Yoko

What Yoko does

Yoko (株式会社洋光, Yoko, Corp.) is a privately-held Japanese importer, manufacturer-marketer, and distributor of cosmetics, health-related products, oral care, beauty accessories, and household/kitchen daily goods, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company functions as the Japan-market bridge for premium Korean beauty brands, holding exclusive importer and/or manufacturing authorization (製造販売元) for TONYMOLY's BI.DAMOA high-prestige line, LABIOTTE skincare device products, and MED:ALL haircare (developed with Cosmax, Korea's largest cosmetics manufacturer). Each new brand is launched via exclusive advance sales (先行販売) on Shop Channel (Jupiter Shop Channel) before expanding into TV shopping networks (TV Tokyo, Grand Marche, Lopping Life, Yomiuri Television), national chain drug stores, shopping centers, and major e-commerce platforms (Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo!, plus Yoko's own EC site, cooperatives, Nissen, and Dinos).

The company's product portfolio centers on three premium imported sub-brands: BI.DAMOA Long Wear Cushion foundation (¥6,600-¥14,300 tax-inclusive across set, refill, and renewed II versions) targeting mature women seeking luminous coverage with mask-transfer resistance; LABIOTTE Est RX Cream (¥3,500-¥13,200 tax-inclusive), an integrated facial-device collagen cream using the AMIDERM delivery system; and MED:ALL Mild Scalp Care Shampoo/Repair Treatment set (¥5,500-¥13,200 tax-inclusive) built on Cosmax's 27-year-developed RCP-8 COMPLEX ingredient. All three lines use Japan-exclusive formulations developed jointly with the Korean partners.

Yoko is led by founder-CEO 呉東柱 (Go Touchuu) and operates as an independently-owned SME (11-50 employees) affiliated with SBC中小ets事業振興公団 and the 中小企業流通センター, with banking relationships at Sumitomo Mitsui and MUFG. Revenue is undisclosed; product-level disclosures show MED:ALL achieved ¥4.2 billion+ cumulative sales and 2.2 million+ units within two years in Korea (Japan launch October 2022), and LABIOTTE series crossed 20 million cumulative units globally by July 2021 (Japan launch September 2021), but Japan-specific revenue contribution is not separately reported. Revenue mechanics combine one-time unit pricing across TV shopping broadcasts, online marketplace storefronts, and physical retail channels, with no subscription, license, or recurring model disclosed.

Name

Yoko

Legal name

株式会社洋光

Website

https://yoko.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yoko is a privately-held Japanese importer and exclusive Japan distributor of premium Korean beauty brands — TONYMOLY's BI.DAMOA line, LABIOTTE skincare devices, and Cosmax's MED:ALL haircare — selling through Shop Channel, TV shopping networks, drug stores, and major e-commerce platforms to Japanese mass-market consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shibuya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Product Import and Sales: Import and sell cosmetics, health-related products, oral care, beauty products, daily goods, household items, and kitchen products. Revenue generated through distribution partnerships with TV shopping networks, chain drug stores, shopping centers, and e-commerce platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

Yoko is an importer, developer, and distributor of cosmetics, health-related products, oral care items, beauty accessories, and household/kitchen daily goods for the Japanese market. The company holds manufacturing/marketing authorization (製造販売元) for Japan-exclusive formulations of Korean brands including BI.DAMOA by TONYMOLY, LABIOTTE, and MED:ALL (developed with Cosmax), distributing them through TV shopping, chain drug stores, and e-commerce platforms.

Product overview

株式会社洋光 (Yoko) is an import/export and retail company specializing in cosmetics, health products, beauty items, oral care, and daily necessities. The company operates primarily as a distributor for Korean beauty brands in the Japanese market through TV shopping channels (Shop Channel) and e-commerce platforms. The product portfolio includes three main imported beauty brands: BI.DAMOA BY TONYMOLY (premium cushion foundation), LABIOTTE (skincare device creams), and MED:ALL (specialized hair care). Products are sold through Shop Channel (exclusive launches), major drugstore chains, shopping centers, and online marketplaces including Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo!, and their own EC site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BI.DAMOA BY TONYMOLY（ビ.ダモア by トニーモリー）: TONYMOLY最高峰ハイプレステージブランド。日本限定処方のクッションファンデーションを提供。肌悩みをカバーし自然に発光するような大人の品格ツヤ肌を実現。
• LABIOTTE（ラビヨット）
• MED:ALL（メディオール）

Products and services

• BI.DAMOA Long Wear Cushion
• BI.DAMOA Long Wear Cushion II
• LABIOTTE Est RX Cream

Quantifiable outcome

• LABIOTTE series achieved 20 million+ cumulative unit sales
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cosmax (コスマックス)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2022Yoko partnered with Cosmax, Korea's largest cosmetics manufacturer, for the Japan launch of MED:ALL haircare brand. MED:ALL was developed using Cosmax's proprietary RCP-8 COMPLEX ingredient developed over 27 years of scalp/hair research. Yoko distributes Japan-exclusive formulations in Japan.
• LABIOTTEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 September 2021Yoko serves as the exclusive Japan distributor for LABIOTTE skincare products including the EST RX Cream. Products feature LABIOTTE's proprietary AMIDERM delivery system and are sold through Yoko's TV shopping and retail distribution channels.
• TONYMOLYcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2021Yoko serves as the exclusive Japan importer and manufacturer for TONYMOLY's highest prestige line BI.DAMOA (Japan-exclusive formulation). Products are developed with Japan-specific formulations and sold exclusively through Yoko's distribution network in Japan. Yoko is listed as the manufacturing/marketing authorization holder (製造販売元).
• SBC Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Corporation (SBC中小企業振興公団)minorOthersAffiliated organization/classification for Yoko's SME business operations. Yoko is classified as a small-to-medium enterprise.
• Small and Medium Enterprise Distribution Center (中小企業流通センター)minorOthersAffiliated distribution-related organization for Yoko's SME business operations.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (三井住友銀行)minorOthersPrimary banking partner for corporate financial services and transactions.
• MUFG Bank (三菱UFJ銀行)minorOthersSecondary banking partner for corporate financial services and transactions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mandom Corporation: Mid-cap Japanese personal-care company (Gatsby, LUCIDO, etc.) with broad multi-channel distribution including drug stores and TV shopping. Comparable to Yoko as a Japan-based CPG/beauty operator with overlapping retail channels, though Mandom owns its brands.
• Pola Orbis Holdings: Japanese beauty group (POLA, Orbis, THREE, H2O Plus) selling premium and mass beauty through department stores, drug stores, and direct selling. Comparable to Yoko as a Japan-based beauty operator, though as a brand owner with a focus on direct-to-consumer channels.
• DHC Corporation: Japanese cosmetics, skincare, and supplements company with strong drug-store, TV shopping, and e-commerce presence. Comparable to Yoko in channel mix (especially TV shopping for product launches) and in selling beauty/personal care to Japanese consumers.
• Kose Corporation: Major Japanese cosmetics manufacturer (Decorté, Sekkisei, ALBION) with established prestige and mass beauty distribution. Comparable to Yoko in Japanese beauty market presence and channel breadth, but as a domestic brand owner rather than a Korean-brand importer.
• Shiseido Company: Largest Japanese beauty company with premium, prestige, and mass brands sold globally, including in drug stores and TV shopping. Comparable to Yoko as a Japanese beauty operator with deep channel relationships, though at vastly greater scale and as a brand owner.

Direct peers

• Able C&C (Missha): Korean beauty company behind Missha and other mass-prestige brands with direct Japan retail and e-commerce operations. Closely comparable to Yoko as a Korean beauty brand operator running Japan distribution and retail marketing.
• Innisfree Japan: Amorepacific's natural-ingredient K-beauty brand with standalone retail stores across Japan. Comparable to Yoko in targeting Japanese consumers with Korean-developed beauty products, though it operates owned retail rather than Yoko's third-party distribution model.
• Amorepacific Japan: Japan subsidiary of Korean beauty conglomerate Amorepacific, selling brands such as Sulwhasoo, Innisfree, and Laneige directly into the Japanese market. Directly comparable to Yoko as a Korean-origin beauty brand operator in Japan with multi-channel retail presence.
• LG Household & Health Care Japan: Japan arm of Korean household & beauty group LG H&H (Su:m37°, The History of Whoo, O HUI). Operates the same Korean-to-Japan brand localization model as Yoko, including TV shopping and prestige cosmetics retail distribution.

Others

• Jupiter Shop Channel: Japan's leading TV shopping broadcaster and Yoko's primary distribution partner for premium product launches. Not a competitor but a key channel dependency for Yoko's go-to-market model and therefore a directly comparable ecosystem participant for channel-mix analysis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Yoko