Private company

Pantene

Logo: Procter & Gamble, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Hair product brand

Pantene is an American brand of hair care products now owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G). The product line originated in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche of Switzerland, which based the name on panthenol. It started to be introduced in the United States and around the world in 1985 when it was purchased by Richardson Vicks (Vicks) of the United States.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1945Founded1

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Pantene is an American brand of hair care products now owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G). The product line originated in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche of Switzerland, which based the name on panthenol. It started to be introduced in the United States and around the world in 1985 when it was purchased by Richardson Vicks (Vicks) of the United States. That company was taken over in the same year by P&G in order for P&G to compete in the "beauty product" market rather than only functional products.2

Corporate structure

Pantene is part of a group headed by Procter & Gamble. 250 entities, 69 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 of annual reports filed with the SEC; subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

Products and brands

  • shampoo

Listed on Wikidata.1

In 1990, Procter & Gamble Taiwan launched a new advertising campaign surrounding its new Pantene Pro-V formula, a combination of Pantene's vitamin formula and P&G's 2-in-1 technology. Pantene Pro-V was first introduced in Taiwan and a year later in the US and globally. Research results, compiled from markets around the world, led P&G to hypothesize that health positioning might provide the basis for a new worldwide hair care franchise. The research indicated that: Women believed the ideal standard for hair is "healthy". Women considered their own hair damaged and therefore believed that shine signaled health. Pro-vitamin formulation provided real support for claims. Advertising was developed around a health positioning and customized at the local level with the tagline, "Hair So Healthy It Shines." The new product, Pantene Pro-V was introduced in newly designed cylindrical shaped bottles. There were four lead countries involved in Pantene's Pro-V launch. Each communicated a different piece of the strategy and execution elements, as follows

United States: a television campaign was developed using an authoritative spokeswoman and showing the transformation of the model's hair;

Taiwan: dramatized the end-result - the shine (a very powerful end benefit in this part of the world);

France: dramatized the vitamin capsule ingredient story;

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United Kingdom: demonstrated product efficacy via the hair root demonstration.

By 1994, following its launch in 55 countries, Pantene was the #1 hair care brand around the world with sales reaching over $1 billion. By 1996, it was still leading in 78 countries and by 1998, it was the leading shampoo in 90 countries. Pantene was advertised as approved by Swiss Vitamin Institute.

Currently, Pantene is widely available in much of the world. Maudy Ayunda, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, and Kelsea Ballerini are the current global ambassadors for Pantene. Pantene ambassadors for specific countries include Nolwenn Leroy for Pantene France, Anushka Sharma for Pantene India, Urassaya Sperbund for Pantene Thailand,Zhou Xun and Lin Chi-ling for Pantene Southeast Asia, Tang Wei and Liu Yifei for Pantene Southeast Asia, K-pop idols Yuri and Seohyun of Girls' Generation for Pantene Southeast Asia, Gabbi Garcia for Pantene Singapore and Philippines, Ellie Goulding for Pantene Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom, Farah Ann Abdul Hadi for Pantene Malaysia and Brunei, Maudy Ayunda and Raline Shah for Pantene Indonesia, Tini Stoessel for Pantene Argentina and Latin America (in Latin America it was renamed PanTini), Gisele Bündchen for Pantene Brazil, Ana Brenda for Pantene Mexico, Stephanie Cayo for Pantene Peru, Evgenia Medvedeva for Pantene Russia and Neslihan Atagül & Demet Özdemir for Pantene Turkey. Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya appeared as a stylist for the 2025 campaign in Japan.

From June 2006 to December 2018, Pantene and the Entertainment Industry Foundation operated the Pantene Beautiful Lengths' charity campaign in the United States, which allowed individuals to donate hair for women who lost their own due to cancer treatment.

In 2021, in an advertising campaign, the brand featured a young trans girl with her parents, a lesbian couple.

From Wikipedia’s article on Pantene, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1945Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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