Elchim

Elchim is an Italian manufacturer of professional hair dryers and styling tools, based in Milan. Founded in 1945 by the siblings Riccardo and Egle Chiminello [1], the company has remained family-owned across three generations and markets itself as a maker of Italian-built tools engineered for salon use. Its tagline, "Since 1945 The Professional Dryer Made In Milano," sums up the two ideas the company returns to most often: longevity and Italian manufacturing.

The brand is still active. In 2025 it ran an "80 Years Loving Hair" campaign marking its 80th anniversary [1], alongside recent product launches and an operating e-commerce site.

Riccardo and Egle Chiminello had emigrated from Vicenza to Milan at the end of the Second World War. They opened Elchim's first offices on Via Larga, just behind the Piazza Duomo, in 1945 [1]. According to the company, Riccardo was the technological and creative half of the partnership while Egle handled the commercial and marketing side. The business grew out of household appliances before moving into professional hairdressing, with Riccardo working alongside figures in the Milan hairdressing trade.

Most sources, including the company's own about page and corroborating search results, place the founding in 1945; an internal scope note recorded the year as possibly 1947 [1]. The brand's repeated "Since 1945" framing and the 2025 anniversary campaign point to 1945.

Elchim is family-owned and has passed through three generations. The company is currently led by Luca Sabbatini as chief executive, the third generation, working with his father Roberto [1]. The business is registered in Milan, with operational headquarters in nearby San Giuliano Milanese. No parent company or outside owner is recorded.

The company frames its work around Italian craftsmanship, durability and what it calls love for hair. "Products that are not filled with love don't matter to us," its about page states, adding that "the quality of what we do every day is the only guarantee" [1]. Elchim positions its dryers as professional tools "engineered for professional use and built to last," and emphasises lightweight, ergonomic designs aimed at reducing drying time. Manufacturing in Italy, with named craftspeople, is presented as central to the brand rather than incidental.

Distribution leans toward the salon trade: the website maintains a registration channel for professional hairdressers. According to the company, its tools have been chosen by more than 80,000 hairstylists and sold into 48 countries over the brand's history [1].

Elchim's range centres on hair dryers, supported by flat irons, curling irons, barber clippers, brushes and diffusers. Its signature dryer is the 3900 Healthy Ionic, marketed as a powerful professional model with an ionic and ceramic system intended to cut frizz and static; the company says it reduces drying time by more than 30% and includes low-EMF shielding [4]. Other current models include the Dynamos and Anemos, both built around a sonic micro-brushless digital motor, and the 2001 High Pressure, a long-running model using high-pressure air compression. Across the line, the company highlights ionic, ceramic and high-pressure systems as its core technologies.

The 3900 Healthy Ionic has drawn the brand's most visible press. Vogue UK named it "Best All-Round Hairdryer" in 2021 [4], and Allure has cited it among the best professional dryers [4]. The company also lists design honours including the Compasso d'Oro. In an editorial verdict, the retailer Pro Styling Tools described Elchim as "synonymous with quality and performance" and judged that its dryers "deliver the promise of quality and innovation" [6].

Elchim is active. As of 2025 it operates an e-commerce site, has launched recent sonic-motor dryers, and is running its 80th-anniversary "80 Years Loving Hair" campaign [1]. The company describes its reach as global, manufacturing in Italy while selling internationally.