Pantene, The brand that became synonymous with full -bodied and shiny hair, Pantene hair was born in Switzerland 80 years ago from an intuition that in fact anticipated the concept of Skinification in the world of hater.
The discovery of the Pantenolo
A research group of Hoffmann – the Roche was studying a treatment to help patients with skin trauma. So, while they took care of the skin, they realized that the molecule they were testing, the Pro-Vitamine B5made the strongest, thick and shiny hair regrets. This molecule is known as Pantenolo, the iconic ingredient of the brand that has become a Gold Standard for the world Haarer over time to renovate the capillary fiber. Hoffman-La Roche therefore decided to create a Luxury hair tonic which was initially sold in the perfumery department of the department stores.
The power of advertising: the discovery of Pantene
The first advertising billboard, signed by the Swiss artist Herbert Leupin, showed a strand of hair willing to form a question mark: “What if the hair could be more than simple hair?”. What had to be only an advertising became the starting point of each Pantene innovation, helping to define the aesthetic and the history of the costume over the decades. In short, It is sufficient to look at how the brand’s campaigns have changed to be able to make considerations on beauty and its evolution. Thanks to this visual language, the brand became a statement. In the sixties, after the European nobility he also conquered the American jet set, entering Saks Fifth Avenue and Waldorf Astoria, and bringing a new and more contemporary luxury idea, made of miracles but above all of science and innovation.
Pantene’s philosophy
«The brand’s mission has always been to allow people to have wonderful hair. It doesn’t matter if you bring a short or long cut, or if you want a smooth or curly fold, we know what the power of the hair is in terms of empowerment and safety in themselves. Having healthy and beautiful today is within everyone’s reach », explains Helene Graffner, Senior Director, P&G Beauty Communications. We therefore retrace eighty years of transformations with a single Fil Rouge: that desire to have better hair.
The fifties-sexesumer and the boom of the Hair Salon
With the progressive return to normal after the war, the women who had worked in the factory and who had certainly not had time to think about taking care of their appearance, matured a new desire to dress well and be glamorous. «These are the years in which they begin to go to the living room every week, but where did the inspiration for their looks come from? Hollywood in the 1950s played a very important role », explains Rachel Gibson, Creator of the Instagram account @Thehairhistorian who during the celebratory event of Pantene organized in Lucerne conducted guests through the evolution of beauty. «The cinema has encouraged women to change much more than they have ever done, a very built beauty that required effort was fashionable, we think of Marilyn Monroe’s discolored hair. And it is precisely in this period that discolraries become popular ». This idea of beauty also inspires Pantene to create its first products with a well -kept aesthetic but with advertisements that spoke of science and health of the hair – Medicine for the hair It was read on vintage advertisements – binomial which is acquired today but which was then undoubtedly disruptive and inaugurated a new era for the haircare.
The seventies and the birth of the first conditioners
The seventies break the rules, they establish voluminous Blowout, very scaled cuts, queen disk curls. Pantene launches restructuring products, they are the first conditioners, with the aim of having perfect styling but also a soft texture to be caressed despite the numerous chemical treatments and the excessive heat to which the hair is regularly subjected. It is from 1973 the advertising that today would be unthinkable even just imagine: “If your hair is not beautiful, the rest hardly matters”. Hair began to establish itself as an element of power and personal affirmation.
The eighties and extra volumes as a symbol of personal affirmation
These are the years of excesses, even in hair. “It is an era in which women overlook the world of work and climb the top management. They dress with jackets with wide shoulders, bring an elegant makeup and very voluminous hair that visually support them in a world made only for men. The styling accessories become cheaper and begin to enter the houses. It is an era of great creativity and self -expression. The idea is affirmed that beauty is not something easy, already given by nature, but it is something rewarding that you can do for yourself, “says Rachel. In 1986 Pantene launched a provocative campaign: “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” The message was clear and interpretable in a positivist key: Being beautiful is not a crime, being successful is a right and having beautiful hair requires effort and care, but everyone can do it. In the eighties the world haarecare was structured as a real product category, Pantene launches the RAinbow Collection With bottles covering the whole color palette depending on the type of hair and need. The perspective changes, there is no shampoo or a styling product for everyone, but there is what is good for you: beauty becomes customization.
The nineties and the aesthetics of the brightness
Straight and shiny hair is the new aesthetic ideal of the decade. The brilliance of the texture becomes synonymous with beauty and health lengths.
The 2000s and the research of authenticity
The first decade is that of the Super Models that we also find as the face of the Pantene advertising, the brand you see on the red carpet but that you can also have at your home. The new luxury are hairless hair and a texture that looks like silk.
The second decade of the 2000s represents a turn -based turn for the evolution of beauty. Perfect hair becomes experienced, people begin to prefer an authentic representation to aspirational paragmes. The strength and diversity of women embody true beauty, while the hair is no longer only such, but one wonders what can tell about us. They are a white canvas with which to rewrite their history, with which to be who wants to and expand body language without stereotypes of any kind. “The arrival of social networks has started the era of sharing. People from consumers of trends have become creators of trend, primarily for themselves, “says Rachel. «But if we look back to the last 80 years as well as in previous eras, we realize that people’s concerns for their hair have always been more or less the same: stronger and healthier hair. And the reason is that when they have a nice appearance, they make us feel good ».
Pantene now
Today we have all the most innovative tools to create any type of look, we are more aware of the ingredients but 2025, in a certain sense, represents a return to the origins. The world haacare gives priority to hair strength and health with an increasingly scientific attitude, and thanks to Tiktok there Skinification It has become a trend: let’s deal with the hair with the same ingredients and the same complex beauty routine that we reserve for the skin … And wasn’t this the beginning of the story of Pantene? We had to go through models to be replicated and often unrealistic to be able to understand that our personal history is the one that really matters.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
