Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G).

Gillette had trouble finding anyone capable of developing a method to manufacture blades from thin sheet steel, but finally found William Emery Nickerson, an MIT graduate with a degree in chemistry.

The company also expanded its overseas operations right after the war by opening a manufacturing plant in Slough, near London, to build New Improved razors, and setting up dozens of offices and subsidiaries in Europe and other parts of the world.

However, before the deal went through, it was revealed in an audit that Gillette had been overstating its sales and profits by $12 million over a five-year period and giving bonuses to its executives based on these numbers.

[22] While the Cavalcade aired many of the notable sporting events of the time (the Kentucky Derby, college football bowl games, and baseball, amongst others) it became most famous for its professional boxing broadcasts.

The company also manufactured razors that concealed money and escape maps in their handles, and magnetic double-edge blades that prisoners of war could use as a compass.

The company also advertised the Toni product line by sponsoring the TV show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends and the 1958 Miss America contest and its winner.

[32][33] Although Gillette's immediate priority after the war was satisfying U.S. demand and later diversifying its domestic business, the company pursued expansion in foreign markets that showed potential for growth, such as Latin America and Asia.

Even though the Atra project was so far along in mid-1970 that packaging and production machinery was nearly ready for a full market introduction, Gillette decided to start a development drive to finish Rex instead as it did not require learning a new way to shave.

The Trac II captured the premium shaving market and came out in time to counter Wilkinson Sword's Bonded Blade system that utilized single-blade cartridges.

The less expensive variants were differentiated from the blue Prestobarba by manufacturing them from yellow plastic with handle less ergonomically comfortable, and in addition, they were not advertised or eventually had negative marketing[44] aimed at promoting the sale of the most profitable products in Gillette's razors line.

[45] While Gillette managed to retain market leadership against Bic and other competitors, the popularity of disposable razors, their higher production cost compared to cartridges, and price competition eroded the company's profits.

Despite Gillette's strong sales and a large share of the European razor and blades market – 70 percent, which was higher than in the United States – cash flow was declining.

In Symons's view, the issue was Gillette's attempt to compete with Bic in the disposables market, which was eating into the sales of its more profitable cartridge razors.

Symons reduced the marketing budget of disposables in Europe and hired the advertising agency BBDO's London branch to create an ad campaign to make Gillette's blade and razor systems – such as Contour – more desirable in the eyes of men.

Buffett filled a vacant seat on the company's board and agreed not to sell his stake "except in a change of control or if insurance regulators force a sale of the stock in the event Gillette's financial condition falters", reducing the chances of a takeover.

[59] During late 1989 and early 1990, Gillette launched the new product Sensor with a $175 million marketing campaign in 19 countries in North America and Western Europe.

[62][63] Gillette launched the Series line of men's grooming products, including scented shaving gels, deodorants, and skin-care items, in 1992.

[80] By 2010, the Fusion was the world's highest selling blade and razor brand, reaching $1 billion in annual sales faster than any prior P&G product.

[81] Gillette's Fusion ProSeries skincare line, launched in 2010, included a thermal facial scrub, a face wash, a lotion, and a moisturizer with sunscreen.

[82][83] The Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler for facial hair grooming was introduced in 2012, with André 3000, Gael García Bernal, and Adrien Brody serving as brand ambassadors.

[2] In anticipation of the event, Gillette introduced a redesigned razor and offered it at a variety of prices in different cases and finishes, including the long-running "aristocrat".

In 1934 the "twist to open" (TTO) design was instituted, which featured butterfly-like doors that made blade changing much easier than it had been, wherein the razor head had to be detached from the handle.

A modern version of the Tech, with a plastic thin handle, is still produced and sold in several countries under the names 7 O'clock, Gillette, Nacet, Minora, Rubie, and Economica.

[128] Procter & Gamble (P&G) shaving products have been under investigation by the UK Office of Fair Trading as part of an inquiry into alleged collusion between manufacturers and retailers in setting prices.

The campaign was introduced with a long-form commercial entitled "We Believe", and aims to promote positive values among men – condemning acts of bullying, sexism, sexual assault, and toxic masculinity.

[131][132][133][134][135] In June 2019, P&G wrote-down Gillette business by $8 billion, a move which company executives attributed to currency exchange, new competitors in the market, and increased popularity of growing beards.

[140][141] Athletes such as Roger Federer,[142] Tiger Woods,[143] Shoaib Malik,[144] Derek Jeter,[145] Thierry Henry,[146] Kenan Sofuoğlu,[147] Park Ji-sung,[148] Rahul Dravid,[149] Raheem Sterling,[150] Karl-Anthony Towns,[151] and Michael Clarke have been sponsored by the company,[152] as well as video gaming personality Dr Disrespect.

[154] The following month, expanding upon the controversy, media outlets observed a "curse" associated with top athletes who endorse Gillette, also citing Tiger Woods (who became the subject of an infidelity scandal in late 2009), and Roger Federer losing in an upset to Nikolay Davydenko during the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals.

[160][161] During 2020–2021, Gillette enlisted NFL players Saquon Barkley, Ashtyn Davis, Jalen Hurts, Cole Kmet, and Tua Tagovailoa as brand ambassadors.