Wella
 |
|
| Industry | Consumer goods |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1880 |
| Founders | Franz Ströher |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
|
Area served
|
worldwide |
| Products | Hair care |
| Parent | Procter & Gamble |
| Website | wella.com |
Wella AG is a major German hair care company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1880 by Franz Ströher, it specializes in hair care, styling and colorants sold to individuals as well as hairdressers and was controlled by Procter & Gamble from 2003 until it was sold to Coty Inc. along with other P&G brands.
Wella was founded in 1880 by Franz Ströher, a hairdresser from Saxony, Eastern Germany. The company originally made tulles, the base used for making wigs. In 1890, he invented the Tullemoid Waterproof, a technique that allowed the scalp to breathe. In 1894, he opened his first factory in Rothenkirchen, Germany and his sons Karl and George Ströher joined the business soon after.
In 1924, the Ströhers registered the name Wella at the German patent office. As wigs and hairpieces fell out of fashion, the company turned to permanent wave products; the name Wella was taken from Dauerwellapparat, meaning "permanent wave device" in German. In 1927, they introduced the first perming appliance and supplied it to salons. In the 1930s Wella developed the first hairdryers with built-in motors and movable tubes that allowed head movement during the drying process. Also in the 1930s, Wella introduced Wella Junior, a portable perming machine.
After World War II, the German Democratic Republic seized the Wella factory and all its patents were declared state-owned. The Ströher family and some members of staff decided to start the business again from scratch in Hünfeld, Hesse. Production began again in 1945 and, by the end of the decade, the new Wella AG had 50 employees.
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