The beauty community is mourning the loss of a legendary trailblazer: George E. Johnson Sr., 99, whose Johnson Products Co. revolutionized the hair-care market with products tailored to Black consumers, including Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen.
His family remembered him as "a visionary business leader who built a haircare empire, broke barriers on Wall Street, and helped fuel the fight for civil rights." He is survived by his wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, as well as his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
From Humble Roots to Hair-Care Icon
Johnson's story is one of extraordinary perseverance. He was born in 1927 in a three-room sharecropper's shack in rural Mississippi before moving to Chicago with his mother. As a child, he shined shoes before and after school, later leaving high school to work full time.
His life changed in 1944 when he joined the Black-owned S.B. Fuller Co. as a production chemist. Under the mentorship of cosmetics pioneer Samuel B. Fuller and chemist Herbert Martin, Johnson learned not only the science of hair care but also the principles of entrepreneurship, leadership, and service that would shape his career.
Johnson often credited Fuller with teaching him how to build a business rooted in integrity, generosity, and respect for others.
“Without him, I would have been just another ordinary high school dropout,” Johnson told The AFRO news outlet in 2025. “But with him, I learned more than I would have ever received by earning my diploma. He taught me psychology and religion. He taught me how to be a businessman.”
Ushering In the “Black is Beautiful” Era
Johnson founded Johnson Products Co. in 1954. The business quickly expanded after launching Ultra Sheen, an at-home hair relaxer that transformed the market for Black women.
At the same time, Johnson Products began investing heavily in cosmetology education, helping salon professionals master new techniques while elevating standards throughout the industry.
Johnson's greatest cultural breakthrough came in the late 1960s with the introduction of Afro Sheen, one of the first hair-care lines designed specifically for natural Black hairstyles.
At a time when the Civil Rights Movement and the emerging Black Power movement were encouraging the Black community to embrace their natural hair, Afro Sheen transcended its status as a beauty product to serve as a cultural statement.
“When he started, our emphasis was on Black men who wanted to straighten their hair, like the finger-waved hairstyles and the pompadour,” he told The AFRO. “Brothers wanted to look like Cab Calloway, Chubby Checker, Little Richard, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole.
“But in the ‘60s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders began teaching ‘Black is beautiful’ and encouraging our people to stop imitating White people’s appearance.”
As a result, Johnson’s company shifted from products designed primarily to straighten hair to products like Afro Sheen, to enhance Afros and natural curly and coily styles.
King visited Johnson Products' Chicago headquarters in 1966, describing the bustling, predominantly Black workforce as "Black Power," Johnson told The AFRO.
“Dr. King used the phrase as a real compliment as he assessed our several floors that were jumping with activity – salesmen, chemists, secretaries – a mostly-Black group of employees who were finding their way into America’s middle class.”
From Soul Train to Wall Street
In 1971, Johnson Products became the exclusive national sponsor, creative contributor, and financial force behind Soul Train, the groundbreaking, trendsetting TV dance party that brought Black culture, music, and fashion into the mainstream.
That partnership proved to be a business triumph, helping propel Johnson Products’ dramatic growth during the decade.
That same year marked another historic milestone when Johnson Products became the first Black-owned company listed on the American Stock Exchange, making Johnson the first Black American to lead a publicly traded company on the exchange.
Johnson's influence extended well beyond cosmetics. He founded Independence Bank in 1964 to expand financial opportunities in Black communities, and became the first Black board member of Commonwealth Edison. Throughout his career, he championed Black entrepreneurship, economic self-sufficiency, and philanthropy.
In 2025, Johnson was named one of the inaugural recipients of Bronner Bros.' Beauty Icon Award, honoring legends whose work transformed Black beauty culture and inspired generations of professionals.
In his memoir Afro Sheen, published shortly before his death, Johnson reflected on his remarkable journey from poverty to corporate success, consistently attributing his accomplishments to faith, mentorship, and a commitment to treating others according to the Golden Rule.