 | |
| Product type | Soap |
|---|---|
| Owner | Unilever [1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1895 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | Lever Brothers |
Lifebuoy is a British brand of soap marketed by Unilever. Lifebuoy was originally, and for much of its history, a carbolic soap containing phenol (carbolic acid, a compound extracted from coal tar). The soaps manufactured today under the Lifebuoy brand do not contain phenol. Currently, there are many varieties of Lifebuoy.
Lifebuoy was introduced by Lever Brothers in 1895 in the United Kingdom. Originally a carbolic soap containing phenol, different varieties were later introduced without the medicinal carbolic smell, such as the coral-coloured Lifebuoy during the late 1950s and Lifebuoy Minty Refresher in 1966. [2] Lifebuoy was one of the most popular soaps in the United States from approximately 1923 to the mid-'50s, [3] when perfumed soaps took over the market. It was North America's best-selling medicated/health soap until roughly 1951. It was well known for its red and yellow packaging, red color, octagonal shape, and carbolic aroma. Due to declining sales sometime in 1951 or 1952, Lever Bros. experimented with adding perfumes to the soap and made the changes permanent in 1954. Earlier experiments in 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1940 also added an artificial scent to the soap but generally lasted only one batch. Sales, however, continued to decline until 2006, when Lifebuoy was officially completely pulled from the American market. Lifebuoy's popularity reached its peak between 1932 and 1948. After World War II, when more materials were available, and rationing was over, other soaps began to take hold of the market. Its popularity waned steadily through the 1950s. It saw a popularity surge in the mid/late 1960s, which would last through 1973. This was partly caused by the introduction and success of Lifebuoy White in the American market. After this decline, the Lifebuoy brand was seen less and less in the American market. It was pulled from American shelves starting in 2003 and was completely phased out of the American market by 2006. Sometime in 2008 or 2009, Unilever released Lifebuoy Classic, a modern soap with retro packaging and a medicated scent intended to be similar to that of the 1950s product, as a tie-in novelty product sold through the official A Christmas Story website.[ citation needed ]
Although Lifebuoy is no longer produced in the US and UK, it is still being mass-produced by Unilever in Cyprus for the UK, EU (on hold and under investigation), and Brazilian markets, in Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean market, and in India for the Asian market. Unilever in Cyprus and Trinidad and Tobago manufactures Red Lifebuoy Soap with a carbolic fragrance, but as of 1976, it no longer contains phenol.[ citation needed ] The Lifebuoy soap manufactured in India and Indonesia for other markets, including South and South East Asia, has been updated to use red and other colours with 'modern' aromas. [4]
When the Philadelphia Phillies played at the Baker Bowl during the 1930s, an outfield wall advertisement for Lifebuoy stated, "The Phillies use Lifebuoy". One night in 1935, a vandal added, "And they still stink". [5] Detractors of other losing teams employed variations of the joke.
The term "B.O.", short for "body odour", is often thought to have been invented by Lifebuoy for an advertising campaign. It was coined by a company that made deodorant for women called Odo-Ro-No in 1919, but Lifebuoy popularized it. The Lifebuoy radio ad, parodied by several Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes cartoons and MGM Cartoons, used a foghorn followed by a "B.O." sound created using a Sonovox. [6] [7] [8]
During a 1969 Episode of The Tonight Show , while being bathed by two Japanese women, Johnny Carson joked, "This beats Lifebuoy and a rubber duck, doesn't it?"
In the 2016 novel Moonglow by Michael Chabon, Lifebuoy is used to signify wholesomeness and youth: "He had deposited with his brother for safekeeping a girl who smelled of Lifebuoy and library paste and retrieved a young woman who smelled of cigarettes and Ban."
It is the bar soap used in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story by the main character Ralphie and his family. After his mother uses it to wash his mouth out for swearing, Ralphie wishfully imagines a future in which he has been blinded by "soap poisoning" and reduced to begging on the street; when his family sees him, they collapse into melodramatic soap opera-like tears and his father cries out, "I told you not to use Lifebuoy!" In the film, narrator Jean Shepherd noted his disgust toward its taste, comparing it to other brands his mother had used for similar punishments.
Lifebuoy was the sponsor for the car of Dave Marcis in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1987 to 1989. [9] Between 1991 and 1994, Lifebuoy served as sponsor for the National Football Championship of Pakistan bringing televised club games to Pakistan for the first time, with amounts of 35 million PKR spent in the organisations of the seasons. [10] [11] [12] [13] In 1995, Lifebuoy served as the title sponsor for the Senior Division Football League in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [14] Lifebuoy has been the shirt sponsor of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team since 2018. [15] Lifebuoy sponsored McLaren from 2020 onwards. Lifebuoy is the main hygiene supplier for McLaren Racing. [16]
Phenol is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group bonded to a hydroxy group. Mildly acidic, it requires careful handling because it can cause chemical burns.
Unilever PLC is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. It is headquartered in London, England.
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and successfully promoted a new soap-making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson. Lever Brothers entered the United States market in 1895 and acquired Mac Fisheries, owner of T. Wall & Sons, in 1925. Lever Brothers was one of several British companies that took an interest in the welfare of its British employees. Its brands included Lifebuoy, Lux and Vim. Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie to form Unilever in 1929.
Antibacterial soap is a soap which contains chemical ingredients that purportedly assist in killing bacteria. The majority of antibacterial soaps contain triclosan, though other chemical additives are also common. The effectiveness of products branded as being antibacterial has been disputed by some academics as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Old Spice is an American brand offering male grooming products including aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, shaving cream, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble.
ChapStick is a brand name of lip balm owned by Suave Brands Company and is used in many countries worldwide. It is intended to help treat and prevent chapped lips, hence the name. Many varieties also include sunscreen to avoid sunburn.
Brut is a brand name for a line of men's grooming and fragrance products marketed around the world by Unilever - except in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Latin America, where it is owned by Sodalis USA ; and in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, where it is owned by Pharmacare Laboratories.
Rexona is an Australian deodorant and antiperspirant brand owned by the British-Dutch company Unilever.
Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever.
The Pakistan Army Football Club serves as the football section of the Pakistan Army. The club was established in 1950 by Pakistan Army and is the third oldest existing club in Pakistan after Karachi Port Trust (1887) and Pakistan Navy (1948). The club used to compete in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
Imperial Leather is a British brand of soaps, toiletries and healthcare products manufactured by PZ Cussons. Its distinctive aroma is inspired by Russia leather.
Camay is a British brand of bar soap owned by Unilever. It was introduced in 1926 by Procter & Gamble and was marketed as a "white, pure soap for women," as many soaps of the time were colored to mask impurities. For many years, Camay's slogan has been "Camay: the soap for beautiful women." It was later replaced with "For your most beautiful complexion at every age."
Pears Glycerin soap is a British brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807 by Andrew Pears, at a factory just off Oxford Street in London. It was the world's first mass-market translucent soap. Under the stewardship of advertising pioneer Thomas J. Barratt, A. & F. Pears initiated several innovations in sales and marketing. English actress and socialite Lillie Langtry was recruited to become the poster-girl for Pears in 1882, and in doing so, she became the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product.
Yardley London Limited is a British Personal care products brand and one of the oldest firms in the world to specialise in cosmetics, fragrances and related Personal care products products. Established in 1770, the company became a major producer of soap and perfumery by the beginning of the 20th century.
Carbolic soap, sometimes referred to as red soap, is a mildly antiseptic soap containing carbolic acid (phenol) and/or cresylic acid (cresol), both of which are phenols derived from either coal tar or petroleum sources.
George H Dodd was a biochemist who specialised in the study and production of perfumes and pheromones. He died on 14th December 2020.
John Knight was an English businessman and founder of John Knight Soap Works in London, which later became The Royal Primrose Soap Works.
The National Football Championship alternatively spelled National Soccer Championship was the men's highest level football competition from 1948 to 2003. Founded by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in 1948, it was mainly held on knock-out basis. It was eventually replaced by the Pakistan Premier League from the 2004–05 season in order to professionalize the sport in Pakistan. Until 1971, it was run in parallel with the Dhaka League in East Pakistan.
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