10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award: Director and General Manager of R&D Division Wins Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General's Award

Shabondama Soap Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka / President & CEO: Hayato Morita), a pioneer in additive-free soap, is pleased to announce that Kawahara and others from our Research and Development Division have won the "Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General's Award" at the "10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award."

This award recognizes the technological development and social implementation that elucidated the anti-viral performance (*1) of specific ingredients based on the traditional soap manufacturing method, the "saponification method," thereby achieving both gentleness on hands and anti-viral effects.

The "Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award" has been held since 2005 in collaboration with four ministries: the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It honors outstanding individuals among all generations engaged in "monodzukuri" (manufacturing).

Key Technological Points

1. Resolving the "Dilemma" through Technology To solve the issue of "rough hands caused by frequent hand washing" in medical settings, we realized a technology that overturns conventional wisdom by achieving both gentleness on the skin and a virus inactivation effect.

2. Elucidating the Function of "Potassium Oleate" and Acquiring Patented Technology By scientifically analyzing the "saponification method," we identified that "potassium oleate" derived from natural oils has high efficacy against specific viruses (*2). We established the optimal blending ratio and obtained a patent.

3. Publication of Academic Evidence (Published in PLOS ONE) The results of this research have been deployed based on objective data, such as being published in the international scientific journal "PLOS ONE."

Application and Social Contribution of this Technology This technology is applied to products such as Shabondama Soap's hand washing soap. Despite being entirely additive-free (*3) and consisting only of "water" and "potassium soap base," it exerts a high cleansing effect and is widely adopted in hospitals and homes.

(*1) In a potassium soap base made from natural oils (according to our research) (*2) Does not mean it is effective against all viruses. (*3) Additive-free: No fragrances, colorants, antioxidants, or synthetic surfactants used.

Award Summary ● Award Name: (10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award) Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General's Award ● Award Subject: World's first! Additive-free hand washing soap for infection control that is gentle on hands and skin ● Award Recipients: Takayoshi Kawahara, Director, General Manager of R&D Division and General Manager of Quality Assurance Division, Shabondama Soap Co., Ltd. / Takemasa Sakaguchi, Professor, Department of Virology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University