Gillete

HISTORY:

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.

Gillette firsts:

Ð'* Safety razor (Gillette Safety Razor invented in 1895 and patented in 1904)

Ð'* Razor marketed specifically to women (Milady DÐ"©colletÐ"©e, 1916)

Ð'* Razor dispenser (1946)

Ð'* Stainless Steel blades (Super Stainless, 1963)

Ð'* Double-blade razor (Trac II, 1971)

Ð'* Disposable double-blade razor (Good News!, 1971)

Ð'* Razor with a pivot point (Atra, 1977)Older Gillette Products

Ð'* Razor with a lubricating strip (Atra Plus, 1985)

Ð'* Razor with spring-loaded blades (Sensor, 1990)

Ð'* Razor with microfins (Sensor Excel, 1995)

Ð'* Razor with three blades (Mach3, 1998)

Ð'* Razor with battery power (M3Power, 2004)

Ð'* Razor with five blades (Fusion, 2006)

Ð'* Razor with rear trim blade (Fusion, 2006)

Current Gillette products:

Ð'* 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.

Ð'* 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.

Ð'* Atra: The Atra 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.

Ð'* 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.

Ð'* Sensor: The Gillette Sensor 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.

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

Ð'* 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.

Ð'* 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.

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

Ð'* 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