Trademark Activity and Corporate Presence (1950s–1990s)

The documented history of the Nestle Lemur Company extends beyond the United States. Canadian trademark records demonstrate that Nestle Lemur operated in Canada as a structured cosmetic brand during the mid- to late-20th century.

While Karl Ludwig Nessler is primarily remembered as the inventor of the permanent wave, trademark filings show that the Nestle Lemur name continued as a retail hair-care and cosmetic brand decades after his death.

Canadian Trademark: EGYPTIAN HENNA & DESIGN

One significant example of Nestle Lemur’s Canadian presence is the trademark:

EGYPTIAN HENNA & DESIGN

According to records of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), the trademark was filed in 1978. The application states that the product had been in use in Canada since October 1958.

The listed goods included:

• Hair tinting powder

• Hair colouring products

• Shampoos

• Conditioners

• Cosmetic hair preparations

The registrant was:

Neslemur Laboratories, Inc.
Toronto, Ontario

This confirms that Nestle Lemur operated in Canada not merely as a salon-based permanent wave system but as a retail cosmetic brand with commercial distribution.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

Trademark recordals reference both:

• Neslemur Laboratories, Inc. (Toronto)

• The Neslemur Company (Delaware corporation)

This indicates a structured North American corporate presence linking Canadian and U.S. operations.

In 1989, ownership of the EGYPTIAN HENNA trademark was transferred to:

S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

The trademark was subsequently expunged from the Canadian register in 1996.
 

Canadian Operations in Context

The Canadian trademark history demonstrates that the Nestle Lemur brand remained commercially active in North America well into the late 20th century.

The documented shift from permanent wave innovation to retail hair colouring and cosmetic preparations reflects broader industrial trends within the North American beauty sector.

Rather than ending with the early permanent wave era, the Nestle Lemur brand evolved into a diversified cosmetic identity with multinational trademark activity.
 

Historical Significance

The Canadian records add an important dimension to the history of Karl Ludwig Nessler and the Nestle Lemur enterprise.

They demonstrate:

• Continued brand activity after Nessler’s lifetime

• Structured corporate operations in Canada

• Retail cosmetic diversification

• Late-century ownership transfer to a major consumer goods corporation

The Canadian phase confirms that Nestle Lemur functioned as a sustained industrial cosmetics brand rather than solely as a historic invention.