In March 1948, Kraft Foods purchased property owned by the company to use for its offices and warehouses,[3] and Helene Curtis relocated to a new corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility.
Other successful and effective products introduced during the 1950s included the spray-on deodorant Stopette (acquired in 1956 from its founder, Chicago-based chemist and inventor Jules Montenier) and a nonprescription dandruff shampoo called Enden.
The company expanded its product line with several acquisitions, including Kings Men male toiletries, Lentheric fragrances, and Studio Girl cosmetics.
In 1956, Helene Curtis went public after 32 years of private ownership (although the Gidwitz family held most of the voting shares until the company's 1996 takeover by Unilever).
In the early 1960s the company began to build on the success of its Suave brand, introducing shampoos, creme rinses, and wave sets.
As the decade of the 1990s progressed, despite its best efforts, record sales, facilities expansion, and advertising budgets approaching $80 million and up, it became clear that Helene Curtis was too small compared to its larger rivals.
In contract law, the company is known for the 1963 case Helene Curtis Industries, Inc. v. United States, in which the Superior knowledge doctrine was born.