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Lion’s basic policy regarding intellectual property is set forth in its Behavioral Guidelines. These stipulate that we will strive to create, properly protect and actively utilize intellectual property, and that we will respect the intellectual property of others and not seek to improperly acquire or use it.
Our intellectual property initiatives are driven by a dedicated Intellectual Property Department under the supervision of the Board of Directors and the direct control of management. The department coordinates and executes investments in intellectual property in line with Group-wide management strategies, ensures that intellectual property rights are used appropriately and conducts accurate information disclosure.
The director responsible for the Intellectual Property Department chairs the Intellectual Property and Licensing Committee, which meets twice a year to report on and discuss the formulation of intellectual property strategies and the progress of key measures. The results of these discussions are reported to and deliberated at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
In addition to patents, trademarks and copyrights, our core strengths in intellectual property include intangible assets such as manufacturing and assessment methods (proprietary information) and healthcare data. We actively use these key management resources to increase corporate value.
The Intellectual Property Department also provides specialized intellectual property functions for the Group companies in Japan and overseas , managing and utilizing core intellectual property rights and working to eliminate counterfeit goods.
In the field of toothpaste products, Lion is the largest patent holder in Japan,* with products that incorporate many patented inventions, including in the area of cavity prevention.
Root surface caries, also known as root cavities, develop due to receding gum tissue linked to old age or gum disease. This exposes dentin at the root of the tooth, which is more vulnerable to tooth decay than tooth enamel.
Lion has developed a toothpaste that protects against cavities by coating the dentin on the root surface with pyrrolidone carboxylic acid in addition to fluoride to prevent demineralization and collagen degradation.
We initially applied this technology to Check-Up toothpaste, which is sold at dental clinics, and are currently extending its application to over-the-counter toothpastes.
The invention of this technology targeting a specific oral health issue in Japan’s aging society, received the Local Commendation for Invention of Kanto 2022 “The Encouragement Prize for Invention” (Patent no. in Japan: 6474375).
* Number of patents owned; as pending application or valid patent (as of April 2026), search for F-term 4C083CC41 on the Japan Platform for Patent Information.
Everyday laundry can be tedious and uncomfortable, and many people have resigned themselves to the fact that the color of their clothing will change with time over the course of multiple wash cycles. We aim to solve these laundry problems with our NANOX one brand, and we hope to make laundry a more positive and worry-free experience. NANOX one contains a high-performance surfactant and a high-performance enzyme, while also newly employing a special polymer to achieve high detergency, deodorizing power and the ability to protect clothing from discoloration.
The technologies that make this highly concentrated complete gel detergent possible by suppressing grime, odor and clothing discoloration are protected by multiple patents.
Acron Yasashisa Premium, a laundry detergent designed for delicates, boasts a newly formulated anti-redeposition agent that enhances the effectiveness of the surfactants it contains to significantly reduce the need for harsh chemicals. Despite containing a relatively low level of surfactant, this product effectively removes soil while preventing it from reattaching to the clothing. Thus, the need for a rinse stage is eliminated, cutting the amount of time, water and electricity needed and even CO2 emissions roughly in half.* This environmentally friendly “zero-rinse wash” technology is protected by patents covering both its formulation and washing method.
* Comparing a zero-rinse setting against a two-rinse cycle
Our consumer survey revealed that many consumers have concerns about whether or not their everyday brushing is really effective in removing plaque. To address these concerns, Lion released the “CLINICA PRO Toothbrush Rubber Head,” which features a brush head that uses a rubbery material and supple bristles that hug the teeth to scrub away plaque for a shockingly clean finish. We have been protecting its technical characteristics and design with multiple patents and design rights.
To foster good tooth brushing habits, Lion designs flavors for oral healthcare products using only natural mint. The value provided by these products stems not only from our in-house flavor formulation technologies, but also from the social capital we have built over many years throughout our entire supply chain, including mint farmers and flavoring suppliers. We have named these supply chain-wide activities “MINT PRIDE” and registered a trademark (Trademark no. 6356636 (JP)) for this unique Lion initiative to help foster a sense of unity among internal and external stakeholders (internal branding).
In order to spread fun handwashing habits among children not only in Japan, but across Asia, Lion has registered trademarks for the KireiKirei brand and its family character logo in several countries. Through these trademarks, we preserve and protect the loyalty and trust that the KireiKirei brand has earned from customers over many years, while also helping to eliminate counterfeit products.
In South Korea, the brand was at first not deemed a sufficiently recognizable term to trademark. However, thanks to the sales and educational efforts of Lion Corporation Korea, the Korean Intellectual Property Office eventually accepted its recognizability and allowed the trademark registration.
Since our founding, our marketing activities have focused on highly distinctive sounds to help consumers create better living habits. As a result of our promotional and advertising activities, we have developed brand names and key phrases that are highly recognizable and identifiable to our customers. We have the highest number of registered sound trademarks of any company in Japan, showing our strength in linking sounds with consumer memory in our marketing activities.
Learning from Case Studies—Trademark Guide 2024 and the children’s website of the Japan Patent Office includes the KireiKirei sound (Trademark registration no. in Japan: 5842092) as an example of a registered sound trademark.
Various other brands for which we also hold sound trademarks include CLINICA (Trademark No. 5960237), Systema (Trademark No. 5857836), LOOK Bathtub Cleansing (Trademark No. 6800682), and BUFFERIN for headache relief (Trademark No. 5842089).
In line with our wide-ranging intellectual property (IP) activities and patent incentive program based on Article 35 of the Patent Act (Employee Inventions), we have established the Contribution Awards for Intellectual Property to commend employees who contribute to diverse IP activities.
At the 19th annual Contribution Awards for Intellectual Property held in fiscal 2025, eight employees were commended for their contributions not only in the area of business-related inventions but also over the wider range of IP activities, including efforts to combat counterfeit products in China and the creation of ensure social media posts that respect intellectual property rights and copyrights.
To increase employee motivation for self-development and help develop personnel who can use intellectual property and related information in creating innovative business models, we also support employees from outside the Legal and Intellectual Property Department who wish to take IP Analyst Certification Courses offered by the Association of Intellectual Property Education.
Since 2021, eleven employees from the R&D Division have been certified as analysts. They are contributing significantly to IP landscape analyses* at R&D bases.
* The use of IP data analysis to provide strategic advice for IP management.
Testimonial from a Certified IP Analyst
Using patent analysis methods learned during IP analyst certification courses, I research technology trends among competitors and raw material suppliers. I will continue to use this information to create competitive technologies and products in order to provide new value to our customers.
Patent for “Zero-Rinse Liquid Laundry Detergent” Wins the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry President's Award (2025)
The environmentally friendly zero-rinse cleaning technology featured in Acron Yasashisa Premium has been awarded the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry President's Award at the 2025 Kanto Regional Invention Awards, organized by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (Patent No. 7122446).
Reference: Patent for “Zero-Rinse Liquid Laundry Detergent” Wins the “Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry President's Award” at the 2025 Kanto Regional Invention Awards (Japanese)Tablet-Related Patent Receives Tokyo Excellence Award (2024)
Antipyretic analgesics are often taken when the most pressing need is fast and effective pain relief. Ibuprofen does not dissolve easily in water and the tablets are slow to break down in the stomach. To address these issues, we developed a quick dissolve technology to create ibuprofen tablets that break down quickly (Patent no. in Japan: 5793466).
This technology is utilized in BUFFERIN PREMIUM and BUFFERIN PREMIUM DX.QUICK+. Furthermore, this invention received the Tokyo Excellence Award at the 2024 Kanto Commendation for Invention organized by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation.
| 2023 Kanto Commendation for Invention | Patented Technology for Deodorizing and Odor-Preventing Fabric Softener Received the Invention Promotion Award for Patent No. 6159988 |
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| Patented Technology for Liquid Toilet Cleaner Received the Invention Promotion Award for Patent No.7170528 |
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| 2022 Kanto Commendation for Invention | Patented Technology for Toothpaste for Preventing Root Caries Received the Invention Promotion Award for Patent No. 6474375 |
| Patented Technology for Liquid Skin Cleanser with Intensive Moisturizing Properties Received the Invention Promotion Award for Patent No. 6845847 |
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| 2021 Shikoku Commendation for Invention | Patented Technology for High-Volume Ejection Trigger Sprayer Received the Japan Patent Attorneys Association Chairman Award and Practical Implementation Award for Patent No. 6726606 |
| 2020 Kanto Commendation for Invention | Patent for Easy-to-Bend, Hard-to-Break Safety Toothbrush Received the Invention Promotion Award for Patent No. 6581988 |
