Redken history

In fact, the company was growing so fast that by 1965 Paula Kent was able to buy out Jheri’s share and become the sole owner of Redken.

The company started growing very quickly under the leadership of Paula Kent and by 1966 had crossed the $1.5 million sales mark.

Kent had been relying on bank loans to expand the operation and keep up with demand, but in 1971 she decided to tap the public markets, raising $5 million from an initial public offering of stock underwritten by the Los Angeles firm of Mitchum Jones & Templeton.

The company held its first symposium a few years down the line in 1974.

With the arrival of 1977, Paula had completely embraced the role of a successful business woman and was named among the “100 Top Corporate Women” by Business Week.

Sales reached $65 million in 1979 when its customer list totaled 13,300 salons in the United States.

In 1980, Redken became an international brand and launched in 13 countries.

By 1983 the company was generating about $13 million in international sales.

She was going to buy it someplace," Kent told Forbes in a 1984 interview.

He became Redken's president, while John Meehan became chairman and Paula Kent Meehan assumed the title of "founder-chairman." When business fell off Mester was forced out in July 1986 and the Meehans resumed more active control.

Sales reached the $120 million mark by 1988, but by this time the Meehans were not happy with being a public company and decided to take the business private.

And by 1992 Paula Kent made the list as one of the “Eight Most Powerful Woman Business Owners” by Entrepreneurial Woman Magazine.

Within five years the loan was paid off and by 1993 sales reached $165 million.

Several months later, in January 1994, an earthquake struck the area, causing extensive damage to the facility, and Redken headquarters were relocated to New York City, the heart of the beauty and fashion industries.

The Redken Exchange, the industry’s leading resource for learning, opens its doors in 1996

In an effort to rebuild the brand, the company in 1998 ran its first television spots in a decade.

Seitz, John L., "Profile of Paula Kent Meehan," Beverly Hills Courier, December 24, 2004.

Guido, Redken Global Creative Director since 2005.