In 1960, young actress and model Paula Kent Meehan launched her business career, founding a small California based company called Redken Laboratories with an initial investment of three thousand dollars. The sales for the first year were ninety thousand dollars.

More than thirty years later, Redken Laboratories is a leader in the professional beauty products industry and Ms. Meehan has emerged as one of the most respected businesswomen in America.

Ms. Meehan pioneered the “Scientific Approach to Beauty”, based on her dedication to developing products compatible with the natural elements of hair and skin. She was also the forerunner in the concept of teaching chemistry to hairdressers, thereby enabling them to better serve their clients and generally elevating a career in hairdressing to that of a profession. Redken Laboratories also designed programs and trained hairdressers to successfully market Redken products in the salon, something unheard of at the time. In 1993, with sales at $160 million, Redken was sold to Cosmair, Inc., the U.S. licensee of L’Oreal.

Ms. Meehan is president of her own investment company, handles her extensive real estate holdings and still finds time to travel throughout the country on her Gulfstream IV, looking for investment opportunities. She is also preparing for the release of her autobiographical “how-to” book, sharing the secrets of her success. Recently she launched a successful new venture, the catalogue-based Boutique Beverly Hills. She also is chairman and president of Kenquest, Inc. and Timequest, Inc.

Paula Kent Meehan has received countless industry awards. In 1992 she was named one of Entrepreneurial Woman magazine’s “Eight Most Powerful Woman Business Owners” and was selected as one of the “Top Fifty Women Business Owners” by Working Woman magazine.

Below is the Story of Ms. Meehan from the Redken Web Site

Redken Laboratories, founded in 1960, is a company built from the inspiration of a dynamic, entrepreneurial American actress named Paula Kent.

Frequent chemical services and style changes were routine for any aspiring actress of her day, but Paula was extra sensitive to many of the products used by the hairdressers and make-up artists. She felt continually frustrated that no one could explain why the products were irritating. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Paula realized that working with professional hairdressers, she could help millions of other people also wanting high performance products that were gentle.

Paula Kent and her hairdresser, Jheri Redding (thus the name "REDKEN") began with three products, and an intensive education program for hairdressers about the chemistry of hair and skin. The formulas were developed based on three principles:

• Protein technology (since hair is composed primarily of protein)
• An acidic pH of 4.5-5.5, complementing the natural pH of the hair and skin
• Products recommended exclusively by licensed cosmetologists in professional salons

  By 1965, Paula had full ownership of Redken Laboratories, based in California. During the 70's and 80's, the company was a leader in product technology in the US and abroad. In 1993, L'Oreal purchased Redken and now its headquarters are on 5th Avenue NYC. Today, Redken is a global leader in professional haircare products and services. The company is energized with talented people, strong partnerships with the best hairdressers, and superior Research and Development. Redken products are now available in professional beauty salons in over 50 countries.