Wella

Wella is a German-founded haircare company specialising in professional hair colour, styling and care products. It traces its origins to 1880, when the hairdresser Franz Ströher established a business making hair tulle — the netting base for wigs — in Rothenkirchen, in the Saxon Vogtland region of Germany [6]. Today the company is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and says it operates across more than 150 countries.

The business now sits within the independent Wella Company, which since 2020 has operated separately from Coty and is majority-owned by the private equity firm KKR [6]. Its best-known lines include the Koleston range of salon hair colour, and its professional arm, Wella Professionals, describes itself as the leading salon colour brand worldwide [1].

Franz Ströher was 26 when he founded his self-named company in 1880 to produce and sell artificial hair and hair tulle used as the base for wigs [7]. The workshop was located in the Saxon Vogtland, a textile region that FundingUniverse describes as supplying a skilled and inexpensive workforce. Ströher's sons, Karl and George, later joined the business.

As fashions shifted from wigs toward permanent-wave and hair-treatment products, the company adopted the Wella name — taken from the German word for "wave." According to Wella's own history, the family filed the name as a trademark at the German patent office in 1924 [3]. The business-history source FundingUniverse instead dates the trademark registration to around 1927 [7]; Wella's brand site and Wikipedia both give 1924, which stands as the primary figure.

Through the mid-twentieth century Wella built its reputation on hair technology and colour. In 1930 it launched the Wella Junior, described by the company as the first portable permer, and in 1939 it introduced Kolestral, which it presents as the first balm made to protect and nourish hair.

The company's defining product arrived in 1950 with Koleston, launched as the first cream hair colorant; Wella reports that 5.5 million tubes sold worldwide within three years. That same year the firm was incorporated as Wella AG, with its headquarters in Darmstadt. In 1957 it opened the Wella Central Research Centre in Darmstadt, and in 1995 it relaunched its flagship colorant as Koleston Perfect. Actress Elizabeth Taylor featured in Wella advertising in 1954.

Wella remained largely family-controlled for much of its history — by 2003, according to FundingUniverse, nearly 80 percent of shares were still held by members of the Ströher family [7]. That year, Procter & Gamble acquired a majority stake in Wella for approximately US$5.7 billion [6].

In 2015, Coty Inc. acquired Wella as part of a US$12.5 billion deal for Procter & Gamble's specialty beauty business [6]; Wella's own history dates this transition to 2016, referring to the same transaction. In 2020 the Wella Company was established and divested from Coty to operate as an independent entity [3]. Wikipedia records the current ownership as KKR at 74.1 percent, Coty at 22.3 percent and IGF Wealth Management at 3.6 percent [6]. In 2022 Wella acquired the eco-focused haircare brand Briogeo [6]. The broader company also owns Sebastian Professional, Clairol, ghd, OPI and Nioxin.

Wella frames its purpose around what it calls the "transformative power of hair," and its guiding principle, "Make It You," which the company says empowers people to define beauty on their own terms. Its stated mission is to enable individuals to look, feel and be their true selves, and it describes its work as a fusion of science, technology and artistry. The company lists five core values: collaborative, creative, courageous, connected and committed.

Wella positions itself primarily in the professional salon market while also serving consumers directly. Its professional division, Wella Professionals, describes itself as the world's leading salon colour brand [1].

Colour has remained Wella's central category, anchored by the Koleston and Koleston Perfect lines. In 1972 the company launched Wella Balsam shampoo and conditioner.

On the science side, Wella cites a patent for a "metal purifier" system in hair colour, which it presents as protecting hair during the colouring process. In 2014 it patented the ME+ molecule, developed as a substitute for the dye ingredient p-phenylenediamine to reduce the risk of allergic reactions [6].

Wella states an aim to limit the negative and maximise the positive environmental and social impact of its business. It operates a code of conduct called WECare and describes commitments to ethical, fair and inclusive practices, alongside diversity and inclusion programmes. The available sustainability material does not specify carbon targets, packaging detail or third-party certifications.

Wella is an active company. As of 2025, Wikipedia reports that it operates in more than 150 countries, and its recent activity includes the 2022 acquisition of Briogeo and ongoing product lines such as Koleston Perfect.