[4] After the success with a pomade called the Tancho Stick in 1933, Kintsuru Perfume Corp. began to focus its future efforts in men's care.

Tancho's efforts with expanding outside Japan was further boosted in 1970, when the company launched a new line of men's care products, called Mandom, which took its name from a combination of the words "human" and "Freedom".

In 1976, Mandom's success and the creation of their flagship brand, Gatsby, encouraged them to move into direct sales of their products.

[7] However, despite the success of the Gatsby brand, the move was disastrous; by 1980, the firm gave up the direct sales model and returned to wholesale distribution.

Mandom went public in 1988, selling shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's over-the-counter market.