Martin Penny, Gary Douglas, Susan Powls and Robert Powls founded ghd in January 2001. The three collaborated to buy the rights to a hair straightening iron from an inventor in South Korea. The brand quickly took off organically, and the company did not even begin advertising until two years after its launch. By then, hair salons and word of mouth carried ghd to £12 million, against a forecast of between £3 million and £4 million. In May 2004, ghd entered the market in North America, bringing its total worldwide sales generating £37 million in revenue. The Jemella Group, which owned the ghd brand, was bought by Lloyds Development Capital for £55 million in July 2006. It was sold eleven months later to Montagu Private Equity for £160 million. Lion Capital, a British private equity firm, purchased ghd in February 2013 for approximately £300 million. By March 2013, the company had sales of over £150 million, more than doubling since 2007, selling over two million styling irons through 50,000 salons worldwide. In October 2016, Coty announced that it would be buying ghd for about £420 million from the private equity firm Lion Capital LLP. The sale was completed on 21 November 2016.
Products
2011 – ghd V Gold Series Styler was launched. Available in three sizes 2012 – was launched. In March 2013, ghd launched the "Eclipse" hair straightener, which uses six sensors in the plates to maintain a constant heat of 185 degrees Celsius, a temperature ghd claims is the optimum temperature for styling results. The consistent temperature reduces the time to style hair, particularly coarse hair that may previously taken multiple run throughs. 2014 – ghd Aura Hairdryer and launched. 2015 – ghd Platinum Styler was launched. 2018 - GHD platinum Plus styler
Advertising and sponsorship
ghd launched its first advertising campaign in August 2003, as the sponsor of the British reality television showThe Salon. The company has also featured prominently on Australia's Next Top Model. In November 2009, ghd ran a popular series of advertisements titled 'Twisted Fairytales', including depictions of characters such as Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella with the tagline "You can do anything with your hair". Singer Katy Perry was named the face of ghd in December 2011. In October 2011, ghd launched the "Scarlet Collection" with Perry as the face of the campaign, and photos shot by renowned photographer David LaChapelle. ghd has partnered with Victoria's Secret for a multi year sponsorship of its annual fashion show. The company is the first ever hair tool sponsor for a Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Endorsements
The brand has attracted endorsements from celebrities, with Victoria Beckham, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Aniston being prominent users of ghd products.
Charity
Since 2004, ghd has raised approximately £2.5 million for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity. The company produces a limited edition pink hair iron every year, with £10 of the sale price being donated in support the charity. In January 2010, ghd partnered with charity "Mom It Forward" and SafeHouse Denver, a women's shelter that serves victims of domestic violence and their children, in an event at Sephora. In 2019, ghd partnered with David Allen, a Chicago based tattoo artist that specialises in covering up the scars left behind by mastectomies. Together, they created a limited edition 'tattooed' pink styler to raise $1 million for breast cancer charities worldwide.
