COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 325611

Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

22companies1752–1998founding years22still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedCaswell-Massey Co. Ltd.
1752
FoundedColgate-Palmolive Company
1806
FoundedHenkel KGaA
1876
FoundedPZ Cussons plc
1879
FoundedFaultless Starch/Bon Ami Company
1887
FoundedThe Procter & Gamble CompanyFoundedThe Procter & Gamble Company
1890
FoundedLion Corporation
1891
FoundedPfizer Inc.
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedChurch & Dwight Co., Inc.
1925
FoundedUnilever
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedS.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
1932
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedThe Tranzonic Companies
1946
FoundedThe Dow Chemical Company
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMary Kay, Inc.
1963
FoundedTom's of Maine, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedBurt's Bees, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedOrange Glo International
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Caswell-Massey Co. Ltd. →
Active · founded 1752
Originally an apothecary shop, Caswell-Massey Co.
Colgate-Palmolive Company →
Active · founded 1806
Colgate-Palmolive Company's growth from a small candle and soap manufacturer to one of the most powerful consumer…
Henkel KGaA →
Active · founded 1876 · Germany
Based in Germany, Henkel KGaA is one of the world's largest chemical companies.
PZ Cussons plc →
Active · founded 1879 · United Kingdom
PZ Cussons plc is a leading manufacturer and distributor of a variety of products, especially soaps and other personal…
Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company →
Active · founded 1887
Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company is a manufacturer of consumer and commercial cleaners and laundry products.
Johnson & Johnson →
Active · founded 1887
One of America's most admired companies, Johnson & Johnson (J & J) is one of the largest healthcare firms in the world…
The Procter & Gamble Company →
Active · founded 1890
c.
The Procter & Gamble Company →
Active · founded 1890
c.
Lion Corporation →
Active · founded 1891 · Japan
Lion Corporation is Japan's biggest seller of toothpastes and a major producer of other toiletries and consumer items…
Pfizer Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
Pfizer Inc.
Ecolab Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Ecolab Inc.
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Church & Dwight Co., Inc., is a leading consumer products company that markets numerous brands of deodorizing and…
Unilever →
Active · founded 1929 · The Netherlands
If the adage 'two heads are better than one' applies to business, then certainly Unilever is a prime example.
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
S.C.
The Tranzonic Companies →
Active · founded 1946
The Tranzonic Companies manufactures personal care products, wiping and cleaning goods, safety products, and washroom…
The Dow Chemical Company →
Active · founded 1947
To say that The Dow Chemical Company is a very large chemical company is an understatement.
Alticor Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Alticor Inc.
Mary Kay, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
One of the largest cosmetics companies in the United States, Mary Kay, Inc.
Tom's of Maine, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Tom's of Maine, Inc.
Burt's Bees, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Burt's Bees, Inc., sells environmentally friendly skin care products in the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Orange Glo International →
Active · founded 1992
Orange Glo International manufactures and markets a variety of household cleaning products designed with natural,…
Rhodia SA →
Active · founded 1998 · France
One of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies, Rhodia SA--the former chemicals and fibers & polymers units…
Build It Today

Starting a soap and other detergent manufacturing company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.