safety razor
Quick Summary
A safety razor is a shaving implement designed with a guard to prevent deep cuts. The concept of a safety razor emerged in the United States around 1880 with a hoe-shaped design.12
A significant advancement occurred at the turn of the 20th century when King Camp Gillette combined this design with a double-edged, replaceable blade. Gillette's innovation was to create a razor that was sold at a low cost, with the primary profit coming from the sale of disposable blades. This strategy proved highly successful, and by 1904, the Gillette Safety Razor Company was producing tens of thousands of razors and millions of blades. Later developments included stainless steel blades and cartridge-style razors with multiple blades.23
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
