Johann Adam Benckiser (30 December 1782 – 7 May 1851) was a German chemist who founded Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH, a major German chemicals business. Since 1999, the business has been part of Reckitt Benckiser, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
In 1823, Benckiser founded a business in Pforzheim, Germany, specialising in industrial chemicals and consumer goods.[1] He initially made ammonia, hydrochloric acid and ammonium chloride.[2] Karl Ludwig Reimann, a chemist, joined the business in 1828 and married Benckiser's daughter.[3] Benckiser died in May 1851.[4] After that, the company was owned and enlarged by the Reimann family. In the 1980s, it became a substantial company under the guidance of manager Peter Harf.[3]