Lava is a heavy-duty hand cleaner in soap bar form manufactured by the WD-40 Company. Unlike typical soap bars, Lava contains ground volcanic pumice, which gave the soap its name. The company website states that the hand cleaner removes grease, grime, paint, ink, and glue.[1]
Lava's long-time slogan was "Cleans the dirt, protects the skin."[2]
History
Lava soap was developed in 1893 by the William Waltke Company of St. Louis.[3]
In 1927, Procter & Gamble acquired the Lava and Oxydol brands from William Waltke Company. P&G sold the Lava brand to Block Drug in 1995. That year Lava soap had annual retail sales of $6 million, while P&G's soap brands Zest and Ivory each had annual sales of $100 million. Block stated they were a niche marketer, and Lava would fit into the sector of cleaning products[2]
The WD-40 Company acquired the brand from Block Drug in April 1999.[4]
External links
References
- Lava soap website^
- George Lazarus. P&G washes its hands of longtime Lava soap Chicago Tribune, November 21, 1995, retrieved July 11, 2020^
- Lava Heavy-Duty Hand Cleaning FAQ Wd40.com, retrieved 2017-10-14^
- Company News: WD-40 buys Solvol, an Australian hand soap concern The New York Times, September 9, 2000, retrieved July 11, 2020^