MyKirei By KAO Introduces The
Clean Routine For Healthy Hands Campaign

Bringing Kao’s Culture of Cleanliness to Schools Across the Country

CINCINNATI, March 18, 2021 -- This month MyKirei by KAO announces a new program in partnership with TerraCycle^® to help instill the importance of good hygiene in children. The Healthy Hands campaign, featuring a handwashing curriculum that makes the daily task a fun activity, will help teachers in schools across the country educate their students on how to properly wash their hands. This new US initiative is an extension of Kao Corporation’s practices in Asia, where thousands of schools are visited by the company every year. There is no time like now to expand this mission globally, teaching children the importance of caring for themselves, their families and communities by doing their part to reduce the spread of germs.

MyKirei by KAO is built on the Japanese Kirei philosophy that caring for self, society and the world around you makes life more beautiful. The Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program helps children care for themselves with proper hygiene, their society in keeping others around them safe and healthy, and their world by encouraging them to recycle and use packaging that creates less waste.

“It is our mission to embody the Kirei principles in all of our products but also in our actions as a company,” says John Sullivan, Vice President of Business Growth/International. “While always important and pertinent, the Kirei sensibility has never been more relevant than today as we face such challenging times. With MyKirei by KAO and our Healthy Hands program, we are expanding our culture of cleanliness into the next generation with beautiful, practical examples of kinder, more sustainable ways of living."

This initiative started in Japan in 2009, and is one of many school programs with curriculums that teach children how to conserve water, properly care for their skin and how to live a more eco-friendly life. To date, Kao has visited almost 3,000 schools and plans to work with 5,000 this year. In addition to Japan and now here in the US, the Healthy Hands program has also been implemented in Vietnam and Indonesia.

The 6-step hand washing curriculum, brought to life by a pop-inspired custom created song making the typically mundane act of handwashing fun and something to look forward to, will be shared with teachers along with a MyKirei by KAO Clean Routine Healthy Hands Kit featuring the brand’s Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash and a UV-light germ detector box that help students reveal germs that were missed through improper washing to make the lesson more interactive and engaging.

Following the lesson, each student will take home a complimentary bottle of the brand’s best-selling Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash in a reusable bottle, along with a discount code to shop for refills so they can keep clean while creating less waste at home. This richly-textured, gentle, and effective foaming hand wash has become a social media sensation and is particularly loved by children, featuring a unique dispenser that leaves behind a foam flower on the palm of the user’s hand.

As part of the program, Kao USA and TerraCycle^® will hold the Clean Hands Clean World recycling contest that will award up to $5,000 in prizes, including a garden bed for their school made from recycled packaging, to the top three schools that recycle the most MyKirei by KAO refills. Schools have already been selected to be a part of the curriculum in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Cincinnati and Washington DC and selections will continue throughout the year.

Launched in April 2020, MyKirei by KAO is a personal care line founded on the Japanese philosophy that caring for ourselves, our society, and the world around us makes life more beautiful. Innovations include biodegradable, plant-based formulas incorporating traditional Japanese ingredients like Yuzu Fruit and Rice Water and revolutionary packaging utilizing up to 50% less plastic vs. traditional bottles. MyKirei refills reduce plastic by up to 82%. The five-item line includes Tsubaki and Rice Water Nourishing Shampoo, Tsubaki and Rice Water Nourishing Conditioner, Nourishing HandWash with Yuzu and Rice Water, Yuzu Flower Foam HandWash and Pampering Yuzu Flower Foam BodyWash, each priced at $18. For more information visit MyKirei.com and the store on Amazon.

About Kao USA Inc.: Kao USA Inc. is a leading manufacturer of premium beauty care brands that are recognized around the world for their innovation and quality. The Kao USA Inc. portfolio includes; Jergens^® and Curel^® hand and body lotions; Biore^® facial care; John Frieda^® hair care, Ban^® antiperspirants, as well as Goldwell, KMS and Oribe professional hair care and Molton Brown products for body and home. Founded in 1882, Kao USA Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kao Corporation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: LAUREN DONNER | [email protected]

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