The Nestle-Lemur Company, a cosmetics manufacturer, was started in 1928 in New York City when the Nestle and LeMur companies merged. The Nestle line referred to Charles Nestle (born Karl Nessler), inventor of the permanent wave machine, who opened a chain of hair salons in the early 1920s. The company made a variety of hair care products including permanent waves, color-rinses, and in 1944 they advertised Nestle’s Baby Hair Treatment in the newspaper shopper’s column, "Buy-Lines" by Nancy Sasser. The company also had lines of cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals, and household preparations.
Mother’s Darling Shampoo was produced in the mid 1950s. The soap-free shampoo was specially formulated not to irritate babies’ eyes or skin and for use in both hard and soft water. Johnson and Johnson launched their first baby shampoo at about the same time.