Owing to their interest in the history of personal hygiene and beauty care, family members of the founder of the company, Franz Ströher, began collecting relevant objects in the early 1950s. These were first made accessible to the general public in 1954. With the acquisition of the toilet-case of the French Empress Joséphine dated 1795, the foundation-stone was laid for the systematic expansion of the collection.

The Wella Museum soon became an attraction for internal and external groups of visitors from all over the world. As new objects were constantly being acquired, the museum was moved to larger premises in 1980. Ten years later, even these rooms had become too small. As no alternative was available at the time, the museum had to be closed. In 2003, though, it was possible to re-open the Wella Museum in new exhibition rooms and with an entirely new concept.