From a $250 Loan to Hair Care Empire: Afro Sheen Founder Dies at 99

For retail and consumer brands, the passing of George Johnson is more than an obituary—it’s a reminder of how a startup with a $250 loan can redefine an entire category. Johnson didn’t just sell shampoo; he tapped into the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement and backed it with a media strategy (sponsoring ‘Soul Train’) that built generational loyalty. Today’s retailers chasing multicultural dollars can learn from his authentic, culturally rooted approach that turned Afro Sheen into a symbol of pride.

George E. Johnson Sr., the visionary chemist who transformed a $250 loan into Johnson Products Company—the first Black-owned firm listed on the American Stock Exchange—passed away on July 6, 2026, at age 99. His death marks the end of an era for ethnic hair care and a milestone in entrepreneurship that redefined how Black consumers saw themselves in the marketplace. Johnson’s journey from a childhood of shining shoes and setting pins in a bowling alley to leading a hair care empire with iconic brands like Afro Sheen, Ultra Sheen, and Classy Curl is a testament to grit, cultural insight, and marketing genius.

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Johnson Sr., the visionary chemist who transformed a $250 loan into Johnson Products Company—the first Black-owned firm listed on the American Stock Exchange—passed away on July 6, 2026, at age 99.

Johnson launched Johnson Products in 1954 on Chicago’s South Side with his high school sweetheart and wife, Joan, after working for a decade under Samuel B. Fuller at Fuller Products, where he rose from door-to-door salesman to head production chemist. This hands-on lab training gave him the technical foundation to formulate products specifically for African American hair textures—a niche largely ignored by mainstream cosmetics giants. By the 1970s, the company’s products were household names, buoyed by the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, which promoted racial pride and natural hairstyles. Johnson Products’ advertising featured the unforgettable ‘Watu Wazuri’ jingle and spotlights on Black models, airing primarily during ‘Soul Train,’ which the company sponsored and helped take national. That partnership between a brand and a cultural institution created a blueprint for authentic multicultural marketing that resonates to this day.

The business reached its peak as a multimillion-dollar public company, demonstrating that Black-owned enterprises could achieve scale and legitimacy on Wall Street. Its 1993 sale to a non-Black-controlled entity remains a point of reflection: while it generated wealth for Johnson and his family, it also underscored the challenges of sustaining Black-owned institutional legacies in corporate America. Johnson himself remained a mentor and philanthropist, receiving the Chicago Urban League’s Edwin C. ‘Bill’ Berry Civil Rights Award in November 2025, a recognition of his business and community impact.

The broader market context is striking. When Johnson started, the ethnic hair and beauty market was vastly underserved. Today, Black hair care alone is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with consumers increasingly demanding products that celebrate rather than suppress natural textures. Afro Sheen’s recent viral resurgence on social media—where TikTok and Instagram users share nostalgic ads and remix the jingle—proves the enduring equity of brands built on cultural authenticity. It also highlights a missed opportunity for the current corporate owners to fully capitalize on that heritage.