Björn Axén 60th anniversary!

This year we celebrate 60 years as a company. Our CEO and owner Johan Hellström talks about the company's history, our product development process and what the future looks like. 

Hi Johan! This year, Björn Axén celebrates 60 years as a company. Tell us how the company has developed over these 60 years?
It all started when a passionate boy from Lidköping, with inspiration and knowledge from Paris and the best teachers there, laid the foundation for what would become a hair empire like no other. And how Björn's sudden passing would then lead to me inheriting the company, and together with my colleague and friend Peter Hägelstam, against all odds got the then faltering business back on its feet and with joint efforts have managed the brand to the success we are today. Four salons, over 30 million products sold and a presence in 16 markets, and more on the way. 

Where do you find inspiration for Björn Axén's products?
From meeting our customers! In our salons, we perform over 80,000 treatments per year. Our 100 hairdressers meet customers daily and gather knowledge. Experience that we can take into our product development process. Our product philosophy is based on "all three are key", and by that we mean that we have a focus on both product function, the planet and people when we develop our products.

What does the future look like for Björn Axén?
Hair is one of the fastest growing categories within beauty and we can see an increased interest among consumers which is very inspiring! We have started a very exciting expansion journey and today we are in 16 countries, with more in the start-up phase. We are driven by passion and to deliver quality to our customers, regardless of whether they meet us at our salons or buy our products.

This year you also celebrate 30 years as the main owner of Björn Axén. What is the most fun about running a hair brand like Björn Axén?

Björn said: if you feel good, you become strong! I agree with him. I feel happy when a client walks away from the salon straighter with a smile on their face, it means so much. At the same time I also get to build the company, work with product development and open up new markets with the Björn Axén brand, which is my baby and my life.

Stéphane Rolland's show during haute couture week in Paris, July 2023. For the fourth year in a row, we were given the honorable task of styling all the models in his show.