On September 26, 1876, Fritz Henkel, a 28-year-old entrepreneur with a passion for science, founded Henkel & Cie in Aachen, Germany, together with two partners. While the company’s first product did not achieve commercial success, a breakthrough followed just two years later with the invention of Henkel’s bleaching soda. Its innovative formulation helped brighten laundry while protecting fabrics, setting a new standard for household cleaning.
Story
From tradition to tomorrow:
From tradition to tomorrow:
Henkel is celebrating 150 years
What began as a small company has grown into a globally successful company. For 150 years, the same pioneering spirit has inspired us
to create solutions that stand the test of time and make a meaningful difference.
In this story, you will learn:
What began as a small business soon evolved into a global company. Over generations, the entrepreneurial spirit of the Henkel family and the dedication of thousands of employees have shaped Henkel’s growth, innovation, and success.
Today, Henkel operates in more than 75 countries, with teams around the world working to create innovative solutions, drive sustainability, and make a positive impact. Our two business units are united by the pioneering spirit to reimagine and improve life every day – today and for generations to come. Our products play an important role in the day-to-day lives of millions of people and help to transform entire industries.
Revolution in the laundry room
Henkel’s success story is closely linked to the invention of its flagship brand Persil. At the beginning of the 20th century, doing laundry meant hours – if not days – of physically demanding labor for women. Fritz Henkel wanted to make everyday life easier by reducing the burden that came with laundry day. In 1876, he founded the company Henkel & Cie, which developed Persil, the world’s first self-acting laundry detergent, in 1907. The name Persil is derived from the two key chemical ingredients of the product: perborate and silicate. Henkel thus developed an innovative combination of detergent and bleaching agent in powder form. From then on, laundry could be hygienically cleaned simply by boiling without the need for chlorine bleach. A new era of easier laundry care had begun.
From advertising figure to brand icon
The Lady in White was created in 1922 by Berlin caricaturist Kurt Heiligenstaedt – shown here in his studio.
Until the 1960s, the Lady in White promoted Persil in newspapers, on posters, and on enamel signs, making a significant contribution to the brand’s success.
The famous Persil clocks can still be seen in cities across Germany today.
In 2026, Persil once again marked a milestone in advertising, publishing its first fully AI-generated advertisement and bringing to life the iconic Lady in White.
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From internal need to global success
Due to concerns about adhesive shortages resulting from the consequences of World War I, Henkel decided in 1922 to produce its own glue needed for sealing its detergent packaging as a precaution. Starting in 1923, these adhesives were also sold to neighboring companies – laying the foundation for today’s global adhesives business.
Today, our Adhesive Technologies business unit leads the global market with technologies for adhesives, sealants and coatings – for industrial applications in more than 800 industries and for consumers and craftsmen.
A global brand icon born in Berlin
More than 125 years ago, the opening of a small drugstore became the foundation for the global brand Schwarzkopf. Attention to detail and an obsession with brilliant results have always been at the core of the brand’s world since the chemist and pharmacist Hans Schwarzkopf opened a “color, drug and perfume shop“ in Berlin-Charlottenburg in 1898.
Schwarzkopf has brought numerous innovations to the market: 1903 the first powder shampoo, 1955 the first hairspray and 1972 the first hair care system including shampoo, conditioner, and treatments. Today, Schwarzkopf is a leader in coloration, hair care, and styling. The acquisition of Schwarzkopf in 1995 marked a major milestone for Henkel, establishing hair care as a second strong pillar of its consumer business.
Turning innovations into impact
Innovation has been part of Henkel’s DNA from the very beginning. From pioneering products such as Persil or the company’s early adhesive solutions, Henkel has continuously transformed ideas into products and technologies that improve everyday life and drive industrial progress.
Today, our innovation ecosystem brings together expertise, creativity and customer collaboration across both business units. For Adhesive Technologies, Henkel’s global Inspiration Centers in Düsseldorf, Shanghai and Jundiaí serve as flagship innovation hubs, where customers, partners and experts work side by side to develop the solutions and technologies of tomorrow. Connected with regional technology and application centers around the world, they combine global expertise with local market insights and customer needs.
In the Inspiration Center Düsseldorf, around 650 experts work in 34 laboratories, driving customer-centric innovation across the world.
In the Inspiration Center Shanghai, innovation comes to life across 33,000 m2 and six floors dedicated to collaboration, research, and development.
Capturing 500 metric tons of CO2, a total of 670 m3 of engineered wood was used in the construction of the Inspiration Center Jundiaí.
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For Consumer Brands, innovation comes to life through Henkel’s global House of Hair network. From Hamburg and Los Angeles to Guadalajara, Tokyo and Shanghai, research, development, marketing, education and professional craftsmanship come together under one roof. Around 950 hair experts worldwide translate emerging trends, changing consumer needs and scientific insights into meaningful innovations and more sustainable hair care solutions.
Together, these innovation hubs help transform ideas into impact – creating products, technologies and experiences that improve lives, support industries and shape the future.
Together – today and for generations to come
We have a long legacy of caring for people and the planet. The roots of our purpose go back to the vision of our founder Fritz Henkel, who established the company in 1876 with the ambition to combine innovation with responsibility. More than a century later, that spirit continues to guide us. Today, around 50,000 employees with diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills form the foundation of our success.
The best that came from my company came not from my own mind but from the way my employees worked together.
Company founder Fritz Henkel
looking back at his lifetime achievements on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the company, 1926
Over the decades, offices, technologies and workplaces have evolved dramatically. Yet one thing has remained unchanged: our ambition to continuously find new ways to improve people’s lives around the world through innovative and sustainable brands and technologies.
At Henkel, people have always been at the center of our actions. This commitment can be traced through many milestones in our history – from the introduction of vocational training in 1925 to the opening of Henkel’s first kindergarten in 1940 and the start of regular environmental quality checks of the Rhine in 1958. Building on this tradition of social responsibility, Henkel launched its employee volunteering initiative MIT (“Make an Impact on Tomorrow”) in 1998. Through the program, employees contribute their expertise, teamwork and personal commitment to social, educational and environmental projects around the world. Since 2011, these efforts have been supported by the Fritz Henkel Foundation, which works with charitable organizations and partners to strengthen communities and encourage social engagement. Also in 2011, Henkel launched “Forscherwelt” (Enligsh: Researchers’ World) in Düsseldorf under the patronage of Simone Bagel-Trah, Chair of the Shareholders’ Committee and Supervisory Board of Henkel. As Henkel’s global education initiative, the Researchers’ World inspires children to discover science and innovation through hands-on experiments and interactive learning. Since its launch, the program has reached more than 130,000 children in over 20 countries, both in person and digitally. Our commitment to empowering people continues to evolve. In 2024, Henkel introduced eight weeks of fully paid, gender-neutral parental leave for all employees worldwide, reinforcing our commitment to greater equity in caregiving responsibilities.
Our 150th anniversary is more than a look at the past – it’s a promise for the path ahead: We are ready for the future. Then as now, our pioneering spirit drives us to develop products and solutions that stand the test of time. Because we are “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations.”
A glimpse into Henkel’s history
Discover our digital timeline with the most important milestones from the founding of the German family company to today's global corporation.
