Toni & Guy
British international hairdressing salon brand founded by brothers Toni and Guy Mascolo.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Toni & Guy is a British international hairdressing salon brand established in 1963 by brothers Toni Mascolo and Guy Mascolo. The business began with a single salon in Clapham, London, and developed into a multinational network combining consumer hairdressing services, professional education, and branded hair-care products. Its identity has been closely associated with fashion-led cutting, coloring, styling, and salon education rather than with a conventional mass-market cosmetics model. The company’s early development was rooted in London’s salon culture. The founders’ first location provided the base for a business that expanded through additional salons and an increasingly international operating model. A major overseas step came in 1985, when Toni & Guy opened its first salon outside Europe in Dallas, Texas. This expansion helped establish the brand as an international salon operator rather than a solely British chain. In the same year, Toni & Guy launched TIGI, a professional hair-product line connected to the needs of salon stylists and their clients. TIGI broadened the group’s activities beyond services and gave the business a product platform that could be distributed through professional channels. In 1990, the company opened the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy, formalizing its role in training and skills development. The academy became an important part of the brand’s professional positioning, supporting education in cutting, styling, and related salon techniques. A significant corporate transaction occurred in 2009, when Unilever acquired the TIGI product line for £296 million. This transaction separated the product business from the core Toni & Guy salon identity, while Toni & Guy continued to be associated with salon services and education. The figure is reported in contemporary reference material as a transaction value and is not treated here as current brand revenue or valuation. Leadership continuity became a public issue after the death of co-founder and former chief executive Toni Mascolo in December 2017. Following a twelve-month search, Nigel Darwin was appointed chief executive in January 2019. The appointment represented a leadership transition for a founder-led business while preserving the company’s international salon operations. According to reference material covering 2022, Toni & Guy had 457 salons in 41 countries. The brand’s activities are centered on professional hairdressing services, including cutting, coloring, and styling, with education remaining an important supporting capability. Its historical product activities are most prominently represented by TIGI, although that line was acquired by Unilever in 2009. The brand remains best understood as an international salon and professional hairdressing network originating in the United Kingdom, not as a German company despite the supplied country field.
History
Toni & Guy was founded in 1963 in London by brothers Toni Mascolo and Guy Mascolo. The first salon opened in Clapham, establishing the business as a British hairdressing venture. From this starting point, the founders developed a salon network whose public identity emphasized professional technique, contemporary styling, and fashion-conscious hairdressing. The company’s international phase became particularly visible in 1985. That year, Toni & Guy opened its first salon outside Europe in Dallas, Texas. The move introduced the brand to the United States and demonstrated an expansion strategy based on reproducing its salon concept in overseas markets. In the same year, the group launched TIGI, a professional hair-care product line. TIGI complemented the salon network by providing products intended for use by stylists and clients and expanded the company’s commercial scope beyond services. Education became another major part of the business. In 1990, Toni & Guy opened the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy. The academy gave the company a formal platform for training and professional development, reinforcing its reputation as a technical and educational salon organization. The combination of salons, products, and training allowed the brand to operate across several connected parts of the professional hairdressing industry. The structure of the business changed in 2009 when Unilever acquired the TIGI product line for £296 million. The transaction was a major milestone because it transferred the product operation to a large multinational consumer-goods company while leaving Toni & Guy’s core historical association with salons and hairdressing education distinct. TIGI is therefore an important part of the brand’s history, but its ownership after 2009 should not be conflated with ownership of the entire Toni & Guy salon network. Founder-led continuity was affected by the death of Toni Mascolo in December 2017. Mascolo had served as a co-founder and chief executive. After a twelve-month search for a successor, Nigel Darwin was appointed chief executive in January 2019. This change marked a transition from the company’s founding leadership while maintaining its international operating model. By 2022, reference material described Toni & Guy as having 457 salons in 41 countries. The network’s main activities remained salon-based hairdressing services, particularly cutting, coloring, and styling, supported by professional education. The brand’s historical development therefore follows three connected tracks: expansion from a London salon into an international chain, diversification into professional products through TIGI, and institutionalization of technical expertise through its academy. Its subject identity is British and international, rather than German, even though Germany was supplied as the country in the input record.
- 2022
International network reported at 457 salons
[1]Reference material describes Toni & Guy as operating 457 salons in 41 countries.
- 2019
Nigel Darwin becomes chief executive
[1]Following a twelve-month executive search, Nigel Darwin is appointed chief executive.
- 2017
Co-founder Toni Mascolo dies
[1]Toni Mascolo, co-founder and former chief executive, dies in December.
- 2009
Unilever acquires TIGI
[1]Unilever acquires the TIGI product line in a transaction reported at £296 million.
- 1990
Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy opens
[1]The academy is established to support hairdressing education and professional training.
- 1985
First salon outside Europe opens in Dallas
[1]Toni & Guy enters the United States with a salon in Dallas, its first location outside Europe.
- 1985
TIGI product line launches
[1]The company launches TIGI as a professional hair-care product line.
- 1963
First Toni & Guy salon opens in Clapham
[1]Brothers Toni Mascolo and Guy Mascolo establish the business and open its first salon in Clapham, London.
Products and positioning
Fashion-led, premium professional hairdressing and salon education brand with international reach.
Hairdressing services · 1963
Toni & Guy salon services
The core Toni & Guy offering is professional salon hairdressing. Services are associated with cutting, coloring, and styling, delivered through the brand’s international salon network. The salon model is central to the company’s identity and distinguishes Toni & Guy from a product-only hair-care label.
Professional education · 1990
Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy
Opened in 1990, the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy represents the education and training side of the brand. It supports the company’s professional positioning by providing a formal institutional context for hairdressing skills and technique. Specific current course structures and locations are not established by the supplied reference material.
Professional hair-care products · 1985
TIGI
TIGI was launched by Toni & Guy in 1985 as a professional hair-care product line associated with salon styling and hairdressing expertise. In 2009, Unilever acquired the TIGI product line for £296 million. It is consequently a historically important Toni & Guy-related product business, but its post-2009 ownership is separate from the core salon brand.
Brand decisions
2019
Appointment of Nigel Darwin as chief executiveOtherBackground
The company required new executive leadership after the death of co-founder and former chief executive Toni Mascolo in December 2017.
Action taken
After a twelve-month search, Nigel Darwin was appointed chief executive in January 2019.
Aftermath
The appointment marked a transition away from direct founder leadership.
2009
Sale of TIGI to UnileverM&ABackground
The TIGI product line had developed into a separate professional hair-care business linked historically to Toni & Guy.
Action taken
Unilever acquired TIGI for a reported £296 million.
Aftermath
The product line moved to Unilever, while Toni & Guy continued to be identified primarily with salons and hairdressing education.
Reported acquisition price. £296 million (2009)
1990
Creation of the Toni & Guy Hairdressing AcademyStrategyBackground
Professional training was consistent with the brand’s salon-centered and technique-focused positioning.
Action taken
Toni & Guy opened a dedicated hairdressing academy.
Aftermath
Education became a formal component of the brand’s operating and professional identity.
1985
International expansion into the United StatesOtherBackground
The company had developed from its original London salon and began extending its operating model beyond Europe.
Action taken
Toni & Guy opened its first salon outside Europe in Dallas, Texas.
Aftermath
The move established the United States as an early overseas market and supported the brand’s transition into an international salon chain.
1985
Launch of TIGIProduct launchBackground
Toni & Guy sought to extend its professional hairdressing identity into branded hair-care products.
Action taken
The company introduced the TIGI product line.
Aftermath
TIGI became a distinct professional product business and was later acquired by Unilever.
Recent events
- 2022
Toni & Guy reported to operate 457 salons in 41 countries[1]
Other
Reference material described the international network as comprising 457 salons across 41 countries.
- 2019
Nigel Darwin appointed chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Nigel Darwin became chief executive after a twelve-month search following the death of former chief executive and co-founder Toni Mascolo.
- 2009
Unilever acquires TIGI product line[1]
M&A
Unilever acquired the TIGI product business for £296 million, separating the product line from the core salon brand.
- 1990
Toni & Guy opens hairdressing academy[1]
Other
The Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy opened, strengthening the brand’s role in professional education and stylist training.
- 1985
Toni & Guy opens its first salon outside Europe in Dallas[1]
Other
The company expanded into the United States with a salon in Dallas, marking its first location outside Europe.
- 1985
Toni & Guy launches TIGI product line[1]
Product launch
The salon group introduced TIGI as a professional hair-care product line, extending the business beyond salon services.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/toni-and-guy · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled