Photo: George Ellis Johnson Sr. founded Johnson Products Company in Chicago, creating products such as Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, https://aaregistry.org/story/george-e-johnson-was-a-natural-businessman/
George Johnson, Sr. was the founder of the hugely successful Johnson Products Company, a hair care firm.
In 1954, he founded the firm with his wife, Joan (Henderson) Johnson with just $500. Johnson developed his first products exclusively for male customers. Their first success was Ultra Wave Hair Culture, which was a hair relaxer for men, Black Past reported.
In 1957, Johnson Products debuted a new hair straightener specifically for women called Ultra Sheen. As natural hair grew in popularity with the “Afro” style hair, Johnson developed its most famous product, Afro Sheen. The company started to sell its products globally including in Africa, the West Indies, and Latin America by the early 1970s. Johnson Products Company became the largest African American-owned corporation in the U.S. It became a $100 million-a-year firm.
