthetics and price tiers.
- ALBUM Inc. (アルバム): Japanese salon operator running multiple sub-brands across Japan; comparable in scale, multi-brand segmentation, and trend-led stylist services targeting fashion-conscious urban consumers.
- NBK Co., Ltd. (AUBE): Operator of the AUBE hair salon brand and related beauty education businesses; directly comparable multi-location Japanese salon operator with similar stylist training and franchise-like growth profile.
- Seiyo Kankyo Kaihatsu (西洋環境開発): Operator of Ocean Tokyo, AFLOAT, and other high-end Japanese salon brands; comparable in operating national multi-brand hair salons serving fashion-forward consumers in major Japanese metros.
- Ash Inc. (Ash / アッシュ): One of Japan's largest multi-brand salon groups (Ash, Luana, Geo, etc.), operating hundreds of locations nationwide with a comparable commission-based stylist model and similar multi-brand market segmentation strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Headlight social profiles
Digital presenceHeadlight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Headlight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Headlight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Headlight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Headlight
What does Headlight do?
HEADLIGHT Inc. operates a multi-brand network of approximately 160–200 hair, eyelash, nail, and men's grooming salons across all 47 prefectures of Japan. The company offers hair cutting, coloring, perming, hair quality improvement treatments, eyelash extensions, and nail services through distinct sub-brands targeting different customer segments. Headlight also runs a proprietary beauty academy (TOKYO BEAUTY INSTITUTE / TBI) for stylist training and sells professional hair care products through its salons and online channel.
Is Headlight a public or private company?
Headlight is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Headlight founded?
Headlight was founded in 2009.
Where is Headlight based?
Headlight is headquartered in Minato, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Headlight make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hair Salon Services (Styling, Coloring, Perms) is the primary driver. The others are eyelash and Nail Salon Services and product Sales (店販).
Who are Headlight's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Regis Corporation, Great Clips Inc., Toni&Guy (TIGI / Mascolo Group) and Aoyama Shoji (Aoyama Total Beauty). Direct peers are Heaven Inc. (ヘヴン), ARCREW Inc. (アークニュー), ALBUM Inc. (アルバム), NBK Co., Ltd. (AUBE), Seiyo Kankyo Kaihatsu (西洋環境開発) and Ash Inc. (Ash / アッシュ).
Does Headlight have an API?
No public API is recorded for Headlight.
What industry is Headlight in?
Headlight's product category is Hair Salon Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSALAAAA, Women's Hair Salons, with a secondary code of HSALAAAD, Haircutting & Styling Services. Its NAICS code is 812112.