Pepsodent

Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste with a minty flavour derived from sassafras. It is owned by Unilever since 1944, except in the US and Canada, where since 2003, it is owned by Church & Dwight.

History

Pepsodent toothpaste was introduced in the USA in 1915 by the Pepsodent Company of Chicago. The original formula for the paste contained pepsin, a digestive agent designed to break down and digest food deposits on the teeth, hence the brand and company name.

In the 1930s a massive animated neon advertising sign, featuring a young girl on a swing, hung on a building in Times Square in New York City. (This ad was re-created for the climax of the 2005 film King Kong.)

Following the acquisition of the Pepsodent Company by Unilever in 1944, sales of Pepsodent in the UK increased rapidly, more than doubling between 1944 and 1950. The company outgrew its original factory in Park Royal, and the manufacture of the product was moved to the factory of another Unilever-owned toiletry manufacturer, Joseph Watson and Sons of Whitehall Road, Leeds, in 1951.