Wella develops and markets products and styling devices for hair and nail care for professionals and consumers.

Wella Company

Petit-Lancy (Geneva), Switzerland · Darmstadt, GermanyNew on Amplifa

1880Founded

6000+Employees worldwide

over 100 countriesPresence

About Wella Company

Wella Company is an international beauty company with a portfolio of brands for hair color, hair care, nail care and beauty-tech styling devices, including Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, ghd, Nioxin, Sebastian Professional, System Professional, Kadus, Londa and Briogeo. According to the company, it combines a corporate history of more than 140 years with innovative, patented technologies in its products. Since the spin-off from Coty in 2020, KKR has been the majority owner; the company employs more than 6,000 people worldwide and is present in over 100 countries. The headquarters of Wella International Operations Switzerland S.à.r.l. is located in Petit-Lancy near Geneva, with the research and development center in Darmstadt. Via the Wellastore platform and training programs for salons, Wella serves the professional salon sector as well as end consumers. According to the company, Wella Professionals is the No. 1 Salon Color Brand and OPI the No. 1 Salon Nail Brand in the world (Kline, 2023/2024).

Site: Petit-Lancy
Processes: Professional Education/Training for salons, Wellastore e-commerce platform, Wellastore App with InspoLab (AI consulting), Brand protection
Certificates: Code of Conduct (WECare)
Founded: 1880
Employees: 6000+
Industries: Beauty/hair care industry, Professional salon sector, Nail care, Beauty Tech (styling devices)

01
Product development (R&D, among others Darmstadt)
02
Manufacturing
03
Distribution via salons, retail and e-commerce (Wellastore)
04
Professional Education/Training for salons

Locations

Petit-Lancy (Geneva)

Central office/Headquarters (Wella International Operations Switzerland S.à.r.l.)

Darmstadt

Research & Development

Brands & Products

**Wella Professionals Hair Color**Hair color · Professional salon sector

**OPI Nail Polish**Nail care · Salon sector

**ghd Styling Device**Beauty Tech · Styling devices

**Pure Perfection Collection**Hair color · Professional salon sector

Inside the production

Wella Company Brand Portfolio

System Professional – Application in the Salon

Industries

Beauty/hair care industryProfessional salon sectorNail careBeauty Tech (styling devices)

Additional services

Professional Education/Training for salonsWellastore e-commerce platformWellastore App with InspoLab (AI consulting)Brand protection

Quality & Compliance

Wella Company does not test its products on animals and is working toward largely avoiding PFAS in product formulations; a Code of Conduct (WECare) as well as ESG policies govern quality, ethics and sustainability.

Evidence	Petit-Lancy (Geneva)
Code of Conduct (WECare)

History

1880
Franz Ströher founds the company in Rothenkirchen (production of hair netting for wigs)
1919
Kadus is founded by Ludwig Kegel in Freiburg
1924
The Wella brand name is introduced and protected as a trademark
1950
Launch of Wella Koleston, the first cream hair color
1956
Londa emerges from the Rothenkirchen part of the company
1974
Kadus becomes a subsidiary of Wella AG; System Professional is established
1981
OPI is founded in Los Angeles
1987
Nioxin Research Laboratories founded
2001
Procter & Gamble acquires Clairol; founding of ghd
2003
Procter & Gamble takes over Wella AG
2010
OPI is acquired by Coty
2016
Coty acquires P&G's beauty business incl. professional brands as well as ghd
2020
Wella Company is spun off from Coty, majority owner KKR
2022
Acquisition of Briogeo Hair Care
2023
Wella Professionals becomes the No. 1 Salon Color Brand, OPI the No. 1 Salon Nail Brand in the world
2025
Glenn K. Murphy becomes Executive Chair; ghd Duet Style wins the Marie Claire Prix d'Excellence