Kaos Softwear
Kaos Softwear is a Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer founded in 2002 that produces medical implant-grade silicone body jewelry. The company sells flexible eyelets, retainers, plugs, and related piercing products direct-to-consumers online and wholesale to professional piercing studios worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kaos Softwear does
Kaos Softwear is a Portland, Oregon-headquartered manufacturer founded in 2002 by Jesse Jarrell and Steve Haworth that produces medical implant-grade silicone body jewelry. The company pioneered the flexible silicone eyelet category in 2002 and currently offers a diversified product portfolio spanning skin eyelets (Basic, UV, Metallic, Pearl, Over 1", and 1/4" Wear variants), Heart Retainers (covered by US Patent No. 10,357,086), Hook Retainers, Hider Plugs, Hydras, Hollow Plugs, Tunnels, Saddles, and color-reactive Solar Skin Eyelets. All products are manufactured domestically in the United States using batch-tested implant-grade silicone compliant with California Prop 65 restrictions on lead, phthalates, and cadmium. The company serves two customer segments: individual consumers with metal allergies or sensitivities seeking comfortable body jewelry for healed piercings, and professional piercing studios that stock the line as wholesale inventory.
The company operates a dual-channel go-to-market model. Direct-to-consumer sales run through a BigCommerce-hosted e-commerce storefront with unit prices ranging from $5.99 to $14.99, accepting credit cards, PayPal, and Afterpay. Wholesale distribution targets professional piercing studios globally and requires a physical studio location with an active piercer for account qualification, with all wholesale orders shipping exclusively to studio addresses rather than residences. Pricing is unit-based with no recurring or subscription revenue mechanics, supplemented by digital gift certificates (365-day expiry) and a custom "Kustom" order program with 4-6 week lead times. Marketing channels are limited to the owned storefront and the wholesale partner network; no paid acquisition, social, or app presence is in evidence.
Kaos Softwear has remained privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped since inception, with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity. Headcount is in the 11-50 range. As of March 16, 2026, the company publicly disclosed that it was managing a staffing shortage, downsizing, and "profit evaporation," resulting in retail order processing delays of approximately two weeks and wholesale order delays exceeding one month. The company is prioritizing wholesale fulfillment over retail during this period and has limited customer communications accordingly.
Kaos Softwear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kaos Softwear
- Legal name
- Kaos Softwear
- Website
- https://kaossoftwear.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kaos Softwear is a Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer founded in 2002 that produces medical implant-grade silicone body jewelry. The company sells flexible eyelets, retainers, plugs, and related piercing products direct-to-consumers online and wholesale to professional piercing studios worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kaos Softwear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Silicone Body Jewelry
- NAICS
- Jewelry Retailers (45831)
- SIC
- Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Body Jewelry (Piercing Jewelry; Non-precious) (CRAKABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Custom Body Jewelry & Piercing Jewelry (Made-to-Measure) (CRAKAHAL)
Keywords
Where Kaos Softwear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kaos Softwear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Direct Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through e-commerce website. Products sold individually with prices ranging from $5.99 to $14.99+. Accepts major credit cards, PayPal, and Afterpay.
- Wholesale to Piercing Studios: B2B wholesale distribution to piercing studios worldwide. Requires physical studio location and active piercer for account qualification. All wholesale orders ship to studio location only.
- Gift Certificates: Digital gift certificates available for purchase in various denominations. Expire after 365 days and are non-refundable.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Saddles - $10.99 per item |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hydras - $12.99 per item |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Heart Retainers - $5.99 per item |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Over 1" Skin Eyelets - $14.99 per item |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kustom Orders - 2-3 weeks lead time |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Kaos Softwear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kaos Softwear manufactures medical-grade, implant-grade silicone body jewelry for body piercings from its Portland, Oregon facility. The portfolio spans skin eyelets, retainers (including a patented heart-shaped design), hiders, hydras, hollow plugs, tunnels, saddles, and seasonal solar color-changing eyelets, all batch-tested and made in the USA. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's e-commerce site and wholesale to piercing studios worldwide.
Product overview
Kaos Softwear is a Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer specializing in premium silicone body jewelry. The company offers a diversified product portfolio centered around medical-grade, implant-grade silicone body modification products. Their core offerings include Skin Eyelets (in Basic, UV, Metallic, Pearl, Over 1", and 1/4" Wear variants), Retainers (Heart Retainers with patented design and Hook Retainers), Hiders (discreet Hider Plugs), Hydras, Plugs (Hollow Plugs), Tunnels, and Saddles. The company also releases seasonal products like Blue Solar Skin Eyelets that react to sunlight. All products are manufactured in the USA using batch-tested implant-grade silicone that complies with California Prop 65 and restricts lead, phthalates, and cadmium. Kaos serves both retail customers and wholesale piercing studios globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Basic Skin Eyelets Ultra thin-walled silicone eyelet with subtle flares designed for comfort, nearly imperceptible when worn in healed piercings. Made from implant-grade silicone for consumers with metal allergies or sensitivities.
- UV Skin Eyelets Skin eyelets that glow under ultraviolet light, available in UV Magenta, UV Green, UV Orange, UV Yellow, UV Red, and UV Purple colorways. Ultra thin-walled silicone for healed piercings.
- Metallic Skin Eyelets Skin eyelets with metallic finish for a polished appearance, manufactured from implant-grade silicone for a metal-look without metal-skin contact.
- Pearl Skin Eyelets Skin eyelets with pearl-like finish, available in Emerald, Sea Blue, Shell Pink, Maroon, Cobalt, and Sea Foam colors.
- Over 1" Skin Eyelets Skin eyelets for larger piercings over 1 inch with 3/8 inch wearing surface, available in Royal Purple and White Pearl. Priced at $14.99 per item.
- 1/4" Wear Skin Eyelets Skin eyelets designed for thinner ear lobes with 1/4 inch wearing surface.
- Blue Solar Skin Eyelets Solar-powered skin eyelets that change color in seconds when exposed to sunlight. Ultra thin-walled with subtle flares, part of the Seasonal category.
- Heart Retainers Heart-shaped silicone retainer with an innovative collapsible design that collapses when pinched together for easier insertion and opens to create a flare that holds the jewelry in place. Available with Parylene coating. Priced at $5.99 per item.
- Hook Retainers Traditional hook-style retainers with silicone comfort, available in 18g with 1/4", 5/16", and 3/8" wearing surfaces for discreet healed-piercing wear.
- Hider Plugs Discreet silicone plugs designed to mask the obviousness of piercings, with matte solid front and hollow backing for easy insertion. Multiple versions available for professional and discreet wear.
- Hydras Subtle tear-drop shaped silicone jewelry, thicker than skin eyelets yet equally comfortable. Available in Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Copper finishes. Priced at $12.99 per item.
- Hollow Plugs Silicone plugs with matte solid front and hollow back for easy insertion. Available in Blue.
- Tunnels Silicone tunnels with matching front/back flare and matte finish. Available in sizes from 6g to 1 inch for stretched ear piercings.
- Saddles Silicone jewelry pieces designed to evenly distribute the weight of hanging jewelry, with balanced wall thickness and flare depth, tapering to a smooth point. Priced at $10.99 per item.
- Kustom Orders Bespoke silicone body jewelry pieces made to individual customer specifications with a 2-3 week production lead time (4-6 weeks when combined with regular catalog items).
Quantifiable outcome
- First flexible silicone eyelets introduced to body jewelry industry
Companies that use Kaos Softwear
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kaos Softwear technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kaos Softwear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Kaos Softwear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Anatometal: Anatometal is a U.S.-based premium body jewelry manufacturer producing titanium, gold, and niobium pieces for professional piercing studios worldwide. Like Kaos Softwear, Anatometal serves the same piercing-studio wholesale channel and competes for shelf space at high-end studios, but focuses on precious-metal pieces rather than silicone.
- Industrial Strength: Industrial Strength is a well-established body jewelry manufacturer selling titanium and steel jewelry through piercing studios globally. It is directly comparable to Kaos Softwear as a wholesale-driven brand in the same professional piercing channel, though it competes primarily in metal rather than silicone jewelry.
- Neometal: Neometal manufactures implant-grade titanium body jewelry for professional piercers and studios. It overlaps directly with Kaos Softwear on the medical-grade safety positioning and the piercing-studio wholesale channel, but competes in metal jewelry rather than silicone eyelets and retainers.
- Gorilla Glass: Gorilla Glass is a borosilicate glass body jewelry brand offering plugs and eyelets through piercing studios and online retail. It is comparable to Kaos Softwear as a non-metal alternative body jewelry maker targeting the same metal-allergy-conscious consumer.
- Glasswear Studios: Glasswear Studios produces handcrafted glass body jewelry (plugs, eyelets, tunnels) sold through piercing studios and retailers. It is directly comparable to Kaos Softwear as a non-metal body jewelry manufacturer serving the same piercing-studio wholesale channel.
- Body Vision Los Angeles (BVLA): BVLA is a luxury body jewelry manufacturer specializing in high-end gold and gemstone pieces sold through piercing studios. It targets the same professional piercing wholesale channel as Kaos Softwear but operates at a significantly higher price point in precious materials.
- Buddha Jewelry Organics: Buddha Jewelry Organics designs and manufactures body jewelry with a focus on organic shapes and precious materials for the piercing industry. It is comparable to Kaos Softwear as a brand-driven wholesale body jewelry maker serving the same piercing-studio channel.
- Junipurr Jewelry: Junipurr produces premium gold body jewelry for the professional piercing industry with a focus on threadless and fixed-design ends. It competes with Kaos Softwear for piercing-studio wholesale relationships but serves the precious-metal end of the category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kaos Softwear social profiles
Digital presenceKaos Softwear compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Kaos Softwear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kaos Softwear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Kaos Softwear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kaos Softwear 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 Kaos Softwear
What does Kaos Softwear do?
Kaos Softwear manufactures medical-grade, implant-grade silicone body jewelry for body piercings from its Portland, Oregon facility. The portfolio spans skin eyelets, retainers (including a patented heart-shaped design), hiders, hydras, hollow plugs, tunnels, saddles, and seasonal solar color-changing eyelets, all batch-tested and made in the USA. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's e-commerce site and wholesale to piercing studios worldwide.
Is Kaos Softwear a public or private company?
Kaos Softwear is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kaos Softwear founded?
Kaos Softwear was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kaos Softwear based?
Kaos Softwear is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kaos Softwear make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Direct Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale to Piercing Studios and gift Certificates.
Who are Kaos Softwear's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Anatometal, Industrial Strength, Neometal, Gorilla Glass, Glasswear Studios, Body Vision Los Angeles (BVLA), Buddha Jewelry Organics and Junipurr Jewelry.
Does Kaos Softwear have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kaos Softwear.
What industry is Kaos Softwear in?
Kaos Softwear's product category is Silicone Body Jewelry. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKABAG, Body Jewelry (Piercing Jewelry; Non-precious), with a secondary code of CRAKAHAL, Custom Body Jewelry & Piercing Jewelry (Made-to-Measure). Its NAICS code is 45831 and its SIC code is 3960.