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A look at the history of the hair dye industry-- pioneers, research, and brands-from the beginning of the 20th century and beyond.
ALTHOUGH VARIOUS natural materials-- particularly henna and indigo-have been used to color hair for at least 3,000 years, several factors contributed to making the 20th century "the century of hair color." The development of synthetic organic chemistry occurred in the latter half of the 19th century, along with the discovery by Hoffman, in 1863, that para-phenylenediamine produced a brown-black coloration when oxidized. But the slowness of technology transfer delayed the commercial exploitation of the discovery until the 20th century. The growth of the hairdressing trade toward the end of the 19th century and the association of a few chemists with that trade resulted in the birth of modern hair color at the dawn of the 20th century. Finally, the social acceptance of hair coloring as a fashion accessory led to exponential market growth.
The well-known advertising slogans "Does She or Doesn't She? Only her Hairdresser Knows for Sure," launched in 1956, and "Is it True? ... Blondes Have More Fun," from 1965, testify to the changing attitudes toward hair coloring that made this market so exciting in the 20th century.
Color Evolution
The first patents on coloring human hair with p-phenylenediamineand related substances were issued to Monnet in 1883 and to the brothers Erdmann in the period 1888 to 1897. Eugene Schueller, a chemist and the founder of L'Oreal, generally is credited with the marketing of the first commercial brand of oxidative hair color in 1907. Initially, most hair coloring companies sold only hair color products for application by trained hairdressers. After 1950, the retail market for home-use products was developed as a result of improved, easier-to-use products. The growth in the retail market also owes much to the introduction of products that require less commitment than the traditional oxidative colorants that last until the hair grows out. Thus, the 1950s saw the introduction of semi-permanent colors based on preformed dyes that wash out of the hair after six to 10 shampoos. The 1980s witnessed the growth of the demi-permanent or tone-on-tone products that employ a less lightening and less penetrating form of the oxidative dye technology and give results that...