ChapStick

Last updated
ChapStick
Chapstick logo.svg
Product type Lip balm
OwnerSuave Brands Company
CountryUnited States
IntroducedEarly 1880s
Previous owners
Website chapstick.com

ChapStick is a brand name of lip balm owned by Suave Brands Company, a subsidiary of private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners, 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 in order to prevent sunburn.

Contents

Due to its popularity, the term has become a genericized trademark. It popularly refers to any lip balm contained in a lipstick-style tube and applied in the same manner as lipstick. However, the term is still a registered trademark, with rights exclusively owned by Suave Brands Company.

History

ChapStick Classic Original lip balm 00305730701518 CF Master.jpg
ChapStick Classic Original lip balm

In the early 1880s, Charles Browne Fleet, [1] a physician and pharmacological thinker from Lynchburg, Virginia, invented ChapStick as a lip balm product. The handmade product, which resembled a wickless candle wrapped in tin foil, was sold locally and did not have much success. [2]

In 1912, John Morton, also a Lynchburg resident, bought the rights to the product for five dollars. In their kitchen, Mrs. Morton melted the pink ChapStick mixture, cooled it, and cut it into sticks. Their lucrative sales were used to found the Morton Manufacturing Corporation. [2]

In 1935, Frank Wright, Jr., a commercial artist from Lynchburg, Virginia, was commissioned to design the CHET ChapStick logo that is still used today. He was paid a one-time fee of $15. [2]

In 1963, The A.H. Robins Company acquired ChapStick from Morton Manufacturing Corporation. At that time, only ChapStick Lip Balm regular stick was being marketed to consumers; subsequently, many more varieties have been introduced. This includes ChapStick four flavored sticks in 1971, ChapStick Sunblock 15 in 1981, ChapStick Petroleum Jelly Plus in 1985, and ChapStick Medicated in 1992.

Robins was purchased by American Home Products (AHP) in 1988. [3] AHP later changed its name to Wyeth. ChapStick was a Wyeth product until 2009 when Wyeth was acquired by Pfizer. Pfizer sold the manufacturing facility in Richmond, Virginia, on October 3, 2011, to Fareva Richmond, which now manufactures and packages ChapStick for Pfizer. [4]

In 2019, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare acquired ChapStick from Pfizer. In July 2022, GlaxoSmithKline spun off its consumer brands, including ChapStick, into a new consumer health company named Haleon. [5]

In 2023, Suave Brands Company was created by Yellow Wood Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, to acquire the Suave brand from Unilever. [6] Suave Brands Company then acquired Chapstick from Haleon for $510m in January 2024. ChapStick generated $142m in revenue in 2023. [7]

Composition

Ingredients commonly include camphor, beeswax, menthol, petrolatum, phenol, vitamin E, aloe and oxybenzone. [8] However, there are many variants of ChapStick, each with its own composition. Due to safety concerns, phenol is banned from use in cosmetic products in the European Union and Canada.

The full list of ingredients in a regular-flavored ChapStick is:

arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, D&C red no. 6 barium lake, FD&C yellow no. 5 aluminum lake, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin, light mineral oil, methylparaben, octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyl trimethicone, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, white wax, propanol. [9] Its net weight is usually 4 grams (0.14 oz).

When manufactured by Wyeth, Chapstick contained no parabens.

Uses

ChapStick functions as both a sunscreen, available with SPFs as high as 50, and a skin lubricant to help prevent and protect chafed, chapped, sunburned, cracked, and windburned lips. "Medicated" varieties also contain analgesics to relieve sore lips. In addition to medical uses, ChapStick has had other uses; the lubricating properties have been useful on precision instruments such as slide rules. Other lubricants, while appropriate to the instruments, might have been harmful to the skin, while ChapStick is not.

Marketing

ChapStick Classic range ChapStick Classic range.png
ChapStick Classic range

ChapStick is sometimes available in special flavors developed in connection with marketing partners such as Disney (as in cross-promotions with Winnie the Pooh or the movie Cars ) or with charitable causes such as breast cancer awareness, in which 30¢ is donated for each stick sold (as in the Susan G. Komen Pink Pack). The Flava-Craze line is marketed to preteens and young teens, with colorful applicators and "fun" flavors such as Grape Craze and Blue Crazeberry.

US Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee starred in ChapStick television commercials in which she dubbed herself "Suzy ChapStick". Another very famous ChapStick advertisement includes basketball legend Julius Erving (commonly known as Dr. J) naming himself Dr. ChapStick and telling young children about the great things that ChapStick can do. [10]

Diana Golden, a U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning skier and 1988, Ski Racing Magazine and United States Olympic Committee female skier of the year, was also a spokesperson for ChapStick. [11] Former ski racer Picabo Street, for a time, was seen on television commercials as one of the company's endorsers. [12]

Its main competitors in the US, Carmex, and Blistex, also use the popular lipstick-style tube for their lip balm products. In Iceland and in the United Kingdom, the product's main competitor is Lypsyl, made by Novartis Consumer Health and distributed in similar packaging to ChapStick.

The cherry flavour ChapStick was immortalised in the lyrics of the chorus of I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry. [13]

Related Research Articles

Preparation H is an American brand of medications that is made by Pfizer, used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are caused at least in part by inflamed blood vessels, and most versions of Preparation H work by reducing inflammation in blood vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lip balm</span> Skin care product

Lip balm or lip salve is a wax-like substance applied typically to the lips to moisturize and relieve chapped or dry lips, angular cheilitis, stomatitis, or cold sores. Lip balm often contains beeswax or carnauba wax, camphor, cetyl alcohol, lanolin, paraffin, and petrolatum, among other ingredients. Some varieties contain dyes, flavor, fragrance, phenol, salicylic acid, and sunscreen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liniment</span> Ointment-like medicated topical preparation for application to skin

Liniment, also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; still others are in transdermal patches, soft solid sticks, and sprays. Liniment usually is rubbed in to the skin, which the active ingredients penetrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzy Chaffee</span> American alpine skier

Suzanne Stevia Chaffee is a former Olympic alpine ski racer and actress. Following her racing career, she modeled in New York with Ford Models and then became the pre-eminent freestyle ballet skier of the early 1970s. She is perhaps best known by the nickname "Suzy Chapstick", since the 1970s, when she was a spokesperson for ChapStick lip balm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmex</span> Brand of lip balm

Carmex is a brand of lip balm produced by Carma Laboratories, Inc. It is sold in jars, sticks, and squeezable containers.

Dimetapp is an American brand of over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines that is manufactured by Foundation Consumer Brands. At one point, Dimetapp as a household word referred to a single combination preparation marketed to relieve symptoms of the common cold, containing brompheniramine and phenylephrine. Variants were created, including Dimetapp DM with the addition of dextromethorphan. Dimetapp Elixir and Colour Free Elixir are intended to relieve nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy watery eyes and sneezing, whereas Dimetapp DM and Dimetapp DM Colour Free Elixir are intended for colds with dry coughs and also to treat whooping cough. Early Dimetapp was flavored with cherry and plum as they were readily available during the time, setting a precedent for its purple color; however, the flavor has been described as a grape candy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolaids</span> Calcium and magnesium-based antacid

Rolaids is an American brand of calcium and magnesium-based antacid produced by Chattem. It was invented by American chemist Irvine W. Grote in the late 1920s, and originated with manufacturing in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under one of Chattem's forerunner companies, which manufactured the brand for Warner-Lambert; Warner-Lambert merged with Pfizer in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipstick</span> Cosmetic for coloring the lip

Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to early civilizations such as Sumer and the Indus Valley Civilisation, and was popularized in the Western world in the 16th century. Some lipsticks contain traces of toxic materials, such as lead and PFAS, which prompted health concerns and regulation.

Labello is a brand of lip balm stick. It is produced by Beiersdorf AG in Germany and Austria. The labello lip care sticks are also sold under the name Labello Nivea, Liposan and Nivea Lip Care. Labello makes lip care products that are used for medical treatments, moisturizing, protection from sun or solely for cosmetic purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NARS Cosmetics</span> Skin care company

NARS Cosmetics is a French cosmetics and skin care company founded by make-up artist and photographer François Nars in 1994. The cosmetics line began with twelve lipsticks sold at Barneys New York. Since then, NARS has created various multi-use beauty products and is now a subsidiary of Shiseido. It mainly sells in department stores in about 30 countries including the Americas, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luden's</span> American brand of cough drop

Luden's is an American brand of cough drop that is currently manufactured and sold in the US by Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Company headquarters are in Tarrytown, New York. Luden's products include Blue Raspberry, Honey Lemon, Honey Licorice, Kiwi-Strawberry, Orange, Original Menthol, Sugar-Free Wild Cherry, Watermelon, Wild Berry, Wild Cherry, and Wild Honey cough drops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mentholatum</span> American maker of non-prescription health care products

The Mentholatum Company, Inc. is a maker of non-prescription health care products founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde in the United States. It was bought out by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., a Japanese health care company, in 1988. The Mentholatum Company is known for its top three products, Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, and Mentholatum Lip Care. The Mentholatum Company also produces Fletcher's Laxative a product line purchased in 1984, from Sterling Drug. The Mentholatum Building in Buffalo, New York, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Bonne Bell is a cosmetics company aimed for teens. The company was best known for its line of astringents and cleansers named "10-0-6." In the 1970s, they expanded into a popular range of lip balms called Lip Smackers which became the company's signature product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyeth</span> American pharmaceutical company

Wyeth was a pharmaceutical company until it was purchased by Pfizer in 2009. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as John Wyeth and Brother. Its headquarters moved to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and Madison, New Jersey, before its headquarters were consolidated with Pfizer's in New York City after the 2009 merger.

Ski ballet is a form of ballet performed on skis. It is very similar to figure skating, combining spins, jumps, and flips in a two-minute routine choreographed to music. It was part of the professional freestyle skiing tours of the 1970s and 1980s and then an official FIS and Olympic discipline until the year 2000. Ski ballet became known as Acroski in the 1990s in an effort to legitimize its place among the competitive ski community, especially to the FIS. It is no longer a part of competitive freestyle skiing.

Edwin Claiborne Robins Sr. (1910–1995) was an American chief executive of A.H. Robins pharmaceutical company and a philanthropist.

BITE Beauty is a Canadian cosmetics company specializing in lip products. The brand was founded by Susanne Langmuir in 2011, launched in 2012, and acquired by Kendo in 2014. The brand is carried exclusively at Sephora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EOS (company)</span> American skincare company

Evolution of Smooth is a privately owned beauty and skincare company based in New York City. EOS was founded in 2006 by Jonathan Teller, Sanjiv Mehra, and Craig Dubitsky. The company makes a variety of body care products such as lip balm, lotion, and shaving cream. Its products are known for using natural and organic ingredients, as well as for their colorful, minimalist packaging.

The Bowl of Hygeia Award is an award given by state, provincial, and national pharmacist associations in the United States and Canada to recognize living pharmacists who "possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities," while "[encouraging] pharmacists to take active roles in their communities." It is named from the Bowl of Hygieia.

Haleon plc is a British multinational consumer healthcare company with headquarters in Weybridge, England. It is one of the largest consumer healthcare businesses in the world, with brands including Sensodyne toothpaste, Panadol and Advil painkillers and Centrum vitamins. The company is a global leader in over the counter medicines with a 7.3 percent market share.

References

  1. "THE STORY OF CHAPSTICK". ChapStick. Archived from the original on 2018-01-03.
  2. 1 2 3 Carpenter, Wanda (December 2015). "A Tinkering Pharmacist, an Artist, and 'The World's Smartest Investment'". Lynchburg Museum.
  3. "A.H. Robins Company - Virginia Historical Society A Guide to the A. H. Robins Company Records, 1885–2004". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  4. Sullivan, Heather (27 February 2012). "Fareva plans to expand and create more jobs".
  5. Josh Kolm (July 18, 2022). "GSK completes spin-off of consumer brands". Strategy Online. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  6. Partners, Yellow Wood. "Yellow Wood Partners Portfolio Company Suave Brands Company Acquires ChapStick from Haleon". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  7. "Haleon to Sell ChapStick to Suave Brands for $430 Million". Bloomberg.com. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  8. Luciani, Jene (2013-05-15). "Can You Be Addicted to ChapStick?". Shape Magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  9. "LABEL: CHAPSTICK CLASSIC ORIGINAL- petrolatum stick". U.S. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. September 2012.
  10. "Where Are They Now? Suzanne 'Suzy Chapstick' Chaffee, celebrity skier". 9 February 2006.
  11. "Disabled Ski Pioneer Diana Golden Dies - Skiing Magazine".
  12. Ettus, Samantha (October 27, 2011). "A Brand's Second Mistake: Where Does Lost Chapstick Go From Here?". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  13. "I Kissed a Girl lyrics". www.genius.com. Retrieved 6 May 2024.