Kiehl's Since 1851

Kiehl’s has never been simply a skin-care brand. For 175 years, the New York institution has been shaped by curiosity, science, generosity, and an instinctive understanding that care begins with people. It is a philosophy that has guided the brand from John Kiehl’s original apothecary, at Thirteenth Street and Third Avenue, to a global community, without losing the spirit of its East Village beginnings.

In Kiehl’s Since 1851, writer Zachary Weiss traces the people, products, traditions, and unexpected ideas that have defined the company from its beginning. The story moves from personalized remedies and homeopathic preparations through generations of family stewardship, the development of the brand’s first formulas, and its evolution into a leader in efficacious skin, hair, and body care. Along the way, the book brings together the details that make the Kiehl’s universe so singular: lab-coated Skin Pros, generous sampling, Mr. Bones, vintage motorcycles, artist collaborations, philanthropic initiatives, and formulas tested in some of the world’s most extreme environments. At its center is a pioneering approach to customer service built on listening, education, trust, and the belief that every visitor should leave knowing something more than when they arrived.

Created to mark Kiehl’s 175th anniversary, this is a book that feels both celebratory and necessary. Through archival imagery, personal recollections, and remarkable stories, it preserves a heritage that extends far beyond the products themselves and reveals how a neighborhood apothecary became a gathering place for the world.