| Softsoap | |
| Producttype: | Soap |
| Currentowner: | Colgate-Palmolive |
| Country: | United States |
| Origin: | United States |
Softsoap (marketed as Softsoap Brand) is the trade name of Colgate-Palmolive's liquid hand soap and body wash. The company is noted for its soap dispensers' former aquarium theme, where the dispenser would be styled to make the it look like an aquarium with tropical fish printed inside of the plastic.
William Sheppard of New York was granted patent number 49,561 for his "Improved Liquid Soap" on August 22, 1865, for his discovery that a small amount of conventional soap could be mixed with large amounts of spirits of ammonia (or hartshorn, as it was known at the time) to create a soap with a consistency similar to that of molasses.[1] His invention became common in public areas, but was not generally available for use in homes.
In 1980, entrepreneur Robert R. Taylor began selling pump soap under the brand name of Softsoap, through his company, The Minnetonka Corporation, located in Chaska, Minnesota. Within six months, he had sold $25 million worth of Softsoap before selling the brand to Colgate-Palmolive in 1987.[2]
John Rogers for Associated Press, "Robert R. Taylor, Creator of SoftSoap, Dead at 77", bigstory.ap.org, September 12, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.