Green partnership: Taiwan’s O’right inks deal with B-ex to accelerate its expansion in Japan

The deal with the Japanese personal care manufacturer specialising in hair care comes just over a year after O’right made its debut in Japan.

B-ex was founded in 1975 and owns a range of hair care brands for both the mass market and professional sectors, including MM, Throw, Hahalift and Deep Layer.

Through this partnership, B-ex has acquired shares and become a major shareholder in the Taiwanese beauty firm.

Founded the early 2000s, O’right claims to be the ‘world’s greenest beauty brand’ and has received multiple global awards including the Sustainable Beauty Awards and Green World Awards, which it has won thrice.

The firm is best known for its green hair care innovations including a shampoo that utilises coffee oil extracted from used coffee grounds as well as the use of 100% renewable plastic bottles and pumps.

O’right began expanding overseas in 2012 and in June 2020 opened its first stores in Isetan Shinjuku and Yurakucho Marui 0101 department stores, right when the country was in the throes of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Despite the timing, the company’s CEO Steven Ko told CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ then that he believes it was the right time for the brand to make its debut in the market.

Helping hand

B-ex aims to tap into O’right expertise in the sustainable beauty space while helping the company expand its footprint in Japan.

The deal will see B-ex become the distributor of O’right in Japan, handling sales and promotions for the company.

According to the firm, it will help O’right embark on a full-scale expansion in Japan’s salons starting next spring. The brand will tap into B-ex’s existing network of beauty salons in the country.

Furthermore, the companies are collaborating to share their sustainable beauty knowledge with partner salons, which they believe are the “green bridge”​ between the manufacturers and consumers.

The goal is for the companies to jointly lead as a green pioneer in the professional hair care market.

O’right believes it has an opportunity to tap into the rising interest in sustainability which has been amplified globally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even through the COVID-19 crisis, the sustainable movement has not diminished, and we are convinced that a strong partnership with B-ex can help us further the Green Revolution and have an impact on society,”​ said Nozomi Kuzu, a representative of O’right.

In recent years, B-ex has been developing new products with consideration for the environment and society at large. It believes O’right can help further its ambitions in this area.

The companies teased the possibility of collaborating on product development, which they believe will benefit from the combined expertise and network of both firms.

They elaborated that further discussions regarding product co-development will be “held in the future”​