Information about Global Gillette

Global Gillette is a business unit of Procter & Gamble. It is the successor of The Gillette Company, which was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901 as a safety razor manufacturer. It was based in Boston, Massachusetts.

On October 1, 2005, The Gillette Company finalized its purchase by Procter & Gamble. As a result of this merger, the Gillette Company no longer exists. Its last day of market trading - symbol G on the New York Stock Exchange - was September 30, 2005. The merger created the world's largest personal care and household products company.

Before the merger, Gillette had grown to become a leading global supplier of products under a variety of brands. In addition to Gillette, the company marketed under Braun, Duracell and Oral-B, among others.

In July 2007, Global Gillette will be dissolved and incorporated into Procter & Gamble's other two main divisions, Procter & Gamble Beauty and Procter & Gamble Household Care. Gillette's brands and products will be divided between the two accordingly.

Gillette firsts

• Safety razor (Gillette Safety Razor invented in 1895 and patented in 1904)
• Razor marketed specifically to women (Milady Décolletée, 1916)
• Razor dispenser (1946)
• Stainless Steel blades (Super Stainless, 1963)
• Double-blade razor (Trac II, 1971)
• Disposable double-blade razor (Good News!, 1971)
• Razor with a pivot point (Atra, 1977)
• Razor with a lubricating strip (Atra Plus, 1985)
• Razor with spring-loaded blades (Sensor, 1990)
• Razor with microfins (Sensor Excel, 1995)
• Razor with three blades (Mach3, 1998)
• Razor with battery power (M3Power, 2004)
• Razor with five blades (Fusion, 2006)
• Razor with rear trim blade (Fusion, 2006)

Early Gillette Products

The Gillette Super Speed razor became very popular among those who use the safety razor, and many still consider it to be the best razor ever made. The Super Speed is known for its butterfly doors on the top and a knob on the bottom that needs to be twisted to open the doors on the top. Although it is hardly the only razor where the bottom knob is twisted to open, often referred to as a Twist to Open (TTO) design (the Gillette Aristocrat also has a TTO design), it is the most famous of all the TTO designed razors. Even to this day the Super Speed is considered to be Gillette's claim to fame. Although it is no longer made, the Super Speed is still available on eBay. A German company, Merkur, makes its own version. The Super Speed was made for forty years starting with 1940 and continuing straight through 1970. One can identify which model you have in your hands by tuning the razor up and down and looking for a letter in the upper right corner, referred to as the date code. This code will translate into the date the razor was made.

Although the Super Speed is considered to be Gillette's crowning achievement there was a lot of other different models made by the company over the years, which are also still available on eBay and other wet shaving sites, including: Speedway, Tech and Debutant.

Older Gillette products

Trac II : The Trac II was the world's first two-blade razor, debuting in 1971. Gillette claimed that the second blade cut the number of strokes required in half compared to previous razors, reducing facial irritation.

Trac II Plus is essentially the same as the original Trac II, with the exception of a lubricating strip at the top of the blade. Trac II Plus blades work on the original Trac II razor. The razors themselves can be difficult to find, but are still sold. Blades are far less scarce, as Gillette normally sells all of its blades in most major shops.

Atra: The Atra was introduced in 1977 and was the first razor to feature a pivoting head, which enables the blades to "stay on your beard longer for extra closeness". The pivoting made it easier for men to shave their necks, and also was popular with women.

Atra Plus: The Atra Plus was the first razor to add a lubricating strip, dubbed Lubra-Soft strip, softening hairs and acting as a sort of a low-tech aftershave.

Sensor: The Gillette Sensor debuted in 1990 and was the first razor to have spring-loaded blades. Gillette claims that the blades recede into the cartridge head if they hit flesh instead of cutting skin, allowing them to move their blades closer to the surface of the cartridge, allowing a closer shave.

Gillette Sensor 3: Same as the Sensor except is the first to have three blades rather than two.

Sensor for Women: Nearly identical to a Sensor in terms of technology, this razor has a much wider head, reducing control but also reducing the chance of cutting oneself, which is a much greater problem for women - who often cannot see what they are doing, shave larger areas of the body, and often shave more delicate areas than men.

Current Gillette Products

Sensor Excel: The Gillette Sensor Excel was the first razor to include MicroFins on the cartridge head. MicroFins are essentially a piece of rubber with slits at the top, which in theory stand up hair so that the blades can get a closer cut. They also are claimed to reduce irritation when shaving against the grain. The grip on the handle was also redesigned. The Excel was generally not seen as a major breakthrough compared to previous products.

Good News!: The Good News! was the first disposable double-blade razor. It was first released in 1976. The Good News! comes in three forms: the original, the Good News! Plus, which includes a lubricating strip, and the Good News! Pivot Plus, which features the lubricating strip, and a pivoting head.

Sensor Excel for Women: The Sensor for women, but with MicroFins.

Mach3: The first three-blade razor, introduced in 1998, which Gillette claims reduces irritation and requires fewer strokes. It offers five improved microfins, improved spring blades, and a pivoting head with greater bendability than previous Gillette products. It introduced indicator technology to encourage users to change their blades more frequently: the blue lubricating strip fades as the razor is used; when it is nearly white, it signals that the blade needs changing. The Mach3 handle was also improved compared to the Sensor Excel.

Venus: Released later on, and based on the Mach3, but designed for women.

Mach3 Turbo: A Mach3 with ten microfins (as opposed to five on the original), improved lubrication, improved 'anti-friction' blades, and a new grip. All Mach3 blades are interchangeable between the three products in the range, so it is possible to use the Mach3 Turbo blades on a Mach3 razor.

Venus Divine: The Venus version of the Mach3 Turbo.

M3Power: A battery-powered version of the Mach3 Turbo razor (which can also be used with the power switched off). The blades differ from Mach3 Turbo in having what Gillette says is a new blade coating technology, which it describes as 'PowerGlide'. The lubrication and microfins are identical to MACH3Turbo. In its desire to release ever more expensive products, each claiming to be the 'best ever,' Gillette reached into hyperbole with an injunction brought by rival Wilkinson Sword, and granted in the Connecticut District Court determining that claims that 'M3Power raises hair up and away from the skin is both "unsubstantiated and inaccurate."' and 'that the product demonstrations in Gillette's advertising are "greatly exaggerated" and "literally false."' [1]

Mach 3 Power Nitro: Same as the Mach 3 Power with a slightly different handle design.

Venus Vibrance: The Venus M3Power. Venus blades are interchangeable across the line.

Gillette Fusion: In January 2006, Gillette released the "Fusion" in the USA, UK and Canada, which has five blades, claiming 'the combination of adding more blades and narrowing the inter-blade span creates a “Shaving Surface” that distributes the shaving force across the blades, resulting in significantly less irritation and more comfort'. This was despite previous responses to Wilkinson Sword four-blade Quattro product (which allows the claim that Fusion the latest and greatest on the basis that if four blades is better than three, five must be even better), that "We've tested multiple blades and razor elements for decades," and "The simple addition of another blade does not itself improve a shave." [2]. It also claims improved lubrication, although it does not state how it has been improved, and a 'Flexible Comfort Guard', which is a revised microfin configuration. It also has a blade on the back for trimming upper lip hair or sideburns. (This move from three to five blades was predicted by satirical newspaper The Onion in February 2004 [3].)

Fusion Power: Released concurrently with the Fusion, the Fusion Power is a battery-powered version of the Fusion razor. Its RRP is $12 for a razor pack, and $13-$14 for a pack of four Fusion power blades; the razor is priced similarly to the M3Power, but the blades are slightly more expensive as they are treated with Gillette's most advanced coating (Ultra Glide).

Fusion Power Phantom: Same as the Fusion Power with a black rather than orange color.

Brand Worth

Some of Gillette’s profit and sales may not have been due to the direct worth of the product but due to it being presented to the public from a well-known company. In 1999 Gillette as a company was worth US$43 billion and it was estimated that the brand value of Gillette was worth US$16 billion. This equates to 37% of the company’s value, which is the same as DaimlerChrysler, one of the world's largest car manufacturers.^[1]

Notes and References

• "King C. Gillette, The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device" by Russell Adams (1978), published by Little Brown & Co. of Boston MA, USA.

Popular culture references

• Saturday Night Live featured a triple-blade razor in 1975, with the slogan "The Triple-Trac. Because you'll believe anything."
• MADtv once mocked Gillette's ever-increasing number of razor blades with a sketch about a "Mach 20" razor that removes a user's skin in addition to stubble. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F7TMlrDXtw
• During World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE's) Wrestlemania 23 in the "Battle of the Billionares," Donald Trump and Bobby Lashley shaved Vince McMahon's head with a Mach 3 turbo razor.