What b-ex Inc. does

b-ex Inc. is a privately held Japanese hair care manufacturer founded in 1975 (formerly モルトベーネ, then ビューティーエクスペリエンス), now headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo with 151 employees as of August 2025. The company operates a diversified multi-brand portfolio across four product categories: professional hair color (KIRATERA, THROW, tintbar, b-bleach), hair care and fragrance (Maison Orchidée, Deep Layer, CLAY ESTHÉ, mm), general hair cosmetics (LORETTA, LORETTA AIMER, LORETTA DEVIL), and men's styling (w/fifth, co-developed with men's salon fifth). Underlying technology consists of proprietary chemistry including Core Shade high-concentration hair color technology, multi-note fragrance systems (Floral Woody, Spicy Floral, Floral Musk), argan oil formulations sourced via the Targanine women's cooperative in Morocco (used in LORETTA AIMER), and natural clay formulations with plastic-reduced packaging (CLAY ESTHÉ). The company also operates two non-product platforms: bex journal, a hair color web media with 60+ stylist writers and 2,400+ articles, and b-ex palette, a subscription video-on-demand training service for stylists.

The business model combines salon-exclusive B2B distribution for professional lines with consumer retail (Loft, Amazon, Rakuten, official online shop) for consumer-facing brands. Primary go-to-market is channel partners (hair salons) for professional products, supplemented by direct-to-consumer e-commerce for newer consumer brands like w/fifth and LORETTA AIMER, with event-driven activations (Maison Orchidée POP-UP at Daimaru Tokyo, KIRATERA CONTEST) supporting brand discovery. Customer segments span hair salons and professional stylists as the B2B core, and three distinct consumer personas: pre-adult men aged 25-29 (via w/fifth), premium fragrance-oriented consumers (via Maison Orchidée), and broad consumer markets for styling and care products. International expansion is underway through subsidiaries in Singapore (b-ex GROUP Pte. Ltd., established 2022) and China (b-ex Shanghai Cosmetics Co., Ltd., established 2024), plus a 2021 capital and business alliance with Taiwan's Hair O'right International Corp. The company holds ISO 27001:2022 certification for its R&D Center and has celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 with a major industry event at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Name

b-ex Inc.

Legal name

株式会社b-ex

Website

https://b-ex.inc

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

b-ex Inc. is a 151-employee Japanese hair care manufacturer founded in 1975, operating a diversified portfolio of professional and consumer hair color, care, and styling brands distributed through partner salons, retail chains, and e-commerce across Japan, Singapore, China, and Taiwan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Hair Care Products

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments) (CRABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional/Salon Haircare (Backbar & Retail) (CRABABAK), Hair Color & Bleaching (CRABABAD), Conditioners & Hair Masks (CRABABAB), Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling, Treatments) (CRADANAE)

Keywords

• Professional hair care
• Hair color products
• Salon-exclusive cosmetics
• Men's styling products
• Fragrance hair care

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo (Setagaya)

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Hair Product Sales: B2B sales of professional hair care, color, and styling products to hair salons. Products are sold exclusively through salon channels with trained stylists providing professional application and recommendations.
2. Consumer Product Sales (via retail): B2C sales of consumer-sized products through retail channels (Loft, Amazon, Rakuten, official online shop). Brands like w/fifth and LORETTA are available at variety stores and online.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

b-ex Inc. manufactures and sells professional and consumer hair care, coloring, and styling products under a multi-brand portfolio including KIRATERA, THROW, tintbar, b-bleach, Maison Orchidée, Deep Layer, CLAY ESTHÉ, LORETTA, LORETTA AIMER, LORETTA DEVIL, and w/fifth. Professional brands are distributed exclusively through partner hair salons, while consumer brands are sold via Loft retail stores, Amazon, Rakuten, and the official b-ex online shop, supported by the bex journal content platform and b-ex palette stylist video service.

Product overview

b-ex Inc. is a Japanese hair care manufacturer offering a diversified portfolio of professional and consumer-facing hair care, coloring, and styling brands. The portfolio architecture consists of multiple sub-brands spanning hair coloring (KIRATERA, THROW, tintbar, b-bleach), hair care and fragrance (Maison Orchidée, Deep Layer, CLAY ESTHÉ, mm), general cosmetics (LORETTA, LORETTA AIMER, LORETTA DEVIL), and men's styling (w/fifth). The company also operates supporting platforms including bex journal (a professional hair color web media) and b-ex palette (a subscription video platform). Products are sold through salon-direct channels, e-commerce, and retail partners (Loft, Amazon, Rakuten).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Orchidée (オルキデ): Hair care brand inspired by orchids, offering oils, milk, and gloss products for hair care
• Maison Orchidée (メゾンオルキデ)
• KIRATERA (キラテラ)
• w/fifth (ウィズフィフス)
• loretta (ロレッタ)
• LORETTA AIMER (ロレッタエメ)
• Deep Layer (ディープレイヤー)
• THROW
• tintbar (ティントバー)
• b bleach
• CLAY ESTHÉ (クレイエステ)
• O'right
• b-ex palette

Products and services

• Maison Orchidée (メゾンオルキデ) Fragrance-led hair care brand inspired by orchids, offering Rich Milk, Care Oil, Care Oil 002, Gloss Oil, and Gloss Oil 002 across Floral Woody, Spicy Floral, and Floral Musk scent families. Targets consumers seeking self-expression through scent and salon-quality home care; formulated with orchid extract, argan oil, chia seed oil, and liquid shea butter to protect against UV damage and color fading.
• Deep Layer (ディープレイヤー) Damage care hair care brand delivering 'overwhelming smoothness' and sophisticated fragrances, with booster effects and increased repair ingredients targeting frizzy, bleached, and heat-damaged hair. Includes the DeepLayer EXTRA VELVETY line.
• KIRATERA (キラテラ) Professional hair color brand with strong pigmentation and high-concentration Core Shade formula. Product lines include BASIC LINE (10 hues), ON COLOUR LINE (13 high-tone hues), ACCENT LINE (8 cationic hues), developer (OXY), and application tools. Distributed exclusively through partner salons; targeted at color-focused stylists.
• w/fifth (ウィズフィフス) Men's styling brand co-developed with men's salon fifth, targeting men aged 25-29 seeking natural, effortless hairstyles. Products include Jelly Grease (wet look, 80g ¥1,760 / 25g limited ¥880), Free Wax, and Hard Wax, all with URBAN MUSK fragrance. Available at Loft stores nationwide and via Amazon, Rakuten, and the official online shop.
• LORETTA AIMER (ロレッタエメ) Hair cosmetics brand focused on sustaining moisture, fragrance, and hairstyle longevity. Features sustainably sourced Moroccan argan oil (from the Targanine women's cooperative) and a unified 'White Bitter' fragrance. Includes Mist Care Oil 100mL ¥3,927, Night Treatment 120g ¥3,289, Styling Oil 120mL ¥4,180, Sand Balm, Styling Cream, Wax, Oil Grease, Oil Gel, Jel, Gloss Keep Spray, and Lock Hold Spray.
• LORETTA (ロレッタ) General hair cosmetics brand offering a range of hair care and styling products for salon use, including Hard Jelly and Grease Jelly tube formats.
• LORETTA DEVIL (ロレッタデビル) Styling brand under the LORETTA line, marketed under the concept of 'The DEVIL HOTEL.'
• THROW (スロー) Hair color brand offering nuanced color expressions in a single product, with FASHION and COMFORT lines targeting salon professionals.
• tintbar (ティントバー) Hair color treatment product delivering high-saturation coloration comparable to hair manicures, marketed as 'UNIQUE AND TEMPTING HAIR COLORS.'
• b-bleach Professional-use bleaching and decoloring agent for salons, featuring POWRR technology for strong bleaching power, smooth texture, and fast application speed.
• CLAY ESTHÉ (クレイエステ) Clay-based hair care brand featuring Priming Shampoo and Fortifying Hair Mask. Uses natural clay minerals to cleanse scalp and hair, with CALM:PINK CLAY and DEEP BREATH:GOLD CLAY variants. Emphasizes sustainability through reduced plastic packaging and upcycled ingredients.
• bex journal (ビックスジャーナル) Hair color-focused professional web media platform providing content categories including hair color, hair care, styling, how-to articles, press releases, hair catalogs, and writer profiles. Features 60+ stylist writers and over 2,400 hair color articles, reaching millions of monthly readers.
• b-ex palette Subscription video-on-demand service offering professional hair styling technique videos from popular stylists, marketed as a fixed-fee unlimited viewing service for beauty technicians.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% customer satisfaction rate for w/fifth products among fifth salon customers

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• fifth ( mens salon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Men's salon chain with 17 stores in Harajuku/Shibuya/Omotesando area. Co-developed w/fifth brand targeting men aged 25-29 seeking natural styling solutions. Joint product development based on real salon customer needs; 97% customer satisfaction rate achieved in testing.
• SKILL (株式会社SKILL / 岩本桂弥)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Tokyo/Fukuoka-based salon group (8 stores); SNS following of 400,000+ across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; consistently ranked in top 5 of 'favorite hairdresser' rankings. Featured in Maison Orchidée '#香りにも推しがある' campaign promoting fragrance selection culture.
• COA / 星那flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Next-generation stylist with 350,000+ SNS followers; achieved ¥5.5M monthly sales in first year. Featured in Maison Orchidée brand campaign alongside SKILL. Represents 'oshi' (fan) culture targeting younger demographics.
• TARGANINE Production Cooperative (Morocco)supportingOthers · 1 June 2024Women's cooperative producing argan oil in Morocco. Supports women's economic empowerment and literacy education. Profits fund tree planting for desertification prevention. Used in LORETTA AIMER products as sustainable ingredient source.
• Hair O'right International Corp. (台湾)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Taiwan-based beauty company; capital and business partnership established in 2021, making O'right an affiliated company. O'right operates retail stores in Japan (Ura-BEX at headquarters, Daimaru Kyoto Takashimaya). Partnership enables cross-market product distribution and sustainable beauty expertise sharing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wella Company: Global salon haircare group (Wella Professionals, Koleston Perfect, Sebastian). Competes with b-ex in professional hair color, care, and styling through salon-exclusive distribution worldwide.
• L'Oréal Professionnel Paris: Global salon division of L'Oréal (Inoa, Majirel, Série Expert). Competes directly with b-ex in professional hair color and salon care, with vastly larger international distribution and education infrastructure.
• Shiseido Professional: Professional division of Shiseido operating in salons globally (Shiseido Professional, MAQUillAGE, H1). A broad incumbent selling premium haircare, color, and styling products through high-end salons — overlaps with b-ex's professional positioning.
• Decléor / L'Oréal Beauty (for salon fragrance positioning): L'Oréal group professional fragrance/beauty brands and adjacent salon operators represent broad incumbents overlapping with b-ex's Maison Orchidée fragrance-led premium positioning in salons and POP-UP activations.
• Kao Corporation: Mass-market Japanese personal-care conglomerate with leading haircare brands (Kao, Essential, Curel, Merit). Competes with b-ex's consumer SKUs at Loft, Amazon, and Rakuten, and operates a separate salon professional line — a broad incumbent across both salon and retail.
• Henkel / Schwarzkopf Professional: Schwarzkopf Professional (Igora, BlondMe, Osis+) is a global salon haircare and color brand under Henkel. Direct competitor to b-ex in professional hair color and styling, with comparable co-development with celebrity stylists.

Direct peers

• Hoyu Co., Ltd. Japanese professional and consumer hair color specialist (Bigen, Beauty Lab, Palty). Directly comparable to b-ex in hair-color franchise development and salon channel sales across Japan and Asia.
• Hair O'right International Corp. Taiwan-based eco-friendly haircare manufacturer and b-ex's capital & business partner since 2021. Operates O'right retail stores in Japan (Ura-BEX, Daimaru Kyoto Takashimaya). Highly comparable as a regional professional haircare brand with sustainability positioning.
• Milbon Co., Ltd. Japan's largest professional haircare company; develops and salon-distributes hair color (Ciel, Lumielina), care, and styling brands to stylists and salons. Closest direct competitor to b-ex in salon-exclusive distribution and multi-brand portfolio architecture.

Emerging players

• Pola Orbis Holdings: Japanese beauty group with haircare-adjacent brands and salon channel presence in Asia. Less directly competitive than Milbon/Hoyu but increasingly active in the premium salon haircare space where b-ex's Maison Orchidée and LORETTA AIMER compete.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@b-ex_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b-exinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/bex_jpn
• Xtwitter.com/bex_jpn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 b-ex Inc.