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 (branded as "Deep Heat" outside of the United States), 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.
History
Beginning (1889–1935)
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 anti-inflammatory effects of menthol. After 4 years of research and experimentation, the company introduced the original "Mentholatum Ointment" in December 1894, which consisted of a combination of