Henri Mastey?s father and grand father owned and operated a number of salons and a cosmetics manufacturing lab. As Henri?s father expanded throughout the trade, he gained a reputation for his knowledge and experience, and became a consultant to several cosmetic companies, assisting with product development and testing. In the early 1950?s as a young student, Henri Mastey began experimenting with new ideas and products in his father?s lab. While isolating certain ingredients in aluminum foil, Henri Mastey discovered it had a great potential beyond just lab work and cooking. He realized that its impermeability made it an excellent aid in hair bleaching. By isolating strands of hair and wrapping them with bleach in the aluminum foil, a new hair coloring technique called ?foil highlighting? was born. No longer were clients confined to a singular hair color, but streaks of blondes, reds or brunettes could be peppered throughout the hair. Years later his technique took off and Henri Mastey started teaching it throughout the world.
When Henri Mastey received his degree in Chemistry in 1961 he joined his brother Michel in a family salon. They enjoyed much success in the heart of Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower. These were the early days of what has now become a large industry. In that era, women took weekly trips to the salon for a shampooing and a coif, and the Mastey salon was one of the most popular. Being a family operated salon, the atmosphere was always fun and lively, and the clients could always expect to be entertained.
Ever keen to stay on top of the latest trends and techniques, Henri Mastey began experimenting with new ideas and products. In 1962 he introduced the use of variable volume of hydrogen peroxide in hair coloring. This progressive concept allows colorists to use 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60, volume of hydrogen peroxide to achieve superior low and high lift colors. His innovative coloring technique took off, and Henri Mastey started lecturing and teaching around the world both of his creations, the foil highlighting technique and the use of low and high volume peroxide in hair coloring. Both techniques are still used extensively by hair stylists around the world.
Henri's adventures took him first to London, and then on to New York for a stint in shop on Fifth Avenue. But when in 1966 he came to Beverly Hills, California for a lecture, he found a new home. In 1968 he opened his own salon in Beverly Hills, Mastey Coiffure, which specialized in foil highlights, and hair coloring for Los Angeles? rich and famous clientele. In 1969 he married and had two children, Stephen and Lesley.
In 1972, a young salesman by the name of George Molinary, working for a company called Jhirmack, arrived to promote a new hair coloring product. Testing it out, Henri Mastey saw several deficiencies. The product worked, but faded rapidly and had a tendency to turn out off tone.
Tinkering in a small laboratory in the back of his home, Henri created an additive that when mixed with the Jhirmack color, solved the fading and tonal problems. When George saw the incredible results Mastey achieved with his additive, he immediately set up an appointment with Jhirmack?s owner, Jherri Redding.
Mr. Redding was quite impressed with the results of this additive, and immediately offered to purchase the formula. But instead of accepting the offer, Henri suggested that Jhirmack allow him to package and sell this product to the Jhirmack distributors for use with the color. They agreed, and Mastey de Paris Inc was born. George became the first employee, where he worked as an educator and lab technician until his retirement in 2004.
Mastey?s first product Color Instantane, was a smash success, and credited to the success of Jhirmack?s coloring product. Indeed, so successful was Jhirmack?s product that Jherri Redding went on to form several other professional product companies, and is widely considered to be the father of the professional products industry. Henri continued to travel and lecture on hair weaving, the use of variable volumes of peroxide and on Color Instantane a method in which colorists could add it to their color formula to keep the color rich, stay on tone, and last longer.
As the professional products industry grew, so did Mastey. When Jhirmack was sold to Playtex, a large consumer products conglomerate, Mastey went independent and continued to create new products year after year, supplying salons with innovative, healthy and well performing products.
In 1978, Henri Mastey revolutionized the salon industry when he created Traité, the first professional Sulfate-free shampoo in the world. Based on lipids, Traité provides superior cleansing benefits without altering the hair and scalp natural moisture during cleansing, while protecting haircolor from fading prematurely. Unmatched, Traité actually helped rescue many professional hands from excessive dryness caused by harsh shampoos.
While testing and experimenting with many professional hair colors, Henri Mastey found a healthier way to color hair. He created ?TEINTURE? Ammonia-free permanent hair color with a unique Tri-base concept that produces lift colors. None polluting and with a very pleasant aroma, TEINTURE conditioning system protects the hair inner structure during coloring, for superior long lasting, and rich looking colors.
By the mid 1980?s the Mastey brand became known by exclusive salons around the world, our Traité the first sulfate-free shampoo became a smash hit and since its inception in 1978 remains one of the best selling and widely respected shampoos in the industry. But Henri Mastey?s innovation didn?t stop there he continued to develop healthy and fascinating products based around one simple philosophy ? using ingredients that are natural to and compatible with hair and skin, while avoiding ingredients that can cause harm to the stylist, client's hair or the environment. This reputation for purity earned him the respect of his peers and competitors alike.
In 1992, his son Stephen Mastey graduated from the University of Southern California and joined Mastey full time. In 1995 he became Vice President of Marketing and spearheaded the launch of a number of creative entrants in professional beauty, including the successful launch of a Swimmers? Shampoo and Swimmers? Shield Duo. In 1997, after the graduation of his sister Lesley, the two siblings formed their own company and released a series of innovative products for the health and beauty trade including, ZEAL dandruff treatments and the FUNK product lines.
In 2002, Stephen Mastey became the President of Mastey de Paris, while Henri remained as CEO, and continues to drive the research and development of safe, innovative and healthy professional products. In 2004, Lesley Mastey took over as chief director of The Studio at Mastey, the Mastey educational institute in Santa Clarita, California, while her husband Erick Calderon became Vice President of Business Development.
In 2005, Stephen Mastey took advantage of the convergence of internet technologies and the ease of product fulfillment to develop Mastey.com?s new business model. We as a family look forward to utilizing these technologies to empower the independent salon, independent stylist, salon consultants and salon clients to elevate the level of service and education to achieve the most of out of their desires.
Mastey is proud to remain one of the last family-owned manufacturers of professional hair products. Our commitment to remain independent stems from our rich heritage in the professional beauty industry. We as a family look forward to using new technologies to service you better, and to deliver you the highest performing, natural to your hair and skin products with attentiveness and ease. We hope you will love using our products as much as we love making them.
