About

Helene Curtis™ was a trailblazing American hair care and beauty brand that left a lasting mark on the industry. The company began in Chicago during the 1920s as the National Mineral Company, founded by Gerald Gidwitz and Louis Stein. Originally focused on beauty products for salons, particularly cold wave perms, the business rebranded as Helene Curtis™ in the 1940s, a name inspired by Gidwitz’s wife, Helene.

Helene Curtis™ revolutionized the hair care market in 1949 with the launch of Lanolin Plus, one of the first shampoos marketed directly to consumers. This innovation helped shift shampoo from a salon-exclusive product to a household staple. The company continued to grow, launching widely popular brands like Suave®​​, which offered affordable alternatives to salon-quality hair care, and Finesse®​​, a premium shampoo and conditioner line introduced in the 1980s.

By the early 1990s, Helene Curtis™ was generating over $1.2 billion in annual sales and had built a global presence with operations in more than 100 countries. It was also one of the last major independent personal care companies based in the United States.

In 1996, the company was acquired by Unilever for approximately $770 million. While the Helene Curtis™ name was gradually phased out, its legacy lives on in the way it helped shape modern consumer hair care, blending salon innovation with everyday accessibility.