There aren’t a ton of brands that evoke such a timeless, “can’t-remember-before-it-existed” quality.
OPI—the official number-one nail salon brand worldwide, is solidly one of them, a true legend in the beauty space. (Fun fact: The distinctive OPI bottle is even showcased at the Smithsonian.)
Founded in 1980 as Odontorium Products, Inc. by George Schaeffer and Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI originally sold dental supply items. When Schaeffer noticed an increasing number of local manicurists purchasing his products because they were unable to secure the quality nail products they needed, he switched his focus. Instead of discouraging these unexpected customers, he hired a chemist to develop products to meet their needs. Recognizing their high quality, they bundled these items with a rubber band and took their products up and down Ventura Boulevard to nail salons.
Manicurists loved it.
“In the 80s, people had no idea how empowering nail color could be because the industry never told them,” says Weiss-Fischmann. “OPI set out to permanently change the message of nails and give everyone a vast array of colors worthy of their strength and potential. OPI’s vision has always been to help you express who you are and who you want to be.”
A Look Inside the OPI Archives
Almost 45 years later, that expressionism is still alive and well. And, as the brand shared with us, those “archival” products are still selling strong.
In 1989, OPI launched its lacquer, a collection of the brand’s first 30 shades. While OPI Red, that “signature red that pops and isn’t too dark,” is credited as the shade that “started it all,” many of the original OPI 30—including Kyoto Pearl, Alpine Snow, Malaga Wine and Dutch Tulips—are still popular today, according to the company.
In this same year, OPI focused on creating shade names to stand out. Besides having cheeky names, each product includes what the company calls a “message in a bottle” or “a story behind every shade.”
Fast-forward one year later to 1990 when OPI introduced its first Spring/Summer Collection and the popular spicy-coral Cajun Shrimp shade. In 1991, Pompeii Purple debuted as part of OPI’s first themed destination collection, “The Carnival Collection.” Bogotá Blackberry launched in 1992, and 1993 brought Samoan Sand to market. The iconic Hollywood Collection closed out the decade in 199 with one of OPI’s most iconic shades, I’m Not Really a Waitress.
OPI Shades of the Century
It just misses the ’90s, but it does start off a century. The year 2000 saw the launch of the New York City Collection and the introduction of the beloved Big Apple Red. As the brand shared with us, nearly one million bottles of the “bright and shiny” shade are sold every year.
Today, two other shades also hit the million mark. According to OPI, every year, more than 1.5 million bottles of the iconic “candy-pink” Bubble Bath are sold across the globe. The “perfectly polished white” shade of Funny Bunny also hits the more-than-a-million-sold mark.
As far as the other top SKUs, the brand reports that they’re looking at an impressive 500,000-plus bottles sold yearly.
