Mentholatum
Encyclopedia
The Mentholatum Company, Inc., founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde, is a maker of non-prescription health care products. It was bought out by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
, a Japan
ese health care company, in 1988. The Mentholatum Company is widely associated with its top three products, the Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, and Mentholatum Lip Care.
The beginning of The Mentholatum Company started when Albert Alexander Hyde left the real estate
market in 1889. With the collapse of the market, Hyde established a new partnership called The Yucca Company, located in Wichita, Kansas
, which focused on manufacturing and marketing shaving creams, laundry soap, and toilet soap. The Yucca Company was the beginning of The Mentholatum Company.
When The Yucca Company started manufacturing a cough syrup containing a blend of camphor
and menthol
, named Vest Pocket Cough Specific, Hyde became intrigued by the soothing and antiinflammatory effects of menthol
. After years of research and experimentation, the company introduced the original "Mentholatum Ointment" in December 1894, which consisted of a combination of menthol
and petrolatum. Sales went wild. In 1903, Hyde opened a second office in Buffalo, New York, to handle sales and distribution east of the Mississippi River
. In 1906, The Yucca Co. officially incorporated the name "The Mentholatum Company" after its flagship product and no longer sold soap. In 1909 a new factory was built in Wichita, Kansas
and in 1919 a second factory was built in Buffalo. The Wichita factory was closed after the death of A. A. Hyde in 1935 and the corporate offices were moved to Wilmington, Delaware
in 1937 and later to Buffalo in 1945.
. When Vories acquired the rights to sell Mentholatum products in 1920, he began importing and selling the product in Japan under the name, "Menturm," which in turn, was marketed through a company called The Omi Sales Company. Business continued to thrive in Japan even after Vories died in 1964.
In 1974, the giant Japanese pharmaceutical company based in Osaka
known as Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
set its eyes on The Mentholatum Company. In August 1975, it acquired the trademark rights to Mentholatum and began to sell the Mentholatum Ointment and Mentholatum Medicated Lip Stick, which proved to be a financial success as the company's revenue skyrocketed to ¥
2.64 billion by April 1981.
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
continued to acquire the management rights to The Mentholatum Company Inc in June 1988, thus completing the merge.
, Guangdong Province, China
, as a joint venture company as well as the headquarters for Chinese expansion. In May 1996, Mentholatum's eye drops began local production and sales in China. P.T. Rhoto Laboratories, Indonesia
and a new Tokyo Branch Office was also established in September and December 1996, respectively.
In 1998, Mentholatum moved to its current headquarters on Sterling Drive in Orchard Park, New York. In mid-1999, the company released a new eye product called Zi, which is designed to cool and refresh the eyes with natural camphor
and pH-balanced purified water solution. Later that year, Zi for Eyes was named "Best New Eyecare Product" in the 1999 Superdrug Health & Beauty Awards. The company continued to manufacture new products, such as Migraine Ice (chill pads for migraine sufferes), Softlips Lip Protectant, Deep Heating Rub, Natural Ice Medicated Lip Balm, Pain Patch, Fisherman's Friend cough drops, Fletcher's Castoria, Red Cross Toothache Remedy, Red Cross Canker Sore Medication, and of course, its original Mentholatum Ointment. By the end of 1999, Mentholatum alone had roughly more than $150 million worth of annual sales.
Skin Care branding (but not all the product formulas) from GlaxoSmithKline
(NYSE: GSK) in December 2005, and targeted the younger, contemporary teen audience with new diversified offerings, packaging, and scents. The company further acquired the Phisoderm brand from Chattem Inc. (NASDAQ:CHHT) for $9.6 Million on November 30, 2005.
Cough & cold
Eye care
Laxatives
Lip care
Oral care
Pain management
Skin care
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tatsumi-nishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan. founded "", the predecessor of Rohto, in Shimizucho, Higashi-ku , Osaka on February 22, 1899.Yamada sold "Rohto Eyedrops" in 1909...
, a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese health care company, in 1988. The Mentholatum Company is widely associated with its top three products, the Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, and Mentholatum Lip Care.
Beginning (1889-1935)
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
market in 1889. With the collapse of the market, Hyde established a new partnership called The Yucca Company, located in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, which focused on manufacturing and marketing shaving creams, laundry soap, and toilet soap. The Yucca Company was the beginning of The Mentholatum Company.
When The Yucca Company started manufacturing a cough syrup containing a blend of camphor
Camphor
Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
and menthol
Menthol
Menthol is an organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. It is a waxy, crystalline substance, clear or white in color, which is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is -menthol, which is assigned...
, named Vest Pocket Cough Specific, Hyde became intrigued by the soothing and antiinflammatory effects of menthol
Menthol
Menthol is an organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. It is a waxy, crystalline substance, clear or white in color, which is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is -menthol, which is assigned...
. After years of research and experimentation, the company introduced the original "Mentholatum Ointment" in December 1894, which consisted of a combination of menthol
Menthol
Menthol is an organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. It is a waxy, crystalline substance, clear or white in color, which is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is -menthol, which is assigned...
and petrolatum. Sales went wild. In 1903, Hyde opened a second office in Buffalo, New York, to handle sales and distribution east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In 1906, The Yucca Co. officially incorporated the name "The Mentholatum Company" after its flagship product and no longer sold soap. In 1909 a new factory was built in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and in 1919 a second factory was built in Buffalo. The Wichita factory was closed after the death of A. A. Hyde in 1935 and the corporate offices were moved to Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
in 1937 and later to Buffalo in 1945.
Japanese expansion and acquisition (1913-1988)
The products of the company spread to Japan through the missionary work of the American, William Merrell VoriesWilliam Merrell Vories
William Merrell Vories or Hitotsuyanagi Mereru was an educator, architect, missionary and entrepreneur born in the United States who worked mainly in Shiga prefecture in Japan.-Biography:...
. When Vories acquired the rights to sell Mentholatum products in 1920, he began importing and selling the product in Japan under the name, "Menturm," which in turn, was marketed through a company called The Omi Sales Company. Business continued to thrive in Japan even after Vories died in 1964.
In 1974, the giant Japanese pharmaceutical company based in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
known as Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tatsumi-nishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan. founded "", the predecessor of Rohto, in Shimizucho, Higashi-ku , Osaka on February 22, 1899.Yamada sold "Rohto Eyedrops" in 1909...
set its eyes on The Mentholatum Company. In August 1975, it acquired the trademark rights to Mentholatum and began to sell the Mentholatum Ointment and Mentholatum Medicated Lip Stick, which proved to be a financial success as the company's revenue skyrocketed to ¥
¥
¥ is a currency sign used by the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan currencies. The symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke. The base unit of both currencies shared the same Chinese character pronounced yuán in Mandarin Chinese and en in Standard Japanese...
2.64 billion by April 1981.
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tatsumi-nishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan. founded "", the predecessor of Rohto, in Shimizucho, Higashi-ku , Osaka on February 22, 1899.Yamada sold "Rohto Eyedrops" in 1909...
continued to acquire the management rights to The Mentholatum Company Inc in June 1988, thus completing the merge.
International expansion (1988-present)
In October 1991, The Mentholatum Zhongshan Pharmaceuticals was founded in ZhongshanZhongshan
Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
, Guangdong Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, as a joint venture company as well as the headquarters for Chinese expansion. In May 1996, Mentholatum's eye drops began local production and sales in China. P.T. Rhoto Laboratories, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and a new Tokyo Branch Office was also established in September and December 1996, respectively.
In 1998, Mentholatum moved to its current headquarters on Sterling Drive in Orchard Park, New York. In mid-1999, the company released a new eye product called Zi, which is designed to cool and refresh the eyes with natural camphor
Camphor
Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
and pH-balanced purified water solution. Later that year, Zi for Eyes was named "Best New Eyecare Product" in the 1999 Superdrug Health & Beauty Awards. The company continued to manufacture new products, such as Migraine Ice (chill pads for migraine sufferes), Softlips Lip Protectant, Deep Heating Rub, Natural Ice Medicated Lip Balm, Pain Patch, Fisherman's Friend cough drops, Fletcher's Castoria, Red Cross Toothache Remedy, Red Cross Canker Sore Medication, and of course, its original Mentholatum Ointment. By the end of 1999, Mentholatum alone had roughly more than $150 million worth of annual sales.
Mentholatum today
Today, the company spans internationally across the globe and sells its products in more than 130 countries. Mentholatum acquired the OXYOxy
Oxy may refer to:Chemistry* Oxy or oxo is a term used to describe a ketone functional group* Oxy is a slang name for oxygen acetylene welding* Oxy is the name of a character from the Molecularium...
Skin Care branding (but not all the product formulas) from GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
(NYSE: GSK) in December 2005, and targeted the younger, contemporary teen audience with new diversified offerings, packaging, and scents. The company further acquired the Phisoderm brand from Chattem Inc. (NASDAQ:CHHT) for $9.6 Million on November 30, 2005.
Brand families
The Mentholatum Company's products are grouped by families in the United States.Cough & cold
- Mentholatum Cherry Chest Rub for Kids
- Mentholatum Ointment
Eye care
- Rohto Eye Drops
- Rohto V for Eyes
- Rohto Z for Eyes
Laxatives
- Fletcher's Laxatives
Lip care
- Natural Ice Medicated Lipbalm
- Softlips Lip Protectant
Oral care
- Red Cross Canker Sore Medication
- Red Cross Toothache Medication
- Snug
Pain management
- Mentholatum Deep Heating
- WellPatch
- WellPatch Heat Warming Pads
- WellPatch Migraine Cooling Pads
- WellPatch Pain Relieving Pads
Skin care
- Oxy Natural skin science
- Oxy Acne Wash
- Oxy Daily Cleansing Pads
- pHisoderm
United States
International
- Mentholatum (Asia Pacific) Ltd. (Hong Kong)
- Mentholatum Australasia Pty. Ltd.(Australia)
- Mentholatum de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
- Mentholatum South Africa (Pty.) Ltd.
- Mentholatum Taiwan Ltd. (Taiwan)
- PT Rohto Laboratories Indonesia
- Rohto-Mentholatum (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.
- The Mentholatum (China) Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
- The Mentholatum Company Ltd. (UK)
- The Mentholatum Company of Canada, Limited
- Rohto-Mentholatum (Bangladesh) Limited
- Rohto-Mentholatum (Malaysia) SDN BHD.
- Rohto-Mentholatum Thailand Ltd.
- Rohto Pharma (India) Private Limited
- Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Japan - Parent Company)
List of primary competitors
- Abbott Labs
- GlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
- Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
- NeutrogenaNeutrogenaNeutrogena is an American brand of premium-priced skin care, hair care and cosmetics, that is headquartered at Los Angeles, California. According to product advertising at their website, Neutrogena products are distributed in more than 70 countries....
- PfizerPfizerPfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
- Procter & GambleProcter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
- Schering-PloughSchering-PloughSchering-Plough Corporation was a United States-based pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AG in Germany. In 1971, the Schering Corporation merged with Plough to form Schering-Plough. On November 4, 2009 Merck & Co...
- WyethWyethWyeth, formerly one of the companies owned by American Home Products Corporation , was a pharmaceutical company. The company was based in Madison, New Jersey, USA...
Further reading
A book was just published called, "Amazing Mentholatum: and the Commerce of Curing the Common Cold, 1889-1955". The author is Alex Taylor, the great grandson of Albert Alexander Hyde, inventor of Mentholatum and founder of The Mentholatum Company. The book also, "tracks the evolution of modern advertising as practiced by the Mentholatum Company from 1889-1955".External links
- Mentholatum - The Official Global Corporate Website
- Mentholatum - The Official US Corporate Website
- Mentholatum - The Official Canadian Corporate Website
- OXY - The Official US Website
- OXY - The Official Canadian Website
- OXY - The Official Australian Website
- OXY - The Official UK Website
- Soft Lips - The Official US Website
- Soft Lips - The Official Canadian Website
- Soft Lips - The Official Australian Website
- Soft Lips - The Official UK Website
- Rohto Eye Drops - The Official US Website
- Forgotten Buffalo - Information about Hyde Family and Mentholatum in Buffalo, New York