87. Know Your Product- Eugène Schueller

Those of you who have been following HEADS WILL ROLL will know I'm a sucker for hair-history. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Eugene Schueller, he's like the Godfather of modern hair color.

Eugène Schueller (20th March 1881- 23rd August 1957) a French chemist and a graduate of the Institut de Chimie Appliquée de Paris (now Chimie Paris Tech), discovered p-phenylenediamine and develops a synthetic formula to color the hair in 1907.

This formula is nicknamed “Auréole“.

On 30th July, 1909, Schueller registers his company, the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux ( literally "French Society of Inoffensive Hair Dyes"). The guiding principles of the company eventually became L’Oréal as we know it today.

Controversy.

During the early twentieth century, Schueller provided financial support and held meetings for La Cagoule at L'Oréal headquarters. La Cagoule was a violent French Fasict-leaning and anti-communist group.

*This was extensively researched by Michael Bar-Zohar in his book, Bitter Scent.

Further Reading-

History of Hairdressing.