BaByliss Accessories

BaByliss is a French personal-care company founded in 1960 and based in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris [2]. It grew from a single invention — an early electric styling tool developed by Parisian hairdressers — into a maker of hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners and related styling appliances sold across Europe and further afield. Since 1995 the brand has been owned by the American appliance group Conair Corporation [3].

The brand remains active. Its parent continues to run a consumer line (BaByliss), a professional line (BaBylissPRO) and a men's grooming range, and reported revenue of roughly 175 million euros for 2024 [2].

The company traces its beginnings to the Montmartre district of Paris, where hairdressers René Lelièvre and Roger Lemoine worked on an early electric hair-styling tool. Lelièvre is credited with inventing the first electric hair straightener, or professional curling tong, which was released and marketed under the BaByliss name in July 1960 by Jean-Pierre Feldblum [2]. According to the brand, the tool gained popularity quickly and became a familiar name across Europe.

In February 1995, Conair Corporation, an American company, bought a majority share in BaByliss [3]. Conair was founded in 1959 in a garage in Queens, New York, by Julian and Leandro Rizzuto, and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut; it is majority-owned by the private-equity firm American Securities, with minority stakes held by members of the founder's family [3]. Within Conair's structure, BaByliss operates as a consumer brand while the related BaBylissPRO line serves professional stylists and barbers. A men's grooming line, BaByliss for Men, followed in 2003.

Beyond its founding, a handful of dated milestones mark the brand's expansion. It added the BaByliss for Men line in 2003, acquired a manufacturing facility in Chiuduno, Italy, in 2009, and in 2010 began a collaboration with Ferrari on specialized hair dryers [2]. In 2024 the professional line BaBylissPRO introduced the FXONE range, a set of tools powered by a single interchangeable battery that the company describes as an industry first [1].

BaByliss frames its styling tools around creativity and styling freedom. The company describes them as "designed to inspire creativity, offering you the freedom to explore endless possibilities" [1]. In practice the catalogue centers on electrical styling appliances — dryers, hot brushes, curling wands and straighteners — rather than cosmetic formulations.

Several of the brand's tools have drawn editorial coverage. The BaByliss Big Hair Rotating Hot Air Styler pairs a hairdryer with a rotating round bristle brush, distributing hot air from the barrel to smooth and curl in a single pass; Refinery29 reviewed it in 2020 [4]. The Style Secret Air automatically wraps hair around a heated barrel to produce tangle-free ringlets and was reviewed by Woman & Home [5]. The Titanium Brilliance Straight & Curl is designed to give both a straight finish and a curl from one tool, and a straightener in the same line was covered by Tech Advisor [8]. A BaByliss curling wand has also been reviewed by Who What Wear [7].

BaByliss remains an active brand. Its most recent notable development is the 2024 FXONE launch under BaBylissPRO, and its products continue to be sold and reviewed in the beauty and technology press. The reported 2024 revenue of about 175 million euros reflects continuing operations under Conair ownership [2].