Shabondama Soap

What Shabondama Soap does

Shabondama Soap (シャボン玉石けん株式会社) is a Kitakyushu, Japan-based manufacturer of additive-free bar and liquid soaps founded in 1910. The company uses the traditional "kenka-ho" (kettle-boiling) saponification method, a multi-day process that contrasts with continuous industrial detergent production, and has positioned its entire portfolio around a no-additives formulation since 1974. Its catalog spans 1,100+ SKUs including household bar soap, liquid detergent, body soap, bubble bath, skincare (Our SHABON), pet shampoo, UV sunscreen, and a soap-based fire extinguishing agent developed in a new Environmental Disaster Prevention Department established in November 2024. The company is also a contract / novelty soap supplier for B2B customers including JR West, TOTO, Toyota Home, BLUEZOO, Munamoto Taisha Shrine, and Shibaura Group, and exports to 9 countries. With 51-100 employees and ~80% brand awareness in Japan, Shabondama operates a hybrid consumer-brand and B2B specialty manufacturing model. The business is family-owned (Morita family), currently led by President Hayato Morita (since 2007), and is recognized by the Japan Atopic Association. Recent external validation includes selection for METI's "Habataku SMEs 300" 2025 list, and the company maintains a research collaboration with Hiroshima University (a published PLOS ONE paper on potassium oleate antiviral activity). The 1974 pivot to a strictly additive-free product line resulted in 34 consecutive years of operating losses, indicating a long-duration brand-building rather than short-term margin strategy.

Name

Shabondama Soap

Legal name

シャボン玉石けん株式会社

Website

https://shabon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Shabondama Soap is a 1910-founded, Kitakyushu-based Japanese manufacturer of additive-free soap using traditional kettle-boiling saponification, serving Japanese consumers across 1,100+ SKUs in household, personal care, and pet categories, plus B2B novelty soap for clients such as JR West and TOTO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care & Household Cleaning Products

NAICS

Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (325620)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Hand Soap & Hand Wash (CRABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dishwashing Bars & Solid Dish Soaps (CRAJABAD), Bathroom All-Purpose Cleaners (Multi-Surface) (CRAJAMAF)

Keywords

• Additive-free soap
• Laundry detergent
• Bath soap products
• Kitchen soap bars
• Natural skincare products

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitakyushu

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. E-commerce / Direct Sales: Direct consumer sales through the company's official online shop (shabon.com/shop) and telephone/FAX orders. Consumers can purchase individual items or subscribe through the 友の会 (Friends/Members) program, which offers a 10% discount on all products and additional perks.
2. Retail / Wholesale Distribution: Products sold through drugstores, supermarkets, home centers, and specialty stores across Japan. The company maintains listings with major retailers and nationwide chains.
3. Corporate / Novelty Goods (B2B): Custom-branded soap products sold to businesses for promotional purposes, corporate gifts, novelty items, and event distribution. Products include Bubble Guard hand soap and bathing soaps with custom packaging.
4. Furusato Nozei (Tax-Deductible Donation) Program: Products featured as return gifts in the Kitakyushu City Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) program, providing a third-party channel for product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shabondama Soap is a Japanese soap manufacturer founded in 1910 in Kitakyushu that produces additive-free soaps using traditional saponification methods. Its product range covers bath soaps, laundry detergents, kitchen soaps, and skincare items formulated without synthetic fragrances, colors, or preservatives. The company sells its own branded personal-care and household cleaning products directly to consumers.

Product overview

Shabondama Soap is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in additive-free soaps made using traditional kettle-boiling method (kenka-ho). The company produces over 1,100 products across multiple series: bath/body soaps, kitchen soaps, laundry detergents, skincare products, baby care, oral care (toothpaste), natural cleaning products, and pet care. Core philosophy emphasizes no synthetic additives (fragrances, colorings, synthetic surfactants, preservatives). Products include the traditional Bath Series, Additive-Free Series, Our SHABON skincare brand, Organic Series, Bubble Guard Series for sensitive skin, Baby Series, Soap Toothpaste Series, Sunol laundry line, Kitchen Soap Series, Natural Cleaning Series with baking soda/citric acid/oxygen bleach, EM Series, and Pet Family Shampoo. The company also offers novelty/corporate gift products and participates in tax donation programs through Kitakyushu City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our SHABON: Skincare brand launched in 2024 under the Shabondama Soap group, offering pure soap-based facial cleansing products.
• SHABONDAMA ORGANIC
• Bubble Guard (バブルガード)
• Sunol (スノール)
• Natural Cleaning Series (ナチュラルクリーニングシリーズ)
• EM Series

Products and services

• Additive-Free Bath Soap Bar
• Laundry Detergent (Liquid & Flake)
• Kitchen Soap
• Skincare Soap Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Potassium oleate shows 1,000x greater antiviral (influenza) efficacy than synthetic surfactants such as sodium laureth sulfate (lauareth sulfate Na) and sodium lauryl sulfate (lauryl sulfate Na)

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Kitakyushu City (北九州市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2019Shabondama Soap entered into a comprehensive SDG partnership agreement with Kitakyushu City, an SDG Future City. The partnership encompasses industrial tourism, donations to local children's meal programs (子ども食堂), environmental education, and development of soap-based fire extinguishing agents. The company is headquartered in Kitakyushu and participates in the city's Furusato Nozei program.
• Hiroshima University (広島大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Shabondama Soap collaborated with researchers at Hiroshima University to discover the oil composition that inactivates norovirus and other viruses, leading to the development of the Bubble Guard product line. The partnership resulted in a research paper on potassium oleate's antiviral mechanism published in PLOS ONE.
• Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本龍一)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1999Shabondama Soap served as a special sponsor of Ryuichi Sakamoto's opera 'LIFE' (1999), themed around symbiosis between humans and the environment. This marked the beginning of a long-term association between Sakamoto and the company. In 2019, the company conducted a 40th anniversary dialogue between President Hayato Morita and Sakamoto. Sakamoto has used Shabondama Soap products for 15+ years and advocates for additive-free living.
• Nagumo Clinic / Dr. Yoshinori Nagumo (ナグモクリニック / 南雲吉則)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Nagumo, a renowned breast surgeon and clinic director, personally experienced skin improvement through Shabondama Soap and became an advocate. He distributes company products and educational materials to patients, and has authored books recommending the company's approach. He provides medical expertise on the relationship between synthetic chemicals, skin health, and disease.
• Kitasato University (北里大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShabondama Soap collaborates with Kitasato University's research center for product testing and efficacy verification, including testing of the laundry槽 cleaner product for antibacterial effectiveness (北里環境科学センター調べ).
• Yurakkus Sauna (湯らっくす)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSummer 2025 collaboration between Yurakkus (dubbed the 'Western Holy Land of Sauna' in Kumamoto) and Shabondama Soap. The wellness facility used company products as amenities during the collaboration week, with promotional events and original collaborative goods sold at the venue.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shabondama_soap
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCi8aHvObovuR8RphyH8cGLg
• Facebookfacebook.com/shabondamasoap
• Instagraminstagram.com/shabondama_soap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shabondamasoap

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Shabondama Soap