Essential’s commercial jingle. A popular commercial song.
The commercial for Kao’s Essential, which you’ve probably been seeing a lot lately on TV and online.
With its refined visuals, memorable music, and attention-grabbing casting, it’s the kind of ad that makes you stop and watch, isn’t it? The world created by the beautiful imagery and music is simply enchanting.
In this article, we’ll introduce all the songs that have been featured in Essential commercials aired so far.
Essential’s commercial song. Popular commercial songs (1–10)
It Doesn´t StopMaia Hirasawa
This is a song by Maia Hirasawa, who is half Swedish and half Japanese.
It features a sweet, light vocal quality that evokes the warmth of spring.
The song follows reflections made while traveling around the world, and the way place names from across the globe are listed is also interesting.
MelancholinistaYU-KI
It’s YUKI’s 13th single, released in 2006.
It’s a light, danceable track with disco elements.
As for the lyrics, she wanted to make it all about dancing, so she aimed for something without much meaning in the content.
We Share the SunMeiko
In a commercial that aired in 2012, Yuko Oshima from AKB48 and Hiromi Nagasaku appeared.
The ad features talents who appeal to a wide range of age groups and have down-to-earth, relatable personas.
The Power of SmileKOKIA
One of the tracks released as a double A-side single in 2003, KOKIA’s “The Power of Smile.” It’s a song that gives strength to everyone, and just listening to it somehow puts you in a positive mood.
The Maiden with Flaxen HairShimatani Hitomi
A female singer, Hitomi Shimatani, who skillfully performs a wide range of genres—pops, rock, Latin, R&B, jazz, house, bossa nova, reggae, and enka—and is also active as a commercial model and musical actress, released this as her seventh single.
It’s a cover of a song by the Village Singers, a group that was active in the 1960s, and is also famous for having been composed by Koichi Sugiyama.
The Hawaiian-style arrangement of the original creates a powerful impact, beautifully matching the fine melodies of a bygone era with a contemporary arrangement.
Thanks to its refreshing feel, it’s a perfect cover for a shampoo commercial.
Sign wa B New Arrange Ver.B Komachi
This commercial features B Komachi from the anime “Oshi no Ko” as ambassadors for Kao’s Essential, highlighting the relationship between hair and idols.
It playfully conveys that even when dancing as idols, they can maintain beautifully styled, unruffled hair.
Further accentuating the light, breezy feel of the visuals is B Komachi’s signature song, “Sign wa B.” Its colorful, pop idol sound and buoyant vocals—complete with call-and-response—convey a sense of exhilaration to listeners.
The Best TeamMaia Hirasawa
In the commercial featuring Nozomi Sasaki, the way she admires her own hair reflected in a shop window is striking.
The background music is sung by Maia Hirasawa, a Japanese-Swedish singer-songwriter.
Rather than focusing on image, the approach emphasizes its effectiveness as a hair care product.
Bubble GumNewJeans
This commercial showcases beautiful hair with Essential through a unique world where the members of NewJeans take on a school sports festival.
By showing various moments related to the event—like them sprinting and cheering—it conveys that their hair stays soft in any situation.
The song that further emphasizes the light, airy feeling expressed in the visuals is NewJeans’ “Bubble Gum.” While the rhythm is calm, the beat resonates strongly, giving the impression of conveying everyday relaxation along with the excitement found within it.
LA LA LA Love Songtofubeats、kojikoji
This commercial from Essential’s THE BEAUTY introduces a shampoo that protects your hair and depicts the kind of beauty it leads to.
It focuses on Ai Mikami’s hair, and the gentle volume and shine clearly convey how effective it is.
The song that further accentuates the calm atmosphere portrayed in the visuals is a cover of “LA LA LA LOVE SONG.” Compared to Toshinobu Kubota’s original, the arrangement is slower and even more soothing, strongly conveying a sense of relaxation and a floating, airy feel.
The world is supposed to be beautiful.yama
This commercial features four active high school model TikTokers—Noa Kato, Yua Tsutsui, Ayano Masuda, and Kisara Matsumura—and portrays scenes of youth.
Their hair flows beautifully with various movements and the sweeping wind, effectively highlighting Essential’s benefits that support youthful days through that expression.
Further accentuating the fresh air of youth depicted in the visuals is the song “Sekai wa Utsukushii Hazu Nanda” by yama.
With a grand, bright sound and powerfully resonant strings, the vocals build strength toward the chorus, conveying the vigor of sprinting through youth.