An Australian brand of matches

The first redheads factory opened in richmond Victoria in 1909. This was the first introduction of the safety match to Australia and they were well received since they really were much safer than previous versions

The earlier "Strike Anywhere matches" were made with poisonous white phosphorous and were very sensitive to friction, as the name suggests, with almost any surface.

By contrast Redheads needed to be struck against a special pad in order to light. They were named Redheads after the red colouring of the chemicals used in their striking head.

The famous logo of a sexy redheaded woman was created in 1946. Since then there have been 4 major updates to the logo - mostly to keep up with changing hairstyle fashions. The logo has become affectionately known as "Miss Redhead" and is instantly recognised by the majority of Australians.

The original company Bryant & May was bought out in 1998 by Swedish Match who continue to manufacture Redheads.