Unicharm may be best known for its expertise in personal hygiene, but its innovation story extends well beyond products designed for people. Look through its patent portfolio, and another business begins to emerge-one that has been quietly taking shape for nearly three decades: pet care. From absorbent pet sheets and disposable dog diapers to cat “system toilets” and, more recently, recycled cat litter made from used superabsorbent materials, the company’s innovations reveal a long-term commitment to the category.
That long-term investment is now becoming more visible.
In May 2026, Unicharm acquired Nutrire, a Brazilian premium pet food manufacturer, marking its full-scale entry into Brazil-the world’s third-largest pet care market. Just two months later, on July 2, 2026, the company announced its entry into India’s pet care market, describing it as a market expected to double in size by 2030.
Both moves are part of Project Renaissance, Unicharm’s 13th Mid-Term Management Plan (2026–2030), which identifies pet care and wellness as key growth areas alongside its core hygiene business. The strategy is already contributing to the company’s performance, with Unicharm’s pet care business generating ¥156.1 billion in net sales in FY2025, a 5% year-on-year increase.
But announcements only tell us where a company wants to go. Patent filings often reveal how it plans to get there.
To better understand the technologies behind Unicharm’s expanding pet care business, we analyzed its pet-care patent portfolio and mapped each invention into specific technology areas. The results not only support the company’s recent expansion plans but also highlight product categories and innovation themes that go well beyond what was shared in its official announcements.
This analysis focuses specifically on pet care. For the company-wide picture including global filing trends, geographic coverage, patent grant performance, and the most-cited inventions – explore our analysis of Unicharm’s patent portfolio.
Unicharm has around of 1874 patents globally in pet care, out of which 956 have been granted. Of these 1216 patents, 69% patents are active. Japan is where Unicharm has filed the maximum number of patents in pet care, followed by China and the United States of America.
How Many Patents did Unicharm File in pet care Every Year?
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | Unicharm Applications Filed in Pet care | Unicharm Pet Care Patents Granted |
| 2026 | 9 | 31 |
| 2025 | 59 | 67 |
| 2024 | 137 | 61 |
| 2023 | 127 | 35 |
| 2022 | 83 | 54 |
| 2021 | 97 | 50 |
| 2020 | 85 | 82 |
| 2019 | 58 | 88 |
| 2018 | 86 | 94 |
| 2017 | 56 | 71 |
How many Unicharm patents are Alive/Dead in Pet Care?
How Many Patents did Unicharm File in Pet Care in Different Countries?
Countries in which Unicharm Filed Patents in Pet Care
| Country | Patent |
| Japan | 411 |
| China | 282 |
| United States Of America | 242 |
| Europe (EPO) | 181 |
| Taiwan | 114 |
| Australia | 89 |
| India | 59 |
| South Korea | 54 |
| Thailand | 46 |
| Indonesia | 31 |
| Canada | 30 |
| Viet Nam | 25 |
| Brazil | 21 |
| Germany | 9 |
| Malaysia | 8 |
| Russia | 6 |
| Austria | 5 |
| Eurasia | 3 |
| Spain | 3 |
| Mexico | 3 |
| Turkey | 2 |
| Singapore | 1 |
| Philippines | 1 |
Where are Research Centers of Unicharm Pet Care Patents Located?
10 Best Unicharm Patents in Pet care
US20200107518A1 is the most popular patent in the Unicharm Pet Care portfolio. It has received 42 citations so far from company like Purewick Corp.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of Unicharm in Pet Care:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US20200107518A1 | 42 |
| USD661868S | 36 |
| JP4445422B2 | 32 |
| EP1709870A1 | 30 |
| US7380519B2 | 29 |
| WO2012132886A1 | 25 |
| USD728172S | 22 |
| USD652587S | 21 |
| US8020523B2 | 20 |
| US9265234B2 | 18 |
How Healthy Is the Portfolio? Litigation and Patent Life
Two more data points worth including for readers assessing how defensible this IP position is:
Litigation exposure is low. Only 6 of the 569 unique patent families (about 1%) have ever been flagged as involved in litigation, and none show a formal opposition on record. For a portfolio this size, that’s a clean track record.
The protection runway is long. Estimated expiration dates are available for 394 of the 569 families and stretch from 2016 out to 2045, with the bulk of active patents still protected well into the 2030s and 2040s. There is no near-term patent cliff – Unicharm’s core pet care IP will keep it covered for at least another decade, and in many cases two.
What are Unicharm Pet Care key innovation segments?
What Technologies are Covered by Unicharm Pet Care?
The chart below distributes patents filed by Unicharm Pet Care in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where Unicharm Pet Care thinks it’s important to protect particular technological inventions.
R&D Focus: How has Unicharm Pet Care search focus changed over the years?
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
Interested in knowing about the areas of innovation that are being protected by Unicharm Pet Care?
