Lever 2000 (2000-2009) : "You B,, E
Lever 2000 (2000-2009) : "You B,, E
Lever 2000 (2000-2009) : "You B,, E
Fa (2002-2008)
Henkel’s Fa soaps are produced and sold in many countries, but not in the United States. Many Fa bars
were launched since 2002.
The “Wellness System” Moisturizing and Revitalizing with Sea Minerals translucent bars launched
on the European market in 2002, and were packaged in a carton with a window were the Orange
Blossom SPA, Bamboo Essential SPA, Sea Extract SPA, and Green Tree SPA. Like most mass marketed
translucent soaps, they did not succeed and were discontinued in 2004.
There have been many Fa line extensions. Some of them include the “Wild Freshness” Body Care
bars: Caribbean Lemon, Exotic Fruits, Papaya Grape, and Aqua.
Many other Fa ingredients bars followed: Fa Caring Bar Soap - Palm Milk; Fa Energizing - Ginkgo
-
Extract; Fa Moisturizing Grape Extract; Fa Refreshing - Caribbean Lime; Fa Sensitive - Aloe Vera
Milk; and Fa Vitalizing - Water Plant Extract.
Fa Asia Spa Jasmine Blossom, Lotus Blossom and Fa Yoghurt Aloe Vera, Yoghurt Vanilla Honey,
Yoghurt Coconut, and Yoghurt Sensitive all with Yoghurt Protein are the latest Fa bars.
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Lifebuoy (2003-2008)
Lifebuoy is no longer manufactured in the United States. Lifebuoy is Unilever‘s largest selling bar soap
brand in India where it has been repositioned since 2003 as a premium deodorant soap.
The current bars are: Lifebuoy Active Red-Active Protection for Complete Family Health;
Lifebuoy Active Orange-Active Protection for Complete Family Health; Lifebuoy Active Gold-
Active Protection for Complete Family Health-with soothing Milk Cream; Lifebuoy Active Green-
For Complete Family Health-with nature’s Tulsi and Neem. The Active Green bar is the first Lifebuoy
bar with natural ingredients, unlike the traditional health related bars.
Pears (2004-2008)
A new line extension was added to the Classic Pears Transparent Soap: a green colored Pears Transparent
Oil-Clear Bathing Bar. The Classic version is recommended for dry skin, and because it is “Pure and
Gentle”, it is fine for babies. The new special Oil-Clear formula, “helps to gently clean excess oil on
the surface while retaining the essential oils and moisture on the skin.” Presently all Pears soaps are
produced only in India. Pears is offered now in these variants: the traditional amber colored Classic, a
green Oil Control with lemon flew extracts, and a blue Germ Shield with mint Extract .
lvory (2004-2008)
The best proof of the longevity of this classic brand is that the latest Ivory package has the original story:
“The Soap That Floats-99-44/ 100% Pure-Simple Naturally Clean.”
The first major change to the original white “99-44/100% Pure-It Floats” Ivory in 125 years was
in the 2004 introduction of a floating, green colored Ivory Aloe Rediscover the Mildness bar. A purple
Ivory Lavender Gentle Clean Soothing Scent Bar for Baby Smooth Skin was launched in 2006. In
2007, the bars were repackaged and renamed as Simply Ivory Lavender and Simply Ivory Aloe, and a
Simply Ivory Classic was added. All the three types are white.
The History of Soaps and Detergents 0 59
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Discontinued Soaps
Many bar soaps have not passed beyond the original test markets, and others were discontinued after
their market shares descended below sustainable levels. A listing of these soaps by the five major soap
companies follows.
Colgate
Nature’s Chlorophyll Green Palmolive (1952); Aromatic Balsam Essence (1958); Spree (1960); Choice,
Beauty Bars for Normal, Dry and Oily Skin (1960); Cleopatra Beauty Soap with five fragrant oils
(1963); Spree Deodorant Bar (1965); Petal Deodorant Beauty Bar (1966); Skin Mist Complexion Bar
(1969); Cadum (1971); DCdoril Deodorant Soap (1971); DP-300 Antibacterial Beauty Soap (1971);
Irish Spring Sunshine Yellow (1980); Softsoap Bar (1980); Experience Beauty Bars, Creamy Milk Bath
Essence, Rosewater, & Glycerine. Essence (1980); Dermassage Moisture Bar for Dry Skin with Protein
(1980); Cleopatra Beauty Soap with five Fragrance Oils (1984), Hypo-Allergenic Palmolive (1989);
Palmolive Essential-Hydrating Cleanser-Sensitive Skin (1995).
Dial
Glad-Soap/Synthetic (Combo) Bar (1 958); Princess Dial-Superfatted Bar (1958); Soaprize-The
floating fun soap with the prize inside-Alvin Alligator, Sylvester Sub, and Willie Whale (1965);
Nutrelle Face and Body Bar with Vitamin E (1986); Spirit-Refreshing Deodorant Bar-Blue and
White Striped Bar-Liquid scent burst with extra freshness (1990); Spirit-Three Soaps in One-
Cleanses, moisturizes, deodorant protection-Solid blue color (1991).
Jergens
Nature Scents-Wild Flower, Herbal & Lavender (1975); Gentle Touch-Bath Bar with Baby
Oil-Marbleized (1977); Duo-Care-Deodorant Soap with Moisturizers (1980); Fiesta Refreshing
Deodorant Soap-Marbleized (1982); Jergens Clear Complexion Bar-Transparent Medicated Bar for
Problem Skin (1972).
Lever
Olva Supercreamed Soap (1925); Swan-Pure White Baby Soap (1941); Praise 3 soaps in 1-Anti-
Blemish, Deodorant ,and Cleansing Cream (1959); Pine Green Lifebuoy Deodorant Soap with Puralin
Plus (1961); Lux with Beauty Bands-a unique bar with longitudinal bands across the two sides of the
soap, two on the front and one centered across the back. The bands we were a different color than the
rest of the soap (1962); Phase 111-Deodorant Beauty Bar with Cream (1966).
and to circulate information beneficial to soap makers”. The membership, which now includes soap
makers and vendors from the United States, and 14 other countries, reached 800 in 2008. The Guild’s
website, http://www.soapguild.com,provides extensive resource material and details on the HSMG
Annual Conferences.
Specialty gift soaps, luxury fragranced soaps, personal care soaps, and medicated soaps are offered
by Bath and Body Works, Body Shop, Caswell Massey, Crabtree & Evelyn, Estee Lauder, Johnson and
Johnson, L‘Occitane, and other firms.
Persil(7 907)
In 1907, Henkel & Cie of Dusseldorf, Germany introduced Persil, the world’s first “self-acting”washing
powder. The product consisted of soap with perborate as the bleaching agent, and silicate (waterglass).
The Persil name is derived from perborate and silicate. In 1909, the English firm J. Crosfield & Son,
Ltd., a competitor of Lever Brothers, purchased the Persil name. In 1919, Lever acquired Crosfield and
together they promoted the sale of Persil in the UK.
Today, Persil is a major brand for Henkel worldwide, except in the UK, France, and the Netherlands
where Lever Brothers Limited (now Unilever) acquired the rights to sell Persil. Henkel’s Persil advertising
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presented the public with beautifid images of young ladies, and young girls washing clothes. The most
famous is the Lady in White painted in 1922 by the German artist Kurt Heiligenstaedt. Later, there were
other “ladies in white,” all projecting the Persil image of cleanliness. Persil continues to be a widely used
powder detergent in Europe and elsewhere, but not in the United States.
The History of Soaps and Detergents 0 63
Fewa (1932)
Henkel’s Fewa, introduced in 1932, claimed to be the world’s first synthetic detergent for fine fabrics.
The inventor, Bruno Wolf, believed that it was a completely new product, but nobody else did. The
original package indicates that, “it is alkali free.” Fewa‘s advertising used a figure called “The Wool
Man”, which appeared on the first package, and later was replaced by the “The Cleaning Fewa-Johanna”
figurine used until the 1950s.
Fewa, introduced in 1932, claimed to be the world’s first synthetic detergent for fine fabrics.
Dreft (1 933)
Dreft, originally called “Drift”, America’s first synthetic detergent, was introduced two years after Robert
Duncan, a Procter & Gamble researcher, visited two firms in Germany. At the I.G. Farben Research
Laboratories they showed him a “wetting agent” sold to the textile industry that let dye solutions
penetrate fibers uniformly. After Farben chemists learned that a small textile firm used a product made
from cattle bile instead of soap, they reproduced it synthetically and sold it in a product called Igepon.
At Deutsche Hydrierwerke (purchased by Henkel in 1932), Duncan was shown a product under
development, which was to compete against Igepon. He had 100 kg of this paste-type product, called
a “surface-active agent” (surfactant), sent to Cincinnati for immediate testing. After quickly obtaining
licensing agreements in 1932, and a great deal ofwork, Dreft was test marketed in the United States in
1933. Dreft did eliminate the hard water soap curd problem, but it worked well only for lightly soiled
clothes. Since it became a detergent in 1958, Dreft had been targeted for laundering baby clothes; its
positioning in the market has remained the same (Fig. 1.47).
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Tide (1 946)
It took more than I0 years after Dreft to find the right “builder” to help a surfactant to do a “heavy-
duty job” on all fabrics. In the early 1940s, complex phosphates were discovered; among them was
sodium tripolyphosphate, a key chemical for formulating an all-purpose powder detergent. Procter &
Gamble applied for a patent in 1944, but restrictions on raw materials delayed the introduction ofTide
until 1946, when it was introduced as the “New Washing Miracle Tide-Oceans of Suds-Whiter
Clothes-Sparkling Dishes” (Fig. 1.48). The “Tide’s In, Dirt‘s Out” slogan was used on radio and TV
against P&G’s own Chipso, DUZ,and Oxydol, and competitive soap powders and flakes.
The success of Tide was immediate; by 1949, it became America’s best selling laundry detergent,
and it has been number one ever since. In 1996, for its 50th anniversary, P&G estimated that of r 3 5
billion wash loads, 100 million tons of clothes, done each year in the United States, one third are
washed with Tide.
There have been many innovations and changes for Tide powder and liquid detergents. In 2008,
over 30 different varieties were offered. A timeline of the most important ones follows:
Tide Powder Detergent (1946) - The first heavy-duty powder detergent with phosphate builder
introduced. Full distribution achieved in 1949
Tide XK (1968) - First U.S. powder detergents formulated with XK enzyme that removes protein
stains. (XK meant Xtra Kleaning)
Liquid Tide (1984) - Non-Concentrated version
Unscented Tide (1 986) - Contains masking fragrance
Tide Powder with Bleach (1988) - First with color-safe bleach
Ultra Powder (1990) - Compact powder detergent
Liquid Tide with Bleach Alternative (1991) - Non-Concentrated version
Ultra Liquid (1992) - More concentrated than original
Tide Powder (1992) - Phosphates replaced by zeolites
Tide Free Liquid (1992) - Free of dyes and perfumes, replaced Unscented Tide
Ultra 2 Powder (1 996)
Tide HE (High Efficiency) (1 997)
Liquid Tide Clean Rinse (1 998) - Clean Rinse technology with a polymer that “captures dirt in the
rinse cycle.”
Tide Rapid Action Tablets (2000) - First Tide in tablet form; discontinued in 2004.
Tide Clean Breeze (2002) - New scent added to powder and liquid
Tide with a Touch of Downy Liquid and Powder (2004)
Tide Coldwater (2005)
Tide with Febreze (2005)
2X Ultra Tide Coldwater Liquid (2007)
2X Ultra Tide Liquid and Powder (2007)
2X Ultra Tide with Febreze Liquid and Freshness Powder (2007)
Tide Total Care Liquid (2008)
2X Ultra Tide with Dawn Stain Scrubbers (2008)
2X Ultra Concentrated Tide with Bleach Alternative (2008)
Tide Liquid Total Effects (2008)
2X UltraTide Pure Essentials Liquid with Baking Soda in White Lilac Scent (2008)
2X Ultra Tide Pure Essentials Liquid with Citrus Extract and Lemo Verbena Scent (2008)
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Detergent powders did not change much until the revolutionary, first, ultracompact, powder detergent
Attack was introduced in 1987 in Japan by the Kao Corporation.
In 1989, new compact powders appeared in Europe and the United States. 'These new products
were welcomed and by 1995 in the U.S.powder detergents had 55% of the market ofwhich 90%were
compacts. Powders have been losing market share against liquids and are projected to be only 10% of
the total detergent market by 2010.
Selling Soap
Sixty years ago a bar of soap sold to the trade for ~4.56.Raw materials cost was 24, labor cost was 0.254,
selling cost was 1.256, and overhead and profit were 16. Compare today’s costs and profits with those
six decade old figures. Soaps and detergents were always highly competitive products to sell, and today
they still are. In the past, many sales methods and tools were used, some of which are still used in our
electronic/internet age.
In addition to extensive magazine advertising, soaps were promoted beginning in the 1880s with
a variety of selling tools. Billboards, enamel plaques, thermometers, store displays, trading cards (hand
bills), booklets, streetcar (trolley) cards, school posters, coins, a large variety of premiums, and colorful
advertising posters redeemable for soap wrappers were used extensively.
In 1897, the Peet Brothers used a new method to introduce the white laundry bar. Not having
money to advertise it, they added one white bar of to each wooden shipping soap box containing 100
yellow laundry soap bars. As customers did not object, they put two in each box and as demands for the
white bar grew, they increased the quantity in each crate and started to market it under the soap under
the name of Crystal White-“’The perfect Family Soap”-which was made from vegetable oils.
Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store, opened September 11, 1916, in downtown
Memphis, TN. The founder, Clarence Saunders, had the idea to have one clerk offer quick service at
low prices. By 1922, there were 1241 Piggly Wiggly stores in the country. A full-scale replica of the first
store, with many of the soaps sold in the 1920s, is in the Pink Palace Museum of Arts and Industry
in Memphis. Most soaps in the United States are sold in multipacks, up to 20 bars per pack. In some
promotions two or more bars of the entire pack are offered free.
Magazine Advertising
Advertising records and illustrates the lifestyles, social customs, interests, dress styles, and even the
problems of any given period in history. The sole purpose of an advertisement is to persuade the
consumer to buy the product. But to persuade anyone to buy anything takes persuasive effort, a fact
examined humorously in “Hints to Intending Advertisers”, by Thomas Smith, London, 1885.
An Eminent Divine says: “IheAdvancement of the World and the Spread of Civilization
and Christianitydepend on interchange of thought amongpeople, and their willingneu to
,!earn, and that the man or woman who opposes the introduction of new improvements, the
trial of new ways and the use of new things, should be condcmned as not beinggood and
usefil members of societ)! Every word in this advertisement is the truth. Don’t Be A Clam.
Clams are not a proper modelfor human beings to copy ajierfor they open their shellr to
take in their accustomedfood, but they shut up very tight when anything new comes along
fir they are clams. Although it seems strange to use the same soap that is recommendedfir
kitchen use, for toilet, shaving, etc. still, sensible peoplc know that the world moves, and
will be glad to try 7he Frank Siddallr Soap.”
Another example is from an old, small soap company in California which had to be different to be
competitive. They advertised Strykers soap as, “An Honest Confession from G. Stryker Suddsfaster, the
Old Soapmaster: Strykers does not contain phoolium, hooeyum, hotairium, baloney um or any other
mysterious ingredients you can’t understand. It’s just good soap.”
was an instant success and became one of the longest running and popular comedy radio programs of
all time. Amos >’Andy was brought to television in 1951 by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the
two men who created and started the radio show. The television series with an all-black cast lasted only
two years on CBS because civil right groups complained about the show’s racial stereotyping.
In 1933 NBC’s Red Network presented the first episode of Procter & Gamble‘s Oxydol’s Own Ma Perkins.
Procter & Gamble began to dominate the radio and television serials, and because many of the
serials were sponsored by soap products, somebody unknown coined the slang name “soap opera”. In
1938, Procter & Gamble had 21 radio shows, using five hours per day of radio time, and spending $6
million, the largest amount for radio advertisement.
In 1934, Procter & Gamble’s American Family Soap and American Family Flakes sponsored an
NBC Red Network Chicago-based serial called B e Son@ ofthe City. During the commercial the
announcer said, “It‘s cheaper to buy a new soap than to buy new clothes.” This statement meant a lot to
people trying to recover from the Great Depression. Each American Family wrapper had a coupon that
could be redeemed at American Family outlet stores for various items. The American Family coupons
became very popular and are still remembered by many people today. They were last redeemed in June
1971.
Lever Brothers spent $5 million in 1939 on radio for two daytime and four evening programs. This
included the $1.4 million Lux Radio Beater Shows, with movie stars who were paid up to $5,000 for
each appearance.
Radio serials were sponsored by Ivory Soap, such as, B e Road to Lifc. In 1937, B e Guiding Light
was sponsored by Duz, a granulated soap, which used the selling slogan: “Duz does everything.”
Premiums
All of the important companies published very attractive, colorful premium catalogs for their main
products starting in the early 1900s. Some catalogs included practical information on how to use the
products. The premiums were toys, school supplies, sporting goods, cutlery, kitchen utensils, china,
glassware, towels, linens, purses, toilet articles, leather goods, jewelry, silverware, watches, clocks, books,
furniture, and many more items. The number of coupons to be sent for the premiums varied from 10
to 2000, depending on the value of the item.
Product Booklets
Beautiful, colored, freely distributed product booklets were widely used as promotional tools. Poems or
fairy tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood” or “Mother Goose”, and topics such as American History,
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were the subject matter. “A Handbook for Mothers, How to Bring Up a Baby”, a 40-page booklet,
published by Proctor & Gamble in 1906 and written by Elizabeth Robinson Scovil, a nurse and author
of several mother and child books, was given to expectant mothers. This nicely written, illustrated,
and printed guide naturally included tips on how to use Ivory Soap Flakes and bars. It was reprinted
until the mid-1920s. The foreword reads, “The little book is sent to you with the compliments of the
manufacturers of Ivory Soap.” Likely, their doctors gave the books to new mothers. A similar Procter
booklet called “Bride” was distributed to brides.
Soap Sculpting
In 1924, Proctor & Gamble sponsored the first National Ivory Soap Sculpture Competition held at the
Art Center in New York. There were 300 entries and cash prizes were awarded. The competition became
an annual event for many years. The National Soap Sculpture Committee, with headquarters at 160
Fifth Avenue in New York City, was responsible for organizing an annual nationwide competition for
small sculptures made of Ivory Soap. Monetary prizes were awarded in three categories: Advanced, for
over 18 years old (only nonprofessionals were eligible to participate); Senior, from 14 to 18 years old;
and Junior, for under 14 years of age. The winning entries were sent around the country to be shown in
schools, libraries, art centers, and even museums. Soap sculpting became a fun educational event and an
everyman’s art activity. Due to rationing of soap during World War 11, the annual event stopped from
1942 to 1947. It was restarted in 1949 and finally ended in 1961.
Doug Storer died in 1986 at the age of 86. He created, operated, and sold the largest stamp promotion
business in U.S.history. In 1933, he learned that Proctor & Gamble had $10,000 left over from an
unspent advertising budget of the year before. He was given a free hand to use it. One day a stamp
collector, Captain Tim Healy, an Irish World War I hero, came into Storer’s office. Healy was a great
storyteller. Storer was impressed and thought that kids would like the stories. He booked Healy on small
radio stations in Hartford, CT and Worcester, MA. Healy went on the airwaves for 15 minutes mice a
week. His radio show opened with, “Hello boys and girls, mothers and fathers, grandpas and grandmas,
we are going to hear some fascinating stories today about stamps.” He seized the interest of children and
asked them to send for his stamp album-1OQ and two Ivory Soap wrappers. “Keep clean with Ivory
Soap, collect stamps, and learn about history, geography and people,” gained the support of parents and
teachers and helped to sell more Ivory Soap. The kids asked friends and neighbors to buy Ivory Soap so
they could get extra wrappers and, with them, buy more stamps.
Coupons
The first grocery coupon worth one cent was used for Grape Nuts Cereal by the C.W. Post Company
in 1895. Since the 1930s, due to the Depression, households, to save money, started using coupons.
“Couponing grew and become a favorite pastime and hobby. By the 1960s, half of the American
households used coupons. By the 1990s, besides the packaged food industries, others began using
coupons. The Sunday edition of most newspapers have many inserts which include a large number of
coupons for various products. In 2002, over 3.6 million coupons were redeemed with an estimated
saving value of $3 billion.
Kirk‘s American Family laundry bar wrapper premium coupons started after the Chicago fire in
1871. The American Family Soap coupons, the most popular and still remembered by many, were last
redeemed in June of 1971, 100 years aker they were first offered. Kirk was also the first to use colorful
trading cards as advertising and public relations tools. Baseball cards appeared later.
The History of Soaps and Detergents 0 77
During the last decade, more new soap and detergent products and line extensions have been introduced
worldwide than ever before. As customers have more choices, they demand better and also more
economical products. Many challenges and opportunities lie ahead for everybody in the very active and
very competitive soaps and detergents industry.
Albert Einstein did not agree that we need many types of products, for him one type of soap was
enough. When asked why he used only one soap for bathing and shaving, he replied, “Two soaps? That
is too complicated.”
?his journey down the soap and detergent memory lane ends with a beautihl picture entitled
Soap BubbleJ painted in 1733 by the French painter Jean-SimCon Chardin and with the lyrics of “I’m
Forever Blowing Bubbles”, a song composed and written in 1919 by Jaan Kenbrovin and John William
Kellette.
Acknowledgments
Mr. Ed Rider, chief archivist of the Procter & Gamble Company helped me with hard-to-find historical
and current information on soap and detergent-related subjects. I extend a very special note ofgratitude
for his assistance that extends over three decades.
I appreciate the information provided by ‘The Colgate Palmolive Company, ?he Dial
Corporation, Henkel GrnbH, ‘The Andrew Jergens Company, KAO Corporation, Unilever USA, Lever
UK, and Lever Faberge UK.