Happy Anniversary Paul Mitchell: 40 Years And Counting!

What has made John Paul Mitchell Systems® such a uniquely successful company for the past 40 years? A focus on people, products, and the planet.

On this day, March 31st forty years ago, it all started with two friends and a dream. John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell with just $700 in their pockets, started a company that would support the success of hairdressers and provide salon-quality products at an affordable price.

John Paul recalls, “We should have gone bankrupt perhaps 50 times during the first year.” Resources were so limited that the Paul Mitchell® brand’s now-famous black & white packaging was a result of not being able to afford colored ink. Today, the second generation is represented by Michaeline DeJoria as Vice Chairman and Angus Mitchell who, after his father’s death in 1989, stepped in as a platform artist and educator, as well as being the model and spokesperson for the men’s line MITCH®.

Despite hugely lucrative offers from public corporations to buy John Paul Mitchell Systems®, they refuse to sell the company because of the initial vow Paul and John Paul took to stand by the professional beauty industry. Indeed, John Paul Mitchell Systems® co-founder John Paul DeJoria created a 360-year trust, which guarantees the company may not be sold for generations to come. In the meantime, the company itself and the individual owners stand by John Paul’s mantra of “Success unshared is failure”. Over the years, John Paul Mitchell Systems® and Paul Mitchell® Schools have donated millions of dollars to hundreds of global philanthropic causes; from environmental protection to children’s charities and human rights and products are cruelty free.

A toast from all of us for a prosperous future!