Kanarabo

Name

Kanarabo

Legal name

株式会社かならぼ

Website

https://kana-labo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cosmetics and beauty product sales: Kanarabo generates revenue through multiple beauty and cosmetics brands including Fujiko, B IDOL, 4U, MENCOS, and GALLZ. Products are sold through retail partners (Loft, PLAZA, Tokyu Hands, Aeon) and brand-specific e-commerce platforms. Revenue comes from one-time product purchases as the company develops and sells cosmetic products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Kanarabo plans, develops, and sells cosmetics and beauty products through a portfolio of sub-brands including Fujiko (tint-based makeup such as eyebrow tints, powder, eyeshadow, base makeup), B IDOL/b idol (lip and beauty products produced with influencer Yoshida Akari), 4U (adult lifestyle items), MENCOS (men's cosmetics), and GALLZ (beauty and lifestyle products produced with Elf Arakawa). Products are sold through Japanese retailers such as Loft, PLAZA, Tokyu Hands, Aeon, and Ainz & Tulpe, and through each brand's own e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Kanarabo is a Japanese cosmetics and beauty brand operator offering a multi-brand portfolio of beauty and lifestyle products. The company manages several sub-brands: Fujiko (tint-based and mini series cosmetics), B IDOL/b idol (lip and beauty products by influencer Yoshida Akari), 4U (adult lifestyle brand), GALLZ (beauty/lifestyle brand by Elf Arakawa), and MENCOS (men's cosmetics). Products span eyebrow tints, lip colors, eyeshadows, base makeup, and lifestyle items, sold through major Japanese retailers including Loft, Plaza, Tokyu Hands, and Ainz & Tolpe, as well as brand-specific e-commerce channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fujiko (フジコ): Core cosmetics brand known for eyebrow tints, eyeshadows, and base makeup products
• B IDOL (ビーアイドル)
• 4U
• GALLZ (ガールズ)
• MENCOS (メンコス)

Products and services

• Fujiko (フジコ) A multi-product cosmetics sub-brand featuring tint-based makeup including the Eyebrow Tint series (cumulative 2.4 million units sold by August 2019), PonPon Powder series (1.2 million units), Shake Shadow eyeshadow, Oil-absorbing Water Powder, and the Mini Watery Rouge mini-series. Targeted at Japanese women seeking accessible, trend-forward cosmetics; products retail at Loft, PLAZA, Tokyu Hands, and via the Fujiko official online shop.
• B IDOL (ビーアイドル / b idol) A cosmetics sub-brand produced by influencer Yoshida Akari, centered on lip products led by the Tsuyapuru Lip (cumulative 440,000 units sold by August 2019, ¥1,400 per unit). Targeted at young Japanese women; products retail at Aeon, Ainz & Tulpe, PLAZA, Loft, Tokyu Hands, @Cosme, and via the B IDOL official online shop.
• 4U A lifestyle sub-brand for adults offering simple, sophisticated lifestyle products. Targeted at consumers seeking refined everyday lifestyle items; sold via the 4U brand site at yoyubrand.jp.
• MENCOS (メンコス) A men's cosmetics and grooming sub-brand. Targeted at Japanese men seeking accessible beauty and grooming products.
• GALLZ (ガールズ) A beauty and lifestyle sub-brand produced by influencer Elf Arakawa, featuring beauty products targeted at Japanese consumers seeking everyday specialness. Sold via the GALLZ official site at gallz.jp.
• Fujiko Mini Watery Rouge (フジコ ミニウォータリールージュ) A mini-sized lip product collection under the Fujiko brand offering 12 colors including daily lip colors, color-changing shades, and a lip base at ¥1,100 (+tax). Targeted at Japanese women wanting playful, mixable lip cosmetics.
• B IDOL Tsuyapuru Lip 2019 AW New Colors An autumn color extension of B IDOL's signature Tsuyapuru Lip product, featuring three new shades priced at ¥1,400 (+tax) per unit. Targeted at young Japanese women.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• WooMoo (NPO法人WooMoo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKanarabo partners with WooMoo, an NPO, to donate usable cosmetics products that have become difficult to sell due to trend changes to nurseries and elderly care facilities. This supports the company's sustainability initiatives and cosmetics waste reduction efforts.
• .C (dot-c.jp)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKanarabo partners with .C EC platform to sell cosmetics from various brands that would otherwise be discarded. Part of the purchase amount is donated to social contribution activities, supporting the company's sustainability goals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ISEHAN (伊勢半): ISEHAN is a Japanese cosmetics company operating multiple heritage brands (KISSME, Sante, Kiss) across affordable color cosmetics, skincare, and personal care. Directly comparable to Kanarabo as a Japan-based, multi-brand beauty brand operator with retail distribution in similar channels.
• DHC Corporation: DHC is one of Japan's largest cosmetics and personal care brand houses, offering affordable skincare, supplements, and beauty products via mail-order, retail, and DTC. Comparable to Kanarabo in affordable-positioning, multi-brand, Japan-domestic focus.
• Mandom Corporation: Mandom is a Japanese personal care and cosmetics company known for men's grooming brands (Gatsby, Mandom) and women's products. Comparable to Kanarabo for its Japan-domestic multi-brand beauty operations and men's cosmetics segment (similar to MENCOS).
• D-UP (ディーアップ): D-UP is a Japanese cosmetics company specializing in eye makeup (mascara, eyeliner) and affordable beauty products distributed through Loft, PLAZA, and Tokyu Hands. Comparable to Kanarabo for Japanese color cosmetics specialty focus and shared retail channel footprint.
• BCL Company: BCL Company is a Japanese cosmetics brand operator with affordable beauty brands (Saborino, Momotani Juntenkan, Kansosan). Comparable to Kanarabo for Japanese-affordable-positioned, multi-brand cosmetics and overlap in retail channels.
• Club Cosmetics (クラブコスメチックス): Club Cosmetics is a Japanese cosmetics company producing affordable makeup, skincare, and personal care products under multiple sub-brands distributed through drugstores and specialty retail. Comparable to Kanarabo for affordable Japanese multi-brand cosmetics with broad mass-retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• KOSÉ Corporation: KOSÉ is a major Japanese cosmetics conglomerate with brands spanning Decorté, Sekkisei, and Visee across premium and mass segments. Comparable as a Japanese multi-brand cosmetics platform but operating at significantly larger scale and with R&D infrastructure Kanarabo lacks.
• Pola Orbis Holdings: Pola Orbis is a Japanese beauty conglomerate with brands including POLA, ORBIS, H2O+, and FIVEPLUS. Comparable as a Japanese multi-brand operator with retail distribution in similar Loft/PLAZA channels, but much larger and more diversified.
• FANCL Corporation: FANCL is a major Japanese cosmetics and supplement company known for preservative-free skincare. Comparable as a Japanese beauty brand house with multi-segment positioning, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader category depth than Kanarabo.

Emerging players

• Koh Gen Do (江原道): Koh Gen Do is a Japanese cosmetics brand founded by a makeup artist, distributed in Japan and internationally through specialty retailers. Comparable to Fujiko for Japanese-origin, professionally-respected color cosmetics with retail distribution focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Kanarabo