Cepacol ( styled Cēpacol) is an American brand of personal hygiene products, as well as for relief of

sore throat Sore throat, also known as throat pain, is pain or irritation of the throat. Usually, causes of sore throat include * viral infections * group A streptococcal infection (GAS) bacterial infection * pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat) * tonsi ...

. It is distributed in the US by

Reckitt Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, trading as Reckitt, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, England. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition products. The company was formed in March 1999 by the merge ...

. The brand was originally owned by J.B. Williams. Following acquisition by

Combe Incorporated Combe Incorporated, based in White Plains, New York, is an American personal-care company founded in 1949 by Ivan Combe. Combe products are sold in 64 countries on six continents. Ivan Combe primarily promoted the brand names instead of the comp ...

, Combe Incorporated sold Cepacol to Reckitt Benckiser in 2011. They were originally recognized for their yellow mouthwash, the active ingredient of which is Ceepryn (

cetylpyridinium chloride Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) is a cationic quaternary ammonium compound used in some types of mouthwashes, toothpastes, lozenges, throat sprays, breath sprays, and nasal sprays. It is an antiseptic that kills bacteria and other microorganisms ...

), hence the name. The distinctive flavor and color is known as "Original Gold". Cēpacol claims that their mouthwash is the most-used brand in hospitals.Cepacol – Products – Antibacterial Mouthwash
Cēpacol also makes oral anesthetics, such as its cherry flavored throat spray and soother that provides temporary pain relief for an "itchy" or sore throat. Cēpacol has released different health and hygiene products including

throat lozenge A throat lozenge (also known as a cough drop, sore throat sweet, troche, cachou, pastille or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs, lubricate, and soothe irri ...

s. The major active ingredients of the sugar-free lozenges are

benzocaine Benzocaine, sold under the brand name Orajel amongst others, is an ester local anesthetic commonly used as a topical pain reliever or in cough drops. It is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter anesthetic ointments such as products f ...

(which produces the numbing sensation), and

menthol Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, made synthetically or obtained from the oils of corn mint, peppermint, or other mints. It is a waxy, clear or white crystalline substance, which is solid at room temperature and ...

. The major active ingredient in the sore throat sprays is dyclonine hydrochloride. In Australia, Cēpacol lozenges contain cetylpyridinium chloride and

benzyl alcohol Benzyl alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with the formula C6H5CH2OH. The benzyl group is often abbreviated "Bn" (not to be confused with "Bz" which is used for benzoyl), thus benzyl alcohol is denoted as BnOH. Benzyl alcohol is a colorless liquid w ...

. Cepacaine lozenges contains

lignocaine Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia. When used for local anaesthesia or in nerve blocks, lidoca ...

and cetylpyridinium chloride, and Cepacaine mouthwash contains

and cetylpyridinium chloride. The Australian brand is owned by

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

, having been sold by Merrell Dow to Roche, who then divested their Australian and New Zealand over-the-counter drug business to Bayer. In the US, the Cēpacol lozenges have benzocaine while the mouthwash has Cetylpyridinium chloride.

References

External links

* Combe Incorporated brands Human throat Throat lozenges Reckitt brands {{product-stub