COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2844

Shampoos, Hair

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

28companies1828–1991founding years28still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGuerlain
1828
FoundedAmerican Safety Razor Company
1875
FoundedThe Boots Company PLC
1883
FoundedBulgari S.p.A.
1884
FoundedSwank Inc.
1897
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedElizabeth Arden Co.
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedShiseido Company, Limited
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedGoody Products, Inc.
1933
FoundedL'Oréal
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedChesebrough-Pond's USA, Inc.
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedFrench Fragrances, Inc.
1960
FoundedNeutrogena Corporation
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBlock Drug Company, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAveda CorporationFoundedForever Living Products International Inc.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedJohn Paul Mitchell Systems
1980
FoundedBeautiControl Cosmetics, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedSunbeam-Oster Co., Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Guerlain →
Active · founded 1828 · France
Few names are as famously fragrant as Guerlain.
American Safety Razor Company →
Active · founded 1875
American Safety Razor Company (ASR) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of brand-name and private-label personal…
Chattem, Inc. →
Active · founded 1879
Chattem, Inc.
The Boots Company PLC →
Active · founded 1883 · United Kingdom
The Boots Company PLC is one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, in addition to being a major manufacturer…
Bulgari S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1884 · Italy
Bulgari S.p.A.
Kao Corporation →
Active · founded 1887 · Japan
Kao Corporation, often called the Procter & Gamble of Japan, is one of Japan's leaders in personal care products,…
Swank Inc. →
Active · founded 1897
Swank, Inc.
Elizabeth Arden Co. →
Active · founded 1911
For decades Elizabeth Arden Co.
Warner-Lambert Co. →
Active · founded 1920
The Warner-Lambert Co.
Shiseido Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Shiseido Company, Limited is the leading cosmetics company in Japan and one of the largest in the world.
Goody Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
Goody Products, Inc.
Smith & Nephew plc →
Active · founded 1937 · England
Smith & Nephew plc is the fifth-largest health care products supplier in a worldwide market worth £5 billion.
L'Oréal →
Active · founded 1939 · (1) 47 56 86 42
L'Oréal, one of the largest companies in France, is the world's largest manufacturer of high-quality cosmetics and…
Cosmair, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Cosmair, Inc.
Chesebrough-Pond's USA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Chesebrough-Pond's USA, Inc.
French Fragrances, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
French Fragrances, Inc.
Groupe Yves Saint Laurent →
Active · founded 1961 · France
In just 40 years, Yves Saint Laurent, the man, has fashioned a legend, while the Yves Saint Laurent company, Groupe…
Neutrogena Corporation →
Active · founded 1962
An independent company until its 1994 acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena Corporation manufactures and markets…
Block Drug Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Block Drug Company, Inc.
Liz Claiborne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Liz Claiborne, Inc.
Aveda Corporation →
Active · founded 1978
Aveda Corporation develops and manufactures hair, skin, makeup, perfumes, and lifestyle products from the essential…
Forever Living Products International Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
With more than $1 billion in annual sales, Forever Living Products International Inc.
Guest Supply, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Travellers may not recognize the name, but chances are Guest Supply, Inc.
John Paul Mitchell Systems →
Active · founded 1980
A recognized leader in the beauty industry, John Paul Mitchell Systems markets more than 35 different haircare products…
BeautiControl Cosmetics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
BeautiControl Cosmetics, Inc.
DEP Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
DEP Corporation is a California-based company that develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets hair, oral, and…
Sunbeam-Oster Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Sunbeam and Oster are consumer brand names recognizable from coast to coast, and by all generations of Americans.
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
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