Redken

Redken is a hair care products manufacturer with headquarters located at 565 5th Avenue in New York City. Its products are primarily sold in professional hair salons and beauty supply stores.

The company was founded in 1960 by hairdresser/chemist Jheri Redding and actress/model Paula Kent, thus the name, "Red-ken." Kent was extra sensitive to many of the products used by hairdressers and make-up artists of the day, when frequent chemical services and style changes were routine for women of her profession. She and Redding went in together and began Redken Laboratories, based in Southern California, developing three products and giving an intensive training program for hairdressers about the chemistry of hair and skin, enabling them to better serve their clients. Sales for the first year were $90,000. The next year, sales were $350,000.

Redken pioneered the "Scientific Approach to Beauty," and revolutionized the professional salon business by introducing the concept of protein reconditioning and developing new protein based products, which they patented.

The formulas developed were based on three principles: 1) Protein technology (since hair is composed primarily of proteins); 2) An acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5, complementing the natural pH of the hair and skin; 3) Products recommended exclusively by licensed cosmetologists in professional salons.

Because hair can absorb topically applied proteins, salons were able to condition hair internally and for the long-term rather than solely camouflage damage.

By 1965, Redding had sold his half of the business to Kent and she had full ownership of Redken Laboratories. During the 1970s and 1980s, the company was a leader in product technology in the U.S. and abroad. In 1993, with sales at $160 million, Redken was sold to Cosmair, Inc., the U.S. licensee of L'Oréal, and its headquarters were moved to New York.

Redken became a global leader in professional hair care products and services. Its products are available in professional beauty salons in over 50 countries. The company holds over 60 global patents on products and ingredients.

In 2007, Redken 5th Avenue NYC was named as one of the "Icons of the American Marketplace" together with 256 other American brands. When Random House, in partnership with Columbia University, honored consumer brand excellence to the top 257 brands out of 800 nominations, Redken was the only hair care brand named. The tribute is commemorated in a hardcover coffee table book.

ee also

*Gotham, Inc.

External links

* [http://redken.com/ Redken Official Website]
* [http://www.redkencolor.com/ Redken Color]
* [http://www.redkenformen.com/ Redken For Men]
* [http://www.urbanexperiment.com/ Redken Urban Experiment]