Koji

Koji, trading as Koji Honpo Co., Ltd., is a Japanese cosmetics company based in the Taito Ward of Tokyo. Founded in 1927 in the Asakusa district by Koji Kobayashi, it began as a maker of hair accessories before becoming known for eye-makeup products — above all false eyelashes, a category the company says it introduced to Japan commercially in 1947 [2]. It remains active and family-led: as of April 2024 it reported 99 employees and capital of ¥100 million, and its president is Yoshinori Kobayashi, a grandson of the founder.

The company sits within Japanese beauty (J-beauty) and is closely tied to the country's "gal" makeup culture through its Dolly Wink line. It distributes across roughly 20,000 retail points in Japan and exports to other markets, with a stronghold in Asia.

Koji Kobayashi established the business in May 1927 as a hair accessory manufacturer in Asakusa, then a social and cultural hub where Western beauty trends circulated. According to the company, the idea for its signature product came from observing local geisha who handcrafted false lashes from hair; Kobayashi adapted that practice into a commercial product, and in 1947 the company launched what it describes as Japan's first false eyelashes [2][7]. A pencil-style eyebrow cosmetic, also described as a Japanese first, followed in 1949.

The firm was renamed Kobayashi Koji Cosmetics Laboratory in 1946 and adopted its current corporate name, Koji Honpo, in 1960 [5].

Through the post-war decades the company expanded from accessories into a broader eye-makeup specialist. In 1972 it released MELLOW, described as the world's first false eyelashes made from synthetic fiber — an innovation the company credits with allowing consistent quality at scale [2][7]. It established the subsidiary Dusty Miller in 1976, and in 1980 launched Eye Talk, a double-eyelid cosmetic applied as tape or liquid that has been updated continuously for more than four decades. A professional nail-care line, Nailist, arrived in 1997.

The company's widest international visibility came with Dolly Wink, an eye-makeup brand created with the Japanese model and "gal" trend leader Tsubasa Masuwaka. Sources differ on the launch date: a 2024 editorial interview with president Yoshinori Kobayashi gives 2009 [7], while the company's own history page indicates 2010 [2]. Masuwaka's popularity helped carry the line beyond Japan, and the company says it sold for nearly 15 years domestically and abroad [6]. As makeup tastes shifted from elaborate gal looks toward a more natural style, Koji undertook a major Dolly Wink rebrand in 2019. It launched the sub-brand Ririmew in 2021, and in February 2024 introduced Eye Talk Ageless Eye Lifting Tape, aimed at older consumers.

The company's range centres on eye makeup and related tools: false eyelashes, double-eyelid cosmetics, eyelash curlers, eyeliners, mascara, eyeshadow and brow products, alongside nail care under Nailist. Its eyelash curlers are handmade by craftsmen in Japan, and the company notes they suit users regardless of skin tone, which it links to their reception in overseas markets [6].

Product engineering, rather than skincare chemistry, is where the company locates its expertise. Beyond the 1972 synthetic-fiber lashes, it promotes a "3D Eyelashes" design said to mimic the three-layer way natural lashes grow, thicker at the base and tapering toward the tips. The catalogue is tiered from inexpensive trial products such as the ¥500 Easy Lash to a premium eyelash curler priced around ¥1,800. Products reach consumers through department stores, drugstores, variety shops, pharmacies, convenience stores and other outlets. Manufacturing is concentrated in Chiba Prefecture, at facilities in Ichikawa and Mobara.

Koji frames itself as "a manufacturer creating future beauty," and the president's message centres on a willingness to change: "Do not fear change. We exist because of ongoing challenges." The company emphasises monozukuri — a Japanese ideal of dedicated craftsmanship — and a deliberate focus on niche products, such as false eyelashes, that it argues larger competitors cannot easily replicate. It frames its approaching centennial as a starting point rather than a culmination, and states a mission of addressing beauty concerns "regardless of gender or race."

Culturally, the brand is associated with Harajuku "gal" and kawaii aesthetics, particularly through Dolly Wink, which one trade publication called "an iconic Japanese brand" [6]. Its audience began with Japanese gal-fashion teens around 2009 and broadened after the 2019 rebrand toward mainstream consumers seeking a more individual, natural-yet-cute look, with a continuing focus on younger buyers across Asia.

The company is active. It reported 99 employees and ¥100 million in capital as of April 2024, operates from Tokyo with manufacturing in Chiba, and continues to release products, including the February 2024 Eye Talk Ageless launch [6]. Its primary base remains Japan and the wider Asian market, and it is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2027