# Alberto-Culver

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alberto-Culver
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alberto-Culver.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto-Culver
> Source revision: 1328957826
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

American hair and beauty products company (1955–2010)

Alberto-Culver Company Type Public Traded as NYSE: ACV Founded 1955 Founder Leonard H. Lavin Defunct 2010; 16 years ago (2010) Fate Acquired by Unilever Area served Worldwide Key people Carol Lavin Bernick (Executive Chairman) Vincent J. Marino (President and CEO) Revenue US$1.60 billion (FY 2010)[1] Operating income US$218 million (FY 2010)[1] Net income US$155 million (FY 2010)[1] Total assets US$1.88 billion (FY 2010)[1] Total equity US$1.32 billion (FY 2010)[1] Number of employees 2,600 (September 30, 2010)[1]

**Alberto-Culver** was an American [corporation](/source/Corporation) with international sales whose principal business was manufacturing hair and skin beauty care products under such brands as Alberto VO5, [Andrew Collnge](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Collinge&action=edit&redlink=1), [St. Ives](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Ives_(brand)&action=edit&redlink=1) (skin care products), [TRESemmé](/source/TRESemm%C3%A9), [FDS](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FDS_(brand)&action=edit&redlink=1), [Consort](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_(brand)&action=edit&redlink=1), [Nexxus](/source/Nexxus), Toni, and [White Rain](/source/White_Rain). It was a manufacturer in the multicultural beauty care market with such brands as [Soft & Beautiful](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soft_%26_Beautiful&action=edit&redlink=1), Just For Me, Motions, and [TCB](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TCB_(brand)&action=edit&redlink=1).[2] It was purchased by [Unilever](/source/Unilever) in 2010.

## History

The company originated as a Los Angeles beauty supply house with some proprietary products founded by Blaine Culver.[3] The house chemist was named Alberto hence the name Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver was purchased[4] and reorganized in 1955 by [Leonard H. Lavin](/source/Leonard_H._Lavin) for $400,000.[5] Lavin was an entrepreneur and manufacturer's representative for various other companies. The newly created company was then moved to [Chicago](/source/Chicago) and a hundred other products were dropped and the company focused on Alberto VO5 shampoo and hairdressing.[2][6][7] In 1958, Alberto VO5 Hairdressing became the number one brand in its category. Lavin and his wife Bernice guided the company's growth until 1994 when they turned it over to a second family generation. Until his death in 2017, Lavin remained a director of Alberto-Culver; his daughter Carol Lavin Bernick is the company's executive chairman.[8]

In 2005, the Alberto-Culver company bought out Nexxus, a salon hair care company established in 1979.[9] In 2006, the company sought to sell its salon distribution business, which includes [Sally Beauty Supply](/source/Sally_Beauty_Supply) stores and Beauty Systems Group, to [Regis Corporation](/source/Regis_Corporation). It later terminated the agreement and on November 10, 2006, shareholders voted to spin off Sally Beauty.

The company's 2007 sales were reported at US$1.54 billion.[10][11]

In October 2008, Alberto Culver announced it had closed the transaction to acquire the worldwide rights and trademarks to the [Noxzema](/source/Noxzema) skin care brand from [Procter & Gamble](/source/Procter_%26_Gamble), which included the existing business in the United States, Canada and parts of Latin America. Procter & Gamble will continue to operate its existing Noxzema shave care, antiperspirant/deodorant, body wash and body soap business in portions of Western Europe.[12]

The UK head office is[13][14] in [Leatherhead](/source/Leatherhead), at Unilever House and earlier, in [Chineham](/source/Chineham), Basingstoke, and the company has a manufacturing plant in Swansea, Wales, where all UK products are produced and also those for some European countries.

### Acquisition

Alberto-Culver was purchased by consumer goods company [Unilever](/source/Unilever) on September 27, 2010 for US$3.7 billion.[15] The terms of the acquisition required Unilever to divest selected hair care brands and its entire food business in the USA to other companies to satisfy antitrust concerns (in the late 1990s, Unilever had purchased Alberto-Culver's historic Chicago rival, [Helene Curtis](/source/Helene_Curtis_Industries%2C_Inc.)). The U.S. food business was bought by [B&G Foods](/source/B%26G_Foods), and the U.S. rights to VO5, Rave, and [Coast](/source/Coast_(soap)) were sold to High Ridge Brands. (Unilever owns these brands in the rest of the world.)[16] With the reduction in American brands, Unilever closed the former Alberto Culver plant in 2013, laying off 600 workers.

## Community

Alberto Culver was known for its support of health care, medical research, education and women in the workplace. It did not test its products on animals and stated this on its product packaging.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-2010annualreport_1-5) [Alberto-Culver Company Annual Report FY 2010](http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2730/0001193125-10-267609.pdf) SECDatabase.com, Form Type: 10-K, Filing Date: November 23, 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ourstory_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ourstory_2-1) ["Our Story"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080716065516/http://alberto.com/ourstory/index.aspx). Alberto-Culver. Archived from [the original](http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/index.aspx) on 16 July 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-businesshistory/fashion-beauty_3-0)** ["Fashion & Beauty"](https://www.businesshistory.com/ind._fashion_%26_beauty.php). *Business History*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100214144131/https://www.businesshistory.com/ind._fashion_%26_beauty.php) from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 29 November 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cTribune/alberto-30_4-0)** ["ALBERTO`S A THING OF BEAUTY AT 30"](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/02/24/albertos-a-thing-of-beauty-at-30/). *Chicago Tribune*. 24 February 1986. Retrieved 29 November 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Stephenson, Emily (2010-09-27). ["Founder grew Alberto Culver with "iron fist""](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-albertoculver-lavin-idUSTRE68Q5U620100927). *Reuters*. Retrieved 2019-11-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Our Story: Brands"](http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/brands.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080612113547/http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/brands.aspx) 2008-06-12 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) - Alberto-Culver release

1. **[^](#cite_ref-MSUcampusArchaeology/8718_7-0)** ["Lab Artifact of the Week Series: Learning and Sharing as we Work"](https://campusarch.msu.edu/?page_id=8718). *MSU Campus Archaeology Program*. [Michigan State University](/source/Michigan_State_University). 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Our Story: People"](http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/people.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080907085645/http://www.alberto.com/ourstory/people.aspx) 2008-09-07 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) - Alberto-Culver release

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Nexxus company history"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081015060739/http://www.nexxus.com/nexxus_company_information/our_story.html). *Nexxus*. Archived from [the original](http://www.nexxus.com/nexxus_company_information/our_story.html) on October 15, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Alberto-Culver's 10K 2007 Annual Report Filing for the SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1368457/000119312507255001/d10k.htm) - [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission](/source/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission), September 2007

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Hoover's fact sheet on Alberto-Culver"](http://hoovers.com/alberto-culver/--ID__10048--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml). *hoovers.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Alberto Culver Announces the Completion of Noxzema Acquisition"](http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2867/0001193125-08-243421.pdf), SECDatabase.com, Form 10-K, Filing Date: November 25, 2008. Accession Number: 0001193125-08-243421

1. **[^](#cite_ref-caunton/153_13-0)** ["Unilever Headquarters, Leatherhead"](https://www.caunton.co.uk/project.aspx?id=153). *Caunton Engineering Ltd - www.caunton.co.uk*. Retrieved 29 November 2025. multi-storey contract for Caunton who supplied over 1,200 tonnes of steelwork for the new Headquarters due for speedy completion of the erection by July 2007

1. **[^](#cite_ref-londonmetric/leatherhead-2013_14-0)** ["Londonmetric Sells Unilever House in Leatherhead for £75.8 Million"](https://www.londonmetric.com/news-and-media/press-release/archive/londonmetric-sells-unilever-house-leatherhead-ps758-million). *LondonMetric Property Plc*. Dec 17, 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Unilever to Buy Alberto Culver for $3.7 Billion"](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-09-27/unilever-agrees-to-buy-chicago-based-alberto-culver-for-3-7-billion-cash). Bloomberg News. 27 September 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Unilever Sells Some Alberto Culver Brands"](https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/unilever-sells-several-alberto-culver-brands/). *DealBook*. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2019-11-20.

## External links

- [Alberto-Culver](http://www.alberto.com) Official site

- [Alberto-Culver's filings](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=&CIK=acv&filenum=&State=&SIC=&owner=include&action=getcompany) with the Securities and Exchange Commission

- [Alberto-Culver company description and financials](http://infogrok.com/index.php/companies/consumer/alberto-culver-company.html)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- ["Alberto-Culver quarterly profit rises"](https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2831520820080428), Monday April 28, 2008, Reuters

- [Alberto-Culver](https://web.archive.org/web/20060504054510/https://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2528.html) - The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, [Chicago Historical Society](/source/Chicago_Historical_Society).

v t e Unilever Subsidiaries Current Hindustan Unilever Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Former Alberto-Culver BiFi Calvin Klein (Fragrances only) Elizabeth Arden Fabergé Flora Food Group Gorton's of Gloucester Limuru Tea Plc Lipton Teas and Infusions Mac Fisheries Palm Line The Magnum Ice Cream Company United Africa Company Brands Beverages Boost (India) Bru (India) Buavita (Indonesia) Horlicks (outside of the UK) Food Amora Bovril Colman's Conimex Continental Cup-a-Soup (except the UK) Grom Hellmann's/Best Foods Hertog Kibon Klik Knorr Lady's Choice Lizano Maille Marmite Monumite Pfanni Pot Noodle Pot Rice Rafhan Sir Kensington's Talenti Turun sinappi Unox Home products Bio-Tex Breeze Cif Comfort Closan Domestos Finitex Neutral Omo Persil (brand owned by Henkel) Probat Rinso (except the United States) Seventh Generation Sunlight Surf (except for North America) Personal care Axe/Lynx Bed Head Brylcreem Camay Clear Close-Up Degree/Rexona/Sure/Shield Dermalogica Dove Campaign for Real Beauty Evolution Dollar Shave Club Hamam Helene Curtis Impulse Lakmé Lifebuoy Liril Lux Mentadent (except for North America) Noxzema Pears soap Pepsodent Pond's Q-Tips Radox Salon Selectives Signal Simple Suave (except for North America) Sunsilk Timotei TRESemmé Vaseline Zendium Zest (except for North America) Predecessors Lever Brothers Margarine Unie W. H. Burford & Sons Places Colworth House Lever Brothers Factory Lever House Lipton Institute of Tea Port Sunlight Unilever Gloucester Unilever House Unilever Leeds Unilever Research & Development Port Sunlight Laboratory People Antonius Johannes Jurgens William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme Paul Polman Morris Tabaksblat Samuel van den Bergh Sidney J. van den Bergh Simon van den Bergh Eugenio Minvielle Lagos Category Commons

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alberto-Culver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto-Culver) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto-Culver?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.