Londa Professional

Londa Professional is a German professional haircare brand aimed at independent salons and stylists. It was launched on 4 December 1956 by the post-war Wella operation based in Rothenkirchen, Saxony, then part of East Germany [2]. The name comes from the French l'onde — "the wave" — echoing its parent brand Wella, whose name has the same meaning in German. The range covers colour, care, styling, texture and perm products, and the brand remains active as one of the eleven brands held by Wella Company.

A note on dates: an early research hint placed the brand's origin at 1922, but that figure belongs to Wella's own brand-name history (the Wella name was introduced in 1924, with the underlying Ströher company founded in 1880) rather than to Londa. Londa is a distinct sub-brand whose 1956 launch is confirmed by its own pages, by Wella Company's corporate history, and by Wikipedia [7].

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

Londa traces back to the Ströher hair business founded in Rothenkirchen in 1880, which later became Wella. After the Second World War, East German authorities expropriated Wella's Rothenkirchen plant, and in 1956 the post-war operation there adopted a new brand name — Londa — while continuing to use the familiar Wella logo. From 1959 the Londa trademark was used exclusively. No individual is credited as founder; the brand was created by the Wella corporate operation rather than by a single person.

Through the 1960s, the company describes Londa as having built a reputation for German precision and dependability, presenting itself as a home-grown brand within Germany while exporting that perception abroad. International availability began around 1960.

For most of the Cold War, the Rothenkirchen plant operated as the state-owned VEB Londa within East Germany's centrally planned economy. According to an encyclopedic account of Wella's history, the enterprise had "very limited development potential due to the strict principles of East German economic planning," yet still achieved a notable presence in Eastern European export markets [9]. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the plant was reintegrated into Wella in 1990 through a joint venture [2].

One product anchors the brand's history: Londacolor, a permanent cream hair colour introduced in 1960. According to the retailer Glamot, it has been continuously updated over the decades and remains in the active range — roughly 66 years of unbroken production at the time of writing [10]. In 2013, Londa launched an education programme for independent stylists titled "Learn It, Live It, Share It."

Londa's corporate ownership has changed hands several times as part of the wider Wella portfolio. Procter & Gamble acquired Wella AG, including Londa, in 2003 [7]. In 2016, Coty took over P&G's specialty beauty business — Wella and Londa among it — in a deal valued at about $12.5 billion [7]. In December 2020, Coty divested its professional beauty division to the investment firm KKR, creating a standalone Wella Company; the new entity was initially split roughly 60% KKR and 40% Coty [8].

The brand's own About page is out of date on this point: it still states that "Wella is now part of the Coty family," reflecting the 2016 deal but not the 2020 carve-out [2]. Corporate and third-party sources confirm the current structure — KKR 74.1%, Coty 22.3% and IGF Wealth Management 3.6% — under the independent Wella Company, which lists Londa Professional among its brands [5][7]. Its sister brands in that portfolio include Sassoon, Sebastian Professional, System Professional, Nioxin, Clairol, OPI and Briogeo. Calvin McDonald was named the company's chief executive in February 2026, succeeding Annie Young-Scrivner, who had resigned in January 2025 [11][12].

Londa positions itself as a salon-trade brand built around the independence of small salons and individual stylists. Its stated purpose is to "empower Independence," and the company says it has served small independent salons and stylists for more than half a century. That outlook is captured in a set of stated beliefs — among them "small is the future," "the best business is your own" and "freedom should not come at a price." Alongside its products, the brand runs My Londa, a community platform for stylists offering profiles, education and portfolio sharing. The parent corporate site sums up the positioning as "Big ideas for small salons since 1956."

The range spans colour, care, styling, texture and perm products for both salon and home use. Beyond the long-running Londacolor, products surfaced by retailers include the Blondoran dust-free lightener, the TonePlex toning mask, the Color Radiance shampoo and conditioner, the Velvet Oil treatment and the Lock It hair spray [10]. The brand markets some colour and care lines with ammonia-free, paraben-free and sulfate-free options [10].

On the styling side, Londa promotes a proprietary 3D Sculpt Instant Precise Technology built around what it calls Micro-Polymers. For its permanent colour, the company points to a lipid-enriched formula it says delivers colour stability and gloss.

Londa Professional is active. The brand maintains a multilingual website with several country editions, active Instagram and Facebook accounts, and confirmed inclusion in the current Wella Company portfolio. Its products remain available across European hair-trade and beauty e-commerce retailers. In 2026 the brand marks 70 years since its 1956 launch.