Who Owns the Razor and Shaving Market

From Monopoly to Disruption and Back

For most of the 20th century, the razor market was effectively a duopoly: Gillette on one side and Schick on the other, with Bic providing a lower-cost disposable option. Gillette, backed by the financial resources and global distribution of Procter and Gamble, held approximately 70% of the US market as recently as the early 2010s.

Then two direct-to-consumer startups arrived. Dollar Shave Club launched in 2012 with a viral video and a subscription model that undercut Gillette's premium pricing. Harry's followed in 2013 with a similarly disruptive DTC approach and sleeker branding. Within five years, Gillette's US market share had dropped below 50% for the first time in decades.

The industry's response illustrates how incumbents adapt to disruption: Unilever acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion in 2016. Edgewell Personal Care attempted to acquire Harry's for $1.37 billion in 2019, only for the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal in 2020 citing antitrust concerns. Harry's is still independent today and has expanded into a broader personal care portfolio.

This guide maps every major razor and shaving brand to its corporate owner in 2026.

Procter and Gamble: Gillette's Parent

Procter and Gamble acquired Gillette Company in 2005 for approximately $57 billion, one of the largest consumer goods acquisitions in history. The deal gave P&G ownership of one of the most profitable consumer brands in the world.

[Gillette](/brands/gillette) was founded in Boston in 1901 by King Camp Gillette, who invented and patented the disposable safety razor blade. The brand pioneered the razor-and-blades business model: sell the razor handle at a low price or give it away, then generate ongoing revenue from replacement blade cartridges. This model created durable consumer lock-in and extraordinarily high margins on the consumable blade product.

• Fusion ProGlide and ProGlide Shield (premium cartridge razors for men)
• Mach3 (mid-tier cartridge razor, one of the best-selling razor systems globally by unit volume)
• Gillette SkinGuard (sensitive skin positioning)
• Gillette Labs (premium heated razor and exfoliating systems)

Gillette still holds approximately 20% or more of the global razor market by value, though its US share has declined from its historical peak as DTC and challenger brands captured younger consumers.

[Venus](/brands/venus) is P&G's women's shaving brand, an extension of the Gillette franchise targeting female shavers. Venus competes with Schick Intuition and Hydro Silk (Edgewell) and with DTC women's shaving brands including Billie.

[Braun](/brands/braun) is P&G's electric shaver brand, acquired as part of the Gillette transaction. Braun makes electric shavers, epilators, and grooming products and competes with Philips Norelco in the electric shaving segment.

Edgewell Personal Care: Schick and Wilkinson Sword

Edgewell Personal Care Company is the second-largest player in the traditional razor market and is publicly traded on NYSE under ticker EPC. Edgewell was spun off from Energizer Holdings in 2015, separating the personal care brands from the battery business.

[Schick](/brands/schick) is Edgewell's primary razor brand in North America, competing directly with Gillette across both the men's and women's segments. Schick's Hydro range competes with Gillette Fusion. Quattro competes with Gillette Mach3. Intuition and Hydro Silk compete with Venus.

[Wilkinson Sword](/brands/wilkinson-sword) is Edgewell's razor brand in Europe and international markets, the same brand that Schick represents in North America. The Wilkinson Sword trademark has an interesting split: in the United States it is owned by Edgewell, while in some markets the name is used under different licensing arrangements.

[Banana Boat](/brands/banana-boat) and [Hawaiian Tropic](/brands/hawaiian-tropic) are Edgewell's sunscreen brands, part of a broader personal care portfolio that also includes Carefree, Stayfree, and Playtex feminine care products. Edgewell is not exclusively a razor company but a broader personal care products business.

The Blocked Harry's Acquisition

In 2019, Edgewell announced an agreement to acquire Harry's Inc. for approximately $1.37 billion. The FTC sued to block the deal in February 2020, arguing the acquisition would eliminate one of the most disruptive competitive forces the razor market had seen in decades. Edgewell abandoned the deal in February 2020 after the FTC's challenge. Harry's subsequently raised additional venture capital and expanded its product portfolio independently.

Harry's: Still Independent After the Blocked Deal

[Harry's](/brands/harrys) was founded in 2013 by Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider. The company launched with a direct-to-consumer subscription model and subsequently expanded into retail, securing a distribution partnership with Target. Harry's competes in the premium mid-market segment, positioned below Gillette Fusion's price point but above commodity disposables.

Following the failed Edgewell acquisition, Harry's raised additional private funding and expanded into adjacent personal care categories under the brand. The company also owns Flamingo, a women's shaving and body care brand launched in 2018, and has been building out a broader consumer goods portfolio. As of early 2026, Harry's remains privately held. The company does not disclose revenues.

Harry's is considered a case study in how the FTC's enforcement posture under Chair Lina Khan changed the competitive dynamics of consumer goods. The blocked acquisition preserved an independent competitor in the razor market that would otherwise have been absorbed by an incumbent.

Dollar Shave Club: Inside Unilever

[Dollar Shave Club](/brands/dollar-shave-club) was acquired by Unilever in 2016 for approximately $1 billion, described at the time as Unilever's largest US acquisition. Dollar Shave Club pioneered the subscription razor model with a 2012 launch video that accumulated over 25 million views and generated tens of thousands of subscribers within days.

Under Unilever's ownership, Dollar Shave Club has expanded its product range beyond razors into shaving cream, shower gel, and other men's grooming products. The brand retains its direct-to-consumer focus and irreverent marketing voice. Revenue has not been disclosed separately since the acquisition.

Dollar Shave Club illustrates a broader pattern: incumbents who could not beat DTC challengers on the challenger's own terms instead acquired them. Unilever paid a premium to acquire the subscriber base and brand equity rather than attempt to build a competing subscription model from scratch within its existing Gillette-competing shaving portfolio.

BIC: The Disposable Specialist

[BIC](/brands/bic) is a French consumer goods company publicly traded on Euronext Paris under ticker BB. BIC is best known globally for ballpoint pens but is also the third-largest player in the disposable razor segment. BIC disposable razors compete on price in the mass retail channel against private label disposables and premium Gillette and Schick cartridge systems.

BIC does not compete in the premium cartridge segment where Gillette and Schick focus most of their innovation investment. The company's razor business is positioned as a value-tier disposable option.

The DTC Women's Shaving Market

The women's shaving segment has its own DTC challenger: Billie, founded in 2017 by Georgina Gruneberg and Jason Bravman. Billie was designed specifically as a response to the perceived "pink tax" premium charged on women's razors compared to functionally equivalent men's products. Procter and Gamble agreed to acquire Billie in January 2021, but the FTC challenged the deal on similar grounds to the Harry's-Edgewell case. P&G subsequently dropped the acquisition in December 2021. Billie continues to operate independently.

Market Share Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Gillette? Gillette is owned by Procter and Gamble, which acquired Gillette Company in 2005 for approximately $57 billion. Gillette was founded in Boston in 1901 and pioneered the safety razor and the razor-and-blades business model. P&G also owns Venus (women's shaving) and Braun (electric shavers) as part of the same acquisition.

Who owns Schick razors? Schick is owned by Edgewell Personal Care Company, which trades on NYSE under ticker EPC. Edgewell was spun off from Energizer Holdings in 2015. Schick's European equivalent brand, Wilkinson Sword, is also owned by Edgewell.

Why did the FTC block the Harry's acquisition? The FTC sued to block Edgewell Personal Care's proposed $1.37 billion acquisition of Harry's in February 2020, arguing that the deal would eliminate one of the most significant competitive threats to the Gillette-Schick duopoly. The FTC noted that Harry's had meaningfully disrupted the market through its DTC model and that allowing Edgewell to acquire it would reduce competitive pressure on both major incumbents. Edgewell dropped the deal following the FTC challenge.

Is Dollar Shave Club still independent? No. Dollar Shave Club was acquired by Unilever in 2016 for approximately $1 billion. It operates as a brand within Unilever's personal care portfolio. Dollar Shave Club maintains its direct-to-consumer subscription model and its marketing voice, though as part of Unilever it has access to the parent company's supply chain and global distribution infrastructure.

Explore Related Brands

• Gillette - World's best-known razor brand, owned by Procter and Gamble since 2005
• Venus - P&G's women's shaving brand, part of the Gillette franchise
• Schick - Second-largest razor brand, owned by Edgewell Personal Care
• Harry's - Independent premium DTC razor brand, acquisition blocked by FTC in 2020
• Dollar Shave Club - DTC razor pioneer, acquired by Unilever in 2016 for $1 billion

Browse all beauty and personal care brands on WhoBrands

Sources

• Accio: Top Selling Razor Brands 2026 — https://www.accio.com/business/top-selling-razor-brands
• FTC v. Edgewell Personal Care, February 2020 — https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/02/ftc-sues-to-block-edgewell-personal-cares-acquisition-harrys
• P&G Annual Report FY2025 — https://www.pginvestor.com
• Edgewell Personal Care Annual Report FY2025 — https://investor.edgewell.com
• The Big Newsletter: Harry's Razor Wars — https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/blocking-mergers-is-good-for-business

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: March 22, 2026.