Which inventor created the first commercially successful safety razor with disposable blades?

King Camp Gillette created the first commercially successful safety razor with disposable blades.

Gillette introduced his safety razor in 1903 through the American Safety Razor Company. Its thin, inexpensive blade was designed to be replaced rather than sharpened. The arrangement made shaving safer and more convenient than using an exposed straight razor, while creating continuing demand for replacement blades.

The key commercial idea was often summarized as selling a durable razor handle and repeatedly selling low-cost blades. Early blades were difficult to manufacture consistently, so the product took time to become widely successful. Improvements in precision production helped the system expand.

Gillette did not invent every form of safety razor. Earlier safety razors existed, including designs associated with Jean-Jacques Perret. Gillette’s distinction is the development and successful commercialization of a double-edged safety razor using replaceable blades, a format that influenced later shaving products.