The History of Pantene

Inspired by the ingredient panthenol, Pantene, owned by Swiss drug company Hoffman-LaRoche, makes its debut as a premium hair care line across Europe, replete with glass bottles and prestige scents.

Demand from European travelers in the United States drives American retailers to import Pantene from Switzerland. The shopping in New York City gets even better when Pantene launches exclusively in upscale establishments such as the Waldorf Astoria and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Pantene changed to new packaging with its iconic gold cap. 35 years later, women still remember gold-capped Pantene.

In the early '80s, Pantene expands its product lineup while elevating the brand's scientific expertise and health as the foundation for beautiful hair with the new tagline, “The Care and Feeling of Beautiful Hair.”

The Pantene “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” campaign becomes one of the most famous and memorable campaigns and taglines in hair care advertising history. And with its acquisition of Pantene in 1985, Procter & Gamble expands Pantene distribution on a massive scale, making the hair care technology of Pantene accessible to women everywhere.

Pantene makes its way across the globe, launching in Australia, New Zealand, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Korea, and Japan. A staggering array of hair care and hairstyling product offerings and a stronger focus on hair health make the Pantene Pro-V tagline, “Hair so healthy it shines,” recognizable all over the world.

Pantene becomes a billion-dollar brand.

Pantene launches new shampoos and conditioners with first-ever, clinically tested, antioxidant-damage-blocking technology. This damage-blocking technology targets, captures, and helps reduce copper buildup on hair to help prevent oxidative damage, which over time leads to a new dimension of strong, healthy hair.

Pantene continues its run as a premium hair care brand and media darling with endorsements from the Golden Door Salon, Ford Models, Club Evian, Milan Fashion Week, Vogue, Allure, and Cosmopolitan.

Pantene revolutionizes its approach to hair care by making products that cater to the look you want. With more than 100 hair care and hairstyling products in the United States alone, Pantene delivers on all of your hair care needs and possibilities!

Pantene launches the Beautiful Lengths program which encourages women to grow, cut, and donate their healthy hair to help women battling cancer. Pantene Beautiful Lengths has collected more than 600,000 ponytails and provided the funds to create more than 34,000 free real-hair wigs, which are distributed through select American Cancer Society® wig banks across the country.

Pantene is committed to helping women across the globe be strong and shine both inside and out, and launches a new campaign to highlight the double standards and unconscious bias that face women. Initially launched locally in the Philippines, the campaign resonates with women globally.