George E Johnson Sr isn't just a name on a bottle of hair spray. He’s the guy who basically invented the modern ethnic hair care industry from a cramped garage in Chicago with five hundred bucks and a dream that everyone told him was a gamble. It wasn't just a gamble. It was a revolution.
Think about the 1950s for a second. If you were a Black man or woman looking for professional hair products, you basically didn't exist to the major corporations. The shelves were empty of anything tailored for you. George E. Johnson Sr. saw that void and didn't just fill it—he built a skyscraper on top of it. He founded Johnson Products Company in 1954, and honestly, business history hasn't been the same since.
The Ultra Sheen Revolution and Why It Changed Everything
You can't talk about George E Johnson Sr without talking about Ultra Sheen. Before this product hit the market, hair relaxers were often dangerous, caustic messes that literally burned the scalp if you weren't careful. Johnson worked as a production chemist for an outfit called Fuller Products Company—working under the legendary S.B. Fuller—and he realized there had to be a better way to do things.
He and his wife, Joan, started with a single product: Ultra Wave. It was a hair relaxer for men. But the real explosion happened when they pivoted to the women’s market with Ultra Sheen.
It wasn't just about the chemistry. It was about the distribution. Most white-owned companies wouldn't touch Black neighborhoods. Johnson didn't care. He went straight to the barbershops and the salons. He built a network of professionals who became his brand ambassadors before "influencer marketing" was even a term people used. By the time the 1960s rolled around, Johnson Products was a household name.
Breaking the Color Barrier on Wall Street
If you want to know how big this actually got, look at 1971. That’s the year Johnson Products Company became the first Black-owned company to be traded on the American Stock Exchange.
That is huge.
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It wasn't just a win for Johnson; it was a proof of concept for the entire American economy. It proved that a business catering specifically to the Black community could achieve massive scale and institutional respect. He proved the "Black tax" and the "ignored market" were actually multi-million dollar opportunities that the "Big Guys" in Manhattan were too blind to see.
Soul Train and the Power of the Pivot
A lot of people forget that George E Johnson Sr was essentially the reason Soul Train became a national phenomenon.
In the early 70s, Don Cornelius had a local dance show in Chicago. It was cool, it was vibey, but it had no money. Johnson saw it and realized it was the perfect vehicle for his products. He didn't just buy an ad; he became the primary sponsor. He put the money up to take the show into national syndication.
Think about that. Without Johnson's capital, we might never have had the "Soul Train Line." We might never have seen that specific celebration of Black joy and fashion on a weekly basis across the country. He understood that to sell a product, you have to support the culture that uses it. It’s a lesson most modern CMOs are still trying to figure out today.
The Afro Sheen Era: Adapting to Change
Most founders die on the hill of their first big success. When the "Natural is Beautiful" movement and the Afro became the dominant style in the late 60s and early 70s, a lot of people thought Johnson Products would go under. Why would you need a relaxer if you’re rocking an Afro?
Johnson didn't panic. He launched Afro Sheen.
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The marketing for Afro Sheen was brilliant. It used the "Watusi" and "Kenyan" imagery, leaning heavily into the "Black is Beautiful" mantra. He took a potential business threat—a massive shift in consumer behavior—and turned it into his next gold mine. This is the hallmark of a real entrepreneur. He wasn't wedded to the product; he was wedded to the customer.
The Complicated Reality of Corporate Competition
It wasn't all upward trajectories and gold-plated trophies. By the late 70s and early 80s, the "Big Boys" finally woke up. Companies like Revlon and Alberto-Culver realized there was massive money in the Black hair care market.
They started moving in. Hard.
They had deeper pockets, more massive distribution chains, and the ability to undercut prices. Johnson faced a brutal reality: once you prove a market exists, the giants will try to take it from you. He fought back with a school for stylists and continued innovation, but the landscape got crowded fast.
There’s a lesson here about the "pioneer's penalty." Johnson did the hard work of clearing the forest, and then the developers showed up to build the condos. It’s a recurring theme in Black business history, and Johnson was right at the center of it.
A Legacy Beyond the Bottle
Johnson's impact on Chicago is almost impossible to quantify. He didn't just hire people; he created a middle class. He funded banks like Independence Bank and Seaway National Bank to make sure other Black entrepreneurs could get the loans he struggled to find in the early days.
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He was also deeply involved in education. He and Joan set up the George E. Johnson Foundation, which poured money into minority scholarships. He knew that one successful company was a fluke, but an educated community was a powerhouse.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Exit
There’s often a bit of sadness when people talk about Johnson Products being sold to Ivax Corp in the 90s (and later passing through the hands of Carson and eventually L'Oréal). People see it as the loss of a Black institution.
But honestly? That's a narrow way to look at it.
Johnson built something so valuable that the biggest players in the world had to buy it to compete. He paved the way for the Richelieu Dennis’s (Sundial Brands) and the Pat McGrath’s of the world. He proved the exit was possible. He proved the valuation was real.
Actionable Lessons from the Johnson Playbook
If you’re looking at George E Johnson Sr as just a historical figure, you’re missing the point. His life is a blueprint for anyone trying to build something in a market that the experts say is "too niche."
- Solve the immediate pain point: Johnson didn't start with a "lifestyle brand." He started with a chemical solution to a specific hair problem.
- Go where the gatekeepers aren't: He didn't wait for big-box retailers to say yes. He went to the barbers.
- Pivot or Die: When the Afro replaced the perm, he changed his entire product line to match the culture.
- Invest in your own ecosystem: He funded the banks and the media (Soul Train) that his customers cared about.
George E Johnson Sr. didn't just sell "grease" and "chemicals." He sold confidence. He sold the idea that Black hair was worth specialized attention and high-quality science. In 2026, as we see the explosion of "clean beauty" and personalized hair care, we are all just living in the world that George built in a Chicago garage seventy years ago.
Next Steps for the Inspired Entrepreneur:
- Audit your market's "unmet needs": Look for demographics that are currently being "made do" with products designed for someone else.
- Study the Soul Train sponsorship model: Instead of just buying ads, look for ways to fund the creators who are already speaking to your audience.
- Build community infrastructure: If you find success, look to support the local financial or educational institutions that will sustain your customer base long-term.