Services are scheduled for Jan. 13 for Dan K. Wassong, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Del Laboratories Inc.
Wassong, 84, died Thursday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, according to a paid obituary in The New York Times.
Born in Warsaw, in 1930, Wassong grew up in what became Israel and served in the military there before emigrating to the U.S. He continued his education at Case Western Reserve. Wassong began his career at Leff Electric, then joined Del Laboratories in 1965, where he rose through the ranks and built the Sally Hansen brand into the mass-market nail care leader.
But Wassong’s long-running prominence in the U.S. beauty industry was marred by a court settlement in 1995, in which Del paid a record fine of $1.2 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to settle accusations of sexual harassment by Wassong involving 15 women, all former secretaries and executive assistants. The company steadfastly denied any wrongdoing on Wassong’s part and called the allegations “false and baseless.”
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Considered tough and detail-driven, Wassong nurtured close ties with the retail community, developing long-standing relationships down to the buyer level. According to associates, Wassong often handed out products to retailers, beauty editors and anyone who might be interested. His driver, Ray, kept a stock of samples in the trunk of Wassong’s car.
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After joining Del, Wassong built Sally Hansen’s rise to dominance with the invention of the Hard as Nails brand. The company subsequently expanded its product offering into treatment products, nail-care implements and health care, such as the Oragel brand. It also launched the budget line NYC New York City Color. Del grew to $425.9 million in 2006 net sales. The company was sold to Kelso & Co., a private equity firm, in July 2004, then acquired by Coty Inc. in December 2007 for an estimated $800 million.
Wassong is survived by his partner Barbara, his former wife, Lisa, a son David, daughter Kirsten Haley and five grandchildren. The services will be held at Temple Emanu-El, on Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. at 1 East 65th Street in New York.