History of Gillette
Gillette was founded in 1901 by King Camp Gillette, a travelling salesman from Wisconsin, together with engineer William Nickerson, who solved the technical challenge of producing thin, inexpensive steel blades. Their safety razor with disposable blades went on sale in 1903. Before it, most men shaved with straight razors that had to be regularly sharpened and could easily cause cuts.
Gillette's business model, selling the razor handle cheaply and making money on replacement blades, became one of the most famous strategies in business history. During the First World War, the company supplied millions of razors and blades to the United States military, helping make daily shaving a widespread habit among a generation of men.
Gillette continued to introduce new razor designs over the decades. The Trac II, launched in 1971, was the first twin-blade razor, followed by the Atra with a pivoting head, the Sensor in 1990, the three-blade Mach3 in 1998, and the five-blade Fusion in 2006. The slogan "The Best a Man Can Get," introduced in 1989, became closely associated with the brand.
In 2005, Procter & Gamble acquired Gillette in a deal worth about $57 billion, one of the largest acquisitions in the consumer goods industry. Under P&G, Gillette continued to grow its shaving gels, skincare products, and its Venus range of women's razors. It has since faced growing competition from lower-cost subscription razor brands, but remains one of the world's best-known names in men's grooming.