IVORY SOAP
In the development stages, Ivory Soap was called White Soap. Harley Procter named the soap 'Ivory' from a biblical verse that he heard while listening to a sermon.
At about the same time that Colgate & Co. introduced a perfumed soap called Cashmere Bouquet, William Procter and James Gamble decided to begin business together in Cincinnati. These two men began their fortune by selling candles and soap from a wheelbarrow. It did not too long before Procter and Gamble was delivering large quantities to major cities such as Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. Ivory soap was introduced to the marketplace in 1879.
Did you every wonder why Ivory Soap floats? In the development stages, James N. Gamble called it "˜White Soap'. James Gamble and his associates finally perfected the formula for the "White Soap" in 1878. At first, the name of this soap was going to be called P&G White Soap, but Harley Procter decided to give the soap a name that people could remember. Procter attempted numerous times to find an appropriate name for the soap.
The concept of soap that floats was rumored to have been encountered by accident. The story goes that Harley Procter named the soap "˜Ivory' from a biblical verse (Psalm 45) church: "All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made me glad." In 1878, the formula for the "White Soap" was created. Several months later the accident occurred. Without thinking one of the workmen left to go to lunch and the machinery was still running. Since the machinery was left in operation, air would work its way into the mixture. The workman decided not to discard the mixture after discussing with his supervisor. Instead he poured mixture into frames and the soap hardened. Interestingly enough it was cut, packaged, and shipped.
Amazingly, Procter & Gamble began to receive letters from buyers of this "accidental" soap. They wanted more of the soap that floats! Even though this interesting formula was one of their best products, they were perplexed as to how this happened. The mysterious formula for the floating soap was resolved when the lunchtime accident was revealed.
The error the workman made became Procter & Gamble's new product. Why was this product so popular? Some people were known to bathe in the Ohio River and the floating soap would never get lost. Ivory Soap became a best seller due to a workman's error. Proctor & Gamble makes the floating soap by intentionally adding a small amount of air in the formula. Naturally, this allows the soap to be lighter than water.
Since Proctor wanted to produce pure soap, a chemical analysis of the soap had to be done. Up to this time, there was not a standard for purity of soap. Therefore, Harley decided to locate an independent scientific consultant or chemist in New York to develop a standard for the purity of soap. The chemist found that in order soap to be 100% pure, the constituents would have to be fatty acids and alkali.
It was found by a chemist that the 56/100 of the ingredients did not fall in the pure soap category. In 1882, an Ivory advertisement appeared that stated the slogan "99-44/100% Pure". This calculation was created by Proctor in which 56 was subtracted from 100 to account for a result of 44. The 56 consisted of the following impurities: uncombined alkali, 0.11%; carbonates, 0.28%; and mineral matter, 0.17%.
Keeping the Ivory Soap bars away from extreme heat or cold will affect the bar's fragrance. It is recommended that the bars to be kept in their original wrappers to make the fragrance last longer. Ivory also recommends that using warm to hot water and/or soft or conditioned water will create a rich lather.
You may also want to keep the shower spray away from the Ivory soap. With the shower spray continually coming in contact with the bar of soap, it will affect the lathering.
A good idea to make the bar last longer is to let the bar dry between uses. Consider using two bars of soap that you can alternate. Put the bar(s) in a soap dish with points in the center. The points allow the bar to dry and air to circulate.
At about the same time that Colgate & Co. introduced a perfumed soap called Cashmere Bouquet, William Procter and James Gamble decided to begin business together in Cincinnati. These two men began their fortune by selling candles and soap from a wheelbarrow. It did not too long before Procter and Gamble was delivering large quantities to major cities such as Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. Ivory soap was introduced to the marketplace in 1879.
Did you every wonder why Ivory Soap floats? In the development stages, James N. Gamble called it "˜White Soap'. James Gamble and his associates finally perfected the formula for the "White Soap" in 1878. At first, the name of this soap was going to be called P&G White Soap, but Harley Procter decided to give the soap a name that people could remember. Procter attempted numerous times to find an appropriate name for the soap.
The concept of soap that floats was rumored to have been encountered by accident. The story goes that Harley Procter named the soap "˜Ivory' from a biblical verse (Psalm 45) church: "All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made me glad." In 1878, the formula for the "White Soap" was created. Several months later the accident occurred. Without thinking one of the workmen left to go to lunch and the machinery was still running. Since the machinery was left in operation, air would work its way into the mixture. The workman decided not to discard the mixture after discussing with his supervisor. Instead he poured mixture into frames and the soap hardened. Interestingly enough it was cut, packaged, and shipped.
Amazingly, Procter & Gamble began to receive letters from buyers of this "accidental" soap. They wanted more of the soap that floats! Even though this interesting formula was one of their best products, they were perplexed as to how this happened. The mysterious formula for the floating soap was resolved when the lunchtime accident was revealed.
The error the workman made became Procter & Gamble's new product. Why was this product so popular? Some people were known to bathe in the Ohio River and the floating soap would never get lost. Ivory Soap became a best seller due to a workman's error. Proctor & Gamble makes the floating soap by intentionally adding a small amount of air in the formula. Naturally, this allows the soap to be lighter than water.
Since Proctor wanted to produce pure soap, a chemical analysis of the soap had to be done. Up to this time, there was not a standard for purity of soap. Therefore, Harley decided to locate an independent scientific consultant or chemist in New York to develop a standard for the purity of soap. The chemist found that in order soap to be 100% pure, the constituents would have to be fatty acids and alkali.
It was found by a chemist that the 56/100 of the ingredients did not fall in the pure soap category. In 1882, an Ivory advertisement appeared that stated the slogan "99-44/100% Pure". This calculation was created by Proctor in which 56 was subtracted from 100 to account for a result of 44. The 56 consisted of the following impurities: uncombined alkali, 0.11%; carbonates, 0.28%; and mineral matter, 0.17%.
Keeping the Ivory Soap bars away from extreme heat or cold will affect the bar's fragrance. It is recommended that the bars to be kept in their original wrappers to make the fragrance last longer. Ivory also recommends that using warm to hot water and/or soft or conditioned water will create a rich lather.
You may also want to keep the shower spray away from the Ivory soap. With the shower spray continually coming in contact with the bar of soap, it will affect the lathering.
A good idea to make the bar last longer is to let the bar dry between uses. Consider using two bars of soap that you can alternate. Put the bar(s) in a soap dish with points in the center. The points allow the bar to dry and air to circulate.
