Pepsodent

Last updated
Pepsodent
Pepsodent logo 2018.svg
Product type Toothpaste
Owner
CountryUnited States
Introduced1915;109 years ago (1915)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersPepsodent Company
Website www.pepsodent.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste with the minty flavor that is derived from sassafras. The brand was purchased by Unilever in 1942 and is still owned by the company outside of the United States and Canada. In 2003, Unilever sold the rights to the brand in the North American market to Church & Dwight. [1]

Contents

History

A tube of Pepsodent toothpaste Pepsodent-0179c.jpg
A tube of Pepsodent toothpaste

Pepsodent toothpaste was introduced in the United States in 1915 by the Pepsodent Company of Chicago. [2] The original formula for the paste contained pepsin, a digestive agent designed to break down and digest food deposits on the teeth, hence the brand and company name.

From 1930 to late 1933 a massive animated neon advertising sign, featuring a young girl on a swing, hung on West 47th Street in Times Square in New York City. [3] This ad was re-created for the climax of the 2005 film King Kong and was featured in the original film in an establishing shot of Times Square itself. [4]

Following the acquisition of the Pepsodent Company by Unilever in 1944, sales of Pepsodent in the UK increased rapidly, more than doubling between 1944 and 1950. The company outgrew its original factory in Park Royal, and the manufacture of the product was moved to the factory of another Unilever-owned toiletry manufacturer, Joseph Watson and Sons of Whitehall Road, Leeds, in 1951.

Pepsodent was a very popular brand before the mid-1950s, but its makers were slow to add fluoride to its formula to counter the rise of other highly promoted brands such as Crest and Gleem toothpaste by Procter & Gamble, and Colgate's eponymous product; sales of Pepsodent subsequently plummeted. Today Pepsodent is a "value brand" marketed primarily in discount stores and retails for roughly half the price of similarly sized tubes of Crest or of Colgate. Its best-known slogan was, "You'll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!"

The product was discontinued in South Africa in 1974 but was revived in 1976 with a new ad slogan "Gets Your Teeth Their Whitest" featuring celebrity endorsers Rita Moreno, Steve Lawrence, and others. The popular slogan was also changed in South Africa to "You'll wonder where the dullness went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent."

Pepsodent is still sold as a Unilever property in all markets except the United States and Canada. In Vietnam, Pepsodent is called P/S. In 2013, Pepsodent was ranked 201st among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report 2013 India study, a research conducted by Trust Research Advisory. According to the Brand trust Report 2014, Pepsodent moved up to 71st position among India's most trusted brands. Pepsodent's parent company Hindustan Unilever was ranked 47th in the Trust Report 2014. [5]

Advertising

A US Pepsodent TV advertisement from the '40s or '50s

Pepsodent was advertised for its purported properties for fighting tooth decay, attributed in advertisements to the supposed ingredient Irium. In a 1994 speech, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Reed Hundt, claimed that the "Irium" mentioned in Pepsodent advertisements "didn't exist". [6] "Irium" was being used as another name for sodium lauryl sulfate, an ionic surfactant. [7]

Claude C. Hopkins realized teeth had a yellow film on them and he focused his advertisements for Pepsodent on removing that film. [8] Another ingredient, "IMP", which stood for "Insoluble Meta-Phosphate", [9] was claimed to whiten teeth.

Sponsorship from Pepsodent featuring characters from Calvin and the Colonel (1961).

Radio program

Pepsodent was pone of the first consumer products companies to sponsor a radio programs. During the thirties and forties, the company sponsored Amos N Andy, and The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope that began airing in 1938 and ran for approximately 10 years on NBC. The show featured Bob Hope and his cast of regular characters such as Jerry Colonna, Barbara Jo Allen as Vera Vague, singers including Frances Langford and Doris Day, and bandleader Skinnay Ennis.

Famous Hollywood guest stars such as Cary Grant, Orson Welles, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour, Rita Hayworth, Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Basil Rathbone, Gary Cooper, Veronica Lake, Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Hedda Hopper, and many more would be on hand to trade comedic barbs with Hope. The show was the first radio program to broadcast live from the Hollywood Canteen on October 13, 1942, and soon the show was playing live to U.S. troops during World War II, even including some of the soldiers in the show.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sometimes written sodium laurilsulfate, is an organic compound with the formula CH3(CH2)11OSO3Na and structure H3C−(CH2)11−O−S(=O)2−O−Na+. It is an anionic surfactant used in many cleaning and hygiene products. This compound is the sodium salt of the 12-carbon organosulfate. Its hydrocarbon tail combined with a polar "headgroup" give the compound amphiphilic properties that make it useful as a detergent. SDS is also component of mixtures produced from inexpensive coconut and palm oils. SDS is a common component of many domestic cleaning, personal hygiene and cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food products, as well as of industrial and commercial cleaning and product formulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothpaste</span> Substance to clean and maintain teeth

Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing halitosis, and delivers active ingredients to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis). Owing to differences in composition and fluoride content, not all toothpastes are equally effective in maintaining oral health. The decline of tooth decay during the 20th century has been attributed to the introduction and regular use of fluoride-containing toothpastes worldwide. Large amounts of swallowed toothpaste can be poisonous. Common colors for toothpaste include white and blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindustan Unilever</span> Indian consumer goods company

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is a British-owned Indian final good company headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the British company Unilever. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, water purifiers and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arm & Hammer</span> Brand of baking soda products

Arm & Hammer is a brand of baking soda-based consumer products marketed by Church & Dwight, a major American manufacturer of household products. The logo of the brand depicts the ancient symbol of a muscular arm holding a hammer inside a red circle with the brand name and slogan. Originally associated solely with baking soda and washing soda, the company began to expand the brand to other products in the 1970s by using baking soda as a deodorizing ingredient. The new products included toothpaste, laundry detergent, underarm deodorant, and cat litter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church & Dwight</span> American consumer goods company

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. is an American consumer goods company focusing on personal care, household products, and specialty products. The company was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey. It is the parent company of well-known brands such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, OxiClean, and First Response. In 2022, Church & Dwight reported annual revenue of $5.4 billion. The company's products and services include a wide range of consumer goods, including laundry detergent, air fresheners, baking soda, condoms, pregnancy tests, and oral hygiene products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mentadent</span> Toothpaste brand of Unilever

Mentadent is a brand name for a line of dental products manufactured by Unilever for its home and international markets excluding the United States and Canada where the company sold its rights to the brand to Church & Dwight Company in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlie</span> Brand of toothpaste

Darlie is an oral care brand owned and manufactured by the Hawley & Hazel Company with focus on Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with manufacturing facilities in Zhongshan. The name, logo, and brand-mascot of the company had been the subject of controversy regarding racial stereotyping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetaphil</span> Skin care product line

Cetaphil or is a line of skin care products from the Swiss company Galderma, including cleansers, bar soap, cream, lotion, and moisturizers. It was developed in 1947, in Texas, by an American pharmacist. Cetaphil products are available worldwide in more than 70 countries, commonly sold at grocery stores and pharmacies throughout the United States, Canada, India and Nepal. They are also available in pharmacies in Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, some European, Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Gleem is an American brand of oral hygiene products, including toothpastes and electric toothbrushes, owned by the Procter & Gamble. It was introduced as a toothpaste in the United States in 1952 and discontinued in 2014. Procter & Gamble later revived Gleem toothpaste as a flavor variant of Crest toothpaste. In 2019, Procter & Gamble expanded the brand to include a line of electric toothbrushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolynos</span>

Kolynos is a line of oral care products created by Newell Sill Jenkins in 1908 and acquired by Colgate-Palmolive in 1995. The name is a combination of two Greek words, meaning "beautifier" and "disease preventer".

Sani-Flush was an American brand of crystal toilet bowl cleaner formerly produced by Reckitt Benckiser. Its main ingredient was sodium bisulfate; it also contained sodium carbonate as well as sodium lauryl sulfate, talc, sodium chloride, fragrance and dye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensodyne</span> Dental hygiene product for sensitive teeth

Sensodyne is a brand name of toothpaste and mouthwash targeted at people with sensitive teeth. Sensodyne is owned by Haleon and is marketed under the name Shumitect in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgate (toothpaste)</span> Dental hygiene product

Colgate is an American brand principally used for oral hygiene products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss. Manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive, Colgate's oral hygiene products were first sold by the company in 1873, sixteen years after the death of the founder, William Colgate. The company originally sold soap.

Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (INCI), also known as sarcosyl, is an anionic surfactant derived from sarcosine used as a foaming and cleansing agent in shampoo, shaving foam, toothpaste, and foam wash products.

Sarakan is the brand name for a range of oral health products owned by G.R Lane Health Products Ltd.

Zendium is a brand of toothpaste marketed by Unilever in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close-Up (toothpaste)</span> American brand of toothpaste

Close-Up is an American brand of toothpaste launched in 1967 by Unilever as the first gel toothpaste. The brand is marketed worldwide by Unilever and licensed since 2003 to Church & Dwight for the North American market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rembrandt toothpaste</span> American brand of toothpaste

Rembrandt toothpaste is an American brand of toothpaste.

The Pepsodent Show is an American radio comedy program broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio. The program starred comedian Bob Hope and his sidekick Jerry Colonna along with Blanche Stewart and Elvia Allman as high-society crazies Brenda and Cobina as well as a continuously rotating supporting cast and musicians which included, for a time, Judy Garland, Frances Langford and Desi Arnaz and his orchestra.

References

  1. ↑ "Church & Dwight Agrees to Purchase Unilever's Oral Care Brands in the U.S. and Canada; Transaction Will Strengthen Company's 'Strategically Important Oral Care Business'" (Press release). Princeton, New Jersey: Church & Dwight. Business Wire. 10 September 2003. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Marketing strategy of Pepsodent marketing91.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021
  3. ↑ "Pepsodent sign in Times Square at night". Getty Images. 1928. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  4. ↑ Movieclips (2011-06-16). "King Kong (6/10) Movie CLIP - Kong's Rampage (2005) HD". YouTube . Retrieved 2021-05-31. Visible starting at 2:01
  5. ↑ "India's Most Trusted Brands 2014". The Brand Trust Report. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02.
  6. ↑ Hundt, Reed E. (October 13, 1994). "Address Before the NAB Radio Show" . Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  7. ↑ Budavari, Susan; O'Neil, Maryadele J.; Smith, Ann; Heckelman, Patricia E.; Kinneary, Joanne F. (1996). "sodium lauryl sulfate". The Merck Index (12th ed.). Whitehouse Station, New Jersey: Merk & Co., Inc. p. 1478.
  8. ↑ Hopkins, Claude C. (1927). My life in advertising. New York. hdl:2027/uc1.$b37907.
  9. ↑ "Pepsodent Advertisement". Life . Time Inc. 22 August 1955. p. 1. ISSN   0024-3019 . Retrieved 18 March 2013.
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