Who owns Jergens?
Jergens is owned by Kao (Japan, TSE: 4452), which has owned the brand since 1988.[1] Jergens was founded in 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio and was independent until 1988.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Kao Corporation reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (1882–1988)
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Founded
- 1882
- Category
- Personal care & beauty › Skin care › Body care & lotions
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 4452
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Jergens
Jergens is an American hand and body lotion brand founded in Cincinnati in 1882, whose cherry-almond scented lotion has been sold in essentially the same form for decades. Kao acquired the business in 1988. The purchase gave the Japanese company a substantial American consumer platform, which it later expanded with John Frieda and Curél.
Ownership timeline of Jergens
Where Jergens sits in Kao
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Kao ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Kao in personal care & beauty
Latest news about Jergens
No tagged news items yet. Headlines are added nightly from public feeds; only titles and links are stored.
Headlines link to the original publisher. Brandtree does not reproduce article text.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Jergens?
The parent company of Jergens is Kao, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Jergens American or Japanese?
Jergens originated in the United States in 1882, but it is owned today by Kao, which is headquartered in Japan. So Jergens is an American-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Kao owned Jergens?
Kao has owned Jergens since 1988.
Who owned Jergens before Kao?
Jergens was an independent company from its founding in 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio until Kao acquired it in 1988.
Is Jergens still owned by Kao?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Jergens is still owned by Kao. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Kao Corporation Integrated Report 2025 — Kao Corporation, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.