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| Product type | Adhesive bandage/dressing |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kenvue |
| Country | U.S. |
| Introduced | June 1920 (invention) |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Tagline | |
| Website | www |
Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. [3] Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.
The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey, [4] for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. [5] The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.
The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of sterilized Band-Aids in 1939. [6]
In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide. [7]
In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman, Spider-Man, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and Batman.
In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, Lysol, by more than two points. [8]
Over time, Band-Aid has become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America. [9] Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office [10] and has tried to prevent its genericization in its marketing. [11]
