Johnson Products Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedJohnson Products Company is an American hair-care and cosmetics business known for the Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen brands and its historic sponsorship of Soul Train.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Johnson Products Company (JPC) is an American hair-care and cosmetics business founded in Chicago in 1954 by George E. Johnson Sr., his wife Joan Johnson, and a barber who later left the company. The company began with only a $250 investment and initially focused on products for African-American consumers, a market that was underserved by many mainstream beauty companies at the time. Its first major product was Ultra Wave, a hair-relaxer product for men that George Johnson had developed while working at Fuller Products, an African-American cosmetics company. The product was initially sold through barbers in Chicago, Harlem, and other African-American neighborhoods in New York City. In 1957, Joan Johnson repositioned the product for women and renamed it Ultra Sheen. The redesigned marketing addressed African-American women who straightened their hair and sought an alternative to hot-comb styling, heavy hair grease, and frequent beauty-shop visits. Ultra Sheen became the company’s foundation brand. By the 1960s, it was estimated to hold approximately 80 percent of the Black hair-care market. JPC reported annual sales of $12.6 million by 1970, and in 1971 the company became the first African-American-owned business to trade on the American Stock Exchange. Its growth reflected both effective distribution in Black communities and the increasing importance of specialized hair-care products for African-American consumers. The company’s best-known brand eventually became Afro Sheen, which was developed for natural hair during the rise in popularity of Afro hairstyles. Its advertising connected hair care with the broader Black-is-beautiful movement and used language emphasizing natural hair, racial pride, and cultural identity. This made Afro Sheen more than a functional grooming product: it became one of the most visible commercial expressions of Black cultural pride in the late 1960s and 1970s. JPC also played an important role in American television history. Beginning in 1971, it sponsored Soul Train, first helping the program expand from a local Chicago production into a nationally syndicated television show. The relationship made Johnson Products Company the first African-American-owned company to sponsor a national television program, and it associated the company with one of the most influential platforms for Black music, dance, and popular culture. By 1976, the company had reported annual sales of $40 million, employed approximately 500 people in Chicago, and operated a factory in Nigeria. Ownership and control changed substantially after the company’s period of independent growth. Following George and Joan Johnson’s divorce in 1989, Joan became chairman and principal shareholder, while their son Eric G. Johnson became chief executive. Eric resigned in 1992, reportedly amid poor relations with Joan. Ivax Corporation acquired Johnson Products in 1993 and combined it with Flori Roberts, its cosmetics and skin-care business serving Black women. The transaction ended the company’s control by African-American investors. Procter & Gamble acquired the company in 2004 and marketed its products within the P&G portfolio. In March 2009, a consortium of African-American investment firms purchased Johnson Products from Procter & Gamble, with the stated aim of restoring the company as an African-American-owned business. Johnson Products Company is identified as a privately held business based in Chicago and remains associated primarily with the Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen names.
History
Johnson Products Company was established in Chicago in 1954 by George E. Johnson Sr., Joan Johnson, and a barber who subsequently left the business. The venture was capitalized with $250. George Johnson brought technical experience from Fuller Products, an African-American cosmetics company, where he had developed Ultra Wave, a hair-relaxer product intended for men. Johnson Products initially sold the product through barbers in Chicago and in Harlem and other African-American neighborhoods of New York City. Joan Johnson redirected the business toward women’s hair care in 1957. She repositioned Ultra Wave as Ultra Sheen, presenting it as a way for African-American women to straighten their hair without relying as heavily on hot combs, hair grease, and frequent trips to beauty shops. The product gained substantial distribution and market recognition. By the 1960s, Ultra Sheen was estimated to account for about 80 percent of the Black hair-care market. JPC reported annual sales of $12.6 million by 1970. The company expanded its commercial and cultural influence in the early 1970s. In 1971, it became the first African-American-owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange. That same year, it began sponsoring Soul Train. The sponsorship supported the program’s movement from a local television show to a nationally syndicated platform and made JPC closely associated with Black music and youth culture. The company’s other major brand, Afro Sheen, addressed the growing popularity of natural hair and Afro hairstyles. Its advertising drew on the Black-is-beautiful movement, presenting natural hair as an expression of confidence, cultural identity, and racial pride. JPC continued to grow during the 1970s. By 1976, reported annual sales had reached $40 million. The company employed about 500 people in Chicago and had a factory in Nigeria, showing that its operations extended beyond the United States even though its principal identity and market remained tied to African-American consumers. Corporate control became more complicated after George and Joan Johnson divorced in 1989. Under the divorce settlement, Joan became chairman and principal shareholder, while their son Eric G. Johnson was appointed chief executive. Eric left the company in 1992, reportedly because of strained relations with Joan. In 1993, Ivax Corporation acquired Johnson Products and merged it with Flori Roberts, an Ivax cosmetics and skin-care line for Black women. The sale ended the company’s period of control by African-American investors. Procter & Gamble acquired Johnson Products in 2004. Under P&G ownership, Afro Sheen, Ultra Sheen, and related products were marketed as part of the multinational company’s beauty portfolio. In March 2009, a consortium of African-American investment firms purchased Johnson Products from Procter & Gamble. The buyers’ stated purpose was to reestablish the business as an African-American-owned company. The company is described as privately held and Chicago-based, with its historical identity still centered on specialized hair-care and cosmetic products for African-American consumers.
- 2009
Return to African-American investment ownership
[1]A consortium of African-American investment firms bought JPC from Procter & Gamble.
- 2004
Acquisition by Procter & Gamble
[1]Procter & Gamble purchased the company and incorporated its products into its beauty portfolio.
- 1993
Acquisition by Ivax Corporation
[1]Ivax acquired JPC and combined it with Flori Roberts, its cosmetics and skin-care line for Black women.
- 1989
Change in family control
[1]Following George and Joan Johnson’s divorce, Joan became chairman and principal shareholder and Eric G. Johnson became chief executive.
- 1976
Expansion in sales, employment, and manufacturing
[1]Reported annual sales reached $40 million, with approximately 500 employees in Chicago and a factory in Nigeria.
- 1971
Public-market listing and Soul Train sponsorship
[1]JPC became the first African-American-owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange and began sponsoring Soul Train.
- 1957
Ultra Wave is repositioned as Ultra Sheen
[1]Joan Johnson redirected the original men’s hair-relaxer product toward women and marketed it under the Ultra Sheen name.
- 1954
Company founded in Chicago
[1]George E. Johnson Sr., Joan Johnson, and a barber established the business with a reported $250 investment.
Products and positioning
A specialist African-American hair-care and cosmetics company combining functional grooming products with culturally resonant branding centered on Black hair, natural styles, and racial pride.
Men's hair relaxer · 1954
Ultra Wave
Ultra Wave was the company’s initial major product. Developed by George E. Johnson while he was at Fuller Products, it was formulated as a hair-relaxer product for men and was first distributed through barbers serving African-American communities in Chicago and New York.
Hair relaxer and straightening care · 1957
Ultra Sheen
Ultra Sheen emerged in 1957 after Joan Johnson repositioned Ultra Wave for women. Its marketing addressed African-American women who straightened their hair and wanted an alternative to repeated hot-comb use, heavy grease, and frequent salon visits. It became JPC’s foundational commercial brand and was estimated to hold a dominant share of the Black hair-care market during the 1960s.
Natural-hair care and styling
Afro Sheen
Afro Sheen was developed for natural hair during the growing popularity of Afro hairstyles. Its advertising connected grooming with the Black-is-beautiful movement and promoted natural hair as a source of cultural pride. The brand became Johnson Products Company’s most recognizable name and one of the clearest examples of hair-care marketing linked to African-American identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 1971Soul Train sponsorship
United States
Johnson Products Company began sponsoring Soul Train as the program expanded beyond its Chicago origins. The partnership placed Afro Sheen and related products alongside a nationally visible platform for Black music, dance, and popular culture.
Outcome. The sponsorship helped Soul Train become nationally syndicated and established JPC as the first African-American company to sponsor a national television program.
- Afro Sheen Black-is-beautiful advertising
United States
Afro Sheen advertising promoted natural hair during the rise of Afro hairstyles and drew on the Black-is-beautiful movement. Its messaging framed natural hair as attractive, culturally meaningful, and connected to racial pride.
Outcome. The campaign made Afro Sheen a prominent commercial expression of African-American cultural identity.
Brand decisions
2009
Sale to an African-American investment consortiumM&ABackground
After five years within Procter & Gamble, investors sought to restore the company’s African-American ownership.
Action taken
A consortium of African-American investment firms purchased Johnson Products from Procter & Gamble.
Aftermath
The purchase reestablished the company as an African-American-owned business and returned it to independent private ownership.
2004
Procter & Gamble acquisitionM&ABackground
Johnson Products was operating within Ivax’s combined cosmetics structure.
Action taken
Procter & Gamble acquired the company and marketed its products as part of its portfolio.
Aftermath
The brands moved under multinational consumer-products ownership until their later sale in 2009.
1993
Ivax acquisition and Flori Roberts mergerM&ABackground
Following family-control changes and the departure of Eric G. Johnson, JPC became an acquisition target.
Action taken
Ivax Corporation acquired Johnson Products and combined it with Flori Roberts.
Aftermath
The transaction ended control of the company by African-American investors and placed its brands within a larger cosmetics group.
1971
Enter the public marketStrategyBackground
After building a dominant position in African-American hair care, JPC pursued public-market access.
Action taken
The company went public and traded on the American Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
It became the first African-American-owned company to trade on that exchange.
Annual sales. $12.6 million (1970, before the 1971 listing)
Sources1 sources
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