John Frieda, creator of Frizz Ease, dies at 75
The British hairstylist and businessman left a $450 million company and a product line that changed haircare.
By Bianca Herrera ·
John Frieda, the British entrepreneur who turned a salon career into a global haircare empire, has died at age 75. His London salon announced the news on Wednesday, stating he passed away peacefully surrounded by family. Neither his salon nor his stepdaughter specified a cause of death.
Frieda was born Alan Howard Frieda in London in 1951. He began his career at the House of Leonard, where he adopted the name John because an Alan already worked there. By the late 1960s, he was styling hair for major figures like Mick Jagger and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. In 1976, he opened his own West End salon and created a bowl cut style for Joanna Lumley, which she wore in the television series The New Avengers.
His client list grew in the 1980s to include Princess Diana, Madonna, and Paul McCartney. Frieda opened a second salon in Mayfair but felt the work was not mentally challenging enough. He told CNN in 2007 that he decided to start his own product line because he wanted a greater mental challenge. That drive led him to partner with beauty entrepreneur Gail Federici in 1989.
The pair launched John Frieda Professional Hair Care in 1990. Their signature product, Frizz Ease, was an anti-frizz serum applied to wet hair. A 1993 commercial promised the product would turn dry, frizzy hair into smooth, shiny hair quickly. The product sold well and created a new category in the haircare market.
Frieda moved to the United States and expanded his salon business with locations in New York and Los Angeles during the 1990s. The brand also expanded its product range, adding lines for specific hair colors such as Sheer Blonde in 1998. In 2002, Frieda and Federici sold the company to Japan's Kao Corporation for $450 million. The Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth at £150 million, or $202 million, last year.
Frieda is survived by his second wife, Avery Agnelli, and their two children. His stepdaughter Agnelli Lagrange confirmed the news on social media, calling him the best man to ever exist. His London salon described him as a true icon of the hair industry who left a legacy that would live on in everyone he touched.
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