The first safety blade razor is 120 years old

Before Gillette, the science and technology behind shaving was pretty raw. At that time, shaving was only possible and safe if the straight-shaped razor was handled by the user with a steady hand and proper training. These straight razors required tremendous precision and careful, circumspect use, and were so sharp that even the slightest careless movement could lead to disaster.

King C. Gillette was an American businessman who once fell while shaving and damaged the blade. That’s when he came up with the idea of a safety blade razor with a T-shaped handle. For years, he experimented with the right form and material until he developed the most effective concept, which he later patented. He founded the Gillette Safety razor factory and in 1903 began manufacturing the first safety blade Gillette razor. It sold a total of 51 razors and 168 blades that year, and a year later, in 1904, it sold nearly a hundred thousand razors and over a hundred and twenty thousand blades, thanks in part to Gillette’s low prices, automated production techniques, and good advertising.

Over the past decades, Gillette, which has won the Superbrands award for several years in a row, has undergone continuous development and, in addition to innovation, also places great emphasis on encouraging sustainable and responsible facial care.