The sale of Johnson Products Co., the hair care products company known for Ultra Sheen and Gentle Treatment, to IVAX Corp. for $67 million inspired the feature, “Should We Sell Our Firms to Whites?â€
By the mid-1990s, most of the largest black-owned hair care companies — among the largest employers of African Americans and BE 100s
mainstays — were acquired by majority firms with vast capital reserves, huge marketing budgets and a more expansive distribution network. Â