Calgon Explained

Calgon should not be confused with Calgon (water softener).

Domestos
Type:	Bath and beauty
Currentowner:	PDC Brands
Origin:	United States
Previousowners:	Calgon, Inc. Merck & Co.

Calgon is an American brand of bath and beauty products, owned by PDC Brands.

Early history

The original product consisted of powdered sodium hexametaphosphate (amorphous sodium polyphosphate), which, in water, would complex with ambient calcium ions and certain other cations—preventing formation of unwanted salts and interference by those cations with the actions of soap or other detergents. Its name, a portmanteau derived from the phrase "calcium gone",^[1] was originally promoted for general use in bathing and cleaning. It gave rise to derivative products which have diverged from the original composition. Today, Calgon water softener contains the active ingredient sodium citrate,^[2] and the now discontinued powder used zeolite and polycarboxylate, all of which are less problematic in wastewater treatment than phosphates.

Companies

The brands have their origin in Calgon, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which first put Calgon water softener on the market in 1933.^[3] In 1965, Calgon was broken into:

• Calgon bath and beauty products, sold to Coty, and then acquired by Ascendia Brands on 9 February 2007. Ilex Capital of Annapolis, Maryland purchased the product line and the rights to the name for $4.2 million in 2008. The brand's operations became part of Ilex Consumer Products Group LLC.^[1] In 2013, private equity firm Yellow Wood acquired Ilex Consumer Products Group; Calgon is now part of their portfolio company, PDC Brands.^{[4] [5]}
• Calgon Carbon Corporation, acquired by its management in a leveraged buyout in 1985 and taken public in 1987.
• Calgon Water Management, sold to English China Clays in June 1993 for $307.5 million.^[6]
• Calgon Vestal Laboratories, sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb in November 1994 for $261.5 million^[7] and then to the Steris Corporation in 1996.^[8]

In popular culture

• The Calgon "Ancient Chinese Secret" commercial was referenced in the 1993 movie Wayne's World 2.
• Indie band Clem Snide has a song titled "Ancient Chinese Secret Blues". The final lyrics of the song are "Calgon, take me away".^[9]
• The Family Guy episode "A Picture is Worth 1,000 Bucks" (Season 2, Episode 11) contains a scene where Stewie hacks into a Chinese diplomat's laptop, and upon viewing the information, asks "Ancient Chinese secret, huh?" in the cadence of the commercial.
• The Futurama episode "A Leela of Her Own" (Season 3, Episode 16) contains a parody of the Calgon "Ancient Chinese Secret" commercial.^[10]
• Horrorcore rapper King Gordy heavily referenced this slogan in the song "Mrs. Calgon" on his 2011 album King Gordy Sings the Blues.
• RnB/Pop singer Mariah Carey references Calgon in her single "Shake It Off" with the lyrics, "like a Calgon commercial" from her 2005 album "The Emancipation of Mimi"
• The Mystery Science Theater 3000 parody of Space Mutiny referenced the similarity of the name to the villain.

Notes and References

1. Walker, Andrea K. (June 22, 2010). "Calgon, take me away...again". The Baltimore Sun.
2. Web site: CALGON® Water Softener - Liquid . 2020-06-08 . www.rbnainfo.com.
3. Trademark registration of "Calgon", U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
4. Web site: Yellow Wood Partners Purchases Ilex Consumer Products Group, Inc. . 2016-11-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161111000604/http://yellowwoodpartners.com/ilex/ . 2016-11-11 . dead .
5. Web site: Our Investments . 2016-11-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161026135804/http://yellowwoodpartners.com/our-investments/ . 2016-10-26 . dead .
6. Web site: British Company Will Buy Calgon Unit From Merck. 12 June 1993. The New York Times. 19 July 2016.
7. Web site: COMPANY NEWS; BRISTOL-MYERS TO BUY CALGON VESTAL FOR $261.5 MILLION. 4 November 1994. 19 July 2016. NYTimes.com.
8. Web site: Company Overview - Corporate - STERIS Corporation. 19 July 2016.
9. Web site: Clem Snide - Ancient Chinese Secret Blues Lyrics . https://web.archive.org/web/20160410084738/http://www.metrolyrics.com/ancient-chinese-secret-blues-lyrics-clem-snide.html . 2016-04-10 . dead . MetroLyrics. 19 July 2016.
10. Web site: How do you make the crust so fizzy?. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Fwl3eOwcif8 . 2021-12-22 . live . September 21, 2021 . YouTube.