Mennen is a brand owned in most parts of the world by the

Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health car ...

Company. Its most notable product, Mennen

Speed Stick Speed Stick is an American brand of deodorant/antiperspirant produced by multinational healthcare company Colgate-Palmolive. It was formerly known as "Mennen Speed Stick" prior to Colgate-Palmolive's purchase of The Mennen Company. Currently, th ...

, with its

fougère ''Fougère'', , is one of the main olfactive families of perfumes. The name comes from the French language word for "fern". ''Fougère'' perfumes are made with a blend of fragrances: top-notes are sweet, with the scent of lavender flowers; ...

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

and green wide stick, was the US market leader among

deodorant A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor due to bacterial breakdown of perspiration or vaginal secretions, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents s ...

s and

antiperspirant A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor due to bacterial breakdown of perspiration or vaginal secretions, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents s ...

s for men for many years. It was also noted for its Lady Speed Stick deodorant and Teen Spirit deodorant, which was the leader in teenage girls' deodorants during the early 1990s. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the Mennen branding is owned by

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, sk ...

through its Mennen-LASCAD subsidiary, for a line of men's grooming products.

History

The Mennen Company was founded in 1878 by Gerhard Heinrich Mennen, an immigrant to America from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. His first product was talcum-based powder, an innovation at the time. The company was originally located in Newark, New Jersey, US, moving to

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, in 1953, where it manufactured and sold

over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

pharmaceuticals A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

and personal products such as the

Skin Bracer Skin Bracer is an aftershave lotion first launched by Mennen Mennen is a brand owned in most parts of the world by the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Its most notable product, Mennen Speed Stick, with its fougère perfume and green wide stick, ...

, and

Baby Magic Baby Magic is an American brand of baby care products marketed by Naterra in the United States. The brand has traditionally included baby-care items such as baby shampoo, baby lotion, baby soaps, and diaper wipes. In Mexico and Latin America, t ...

products. Lady Speed Stick was a foray into the women's market, and was a huge success due to its shape, which fit a woman's hand, and fragrances. Gerhard's grandson,

G. Mennen Williams Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams (February 23, 1911 – February 2, 1988) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of Michigan, 41st governor of Michigan, elected in 1948 and serving six two-year terms in office. He lat ...

, served as

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

1949–1961 and as

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs The Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs, within the United States Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Afric ...

under Presidents

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

1961–1966. The company was led by several generations of the Mennen family before being sold to Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1992. Today none of the Mennen family is involved in the company or its current parent. The former headquarters and manufacturing plant in

Morris Township, New Jersey Morris Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 22,974, reflecting an increase of 668 (+3.0%) from the 22,306 counted in the 2010 Census, which had ...

, was demolished in spring 2018 and replaced with housing developments and retail space. Next to it remains the

Mennen Arena Mennen is a brand owned in most parts of the world by the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Its most notable product, Mennen Speed Stick, with its fougère perfume and green wide stick, was the US market leader among deodorants and antiperspirants for ...

, a multi-purpose sports facility often used for hockey and public ice skating. At

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, originally Harpers Ferry National Monument, is located at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes t ...

, there is a giant advertisement painted on the rock face of

Maryland Heights Maryland Heights is a second-ring north suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was appointed the city's first may ...

. While faded and indistinct today, it reads "Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder" and was painted between 1903 and 1906.

Today

Today, the name ''Mennen'' is being phased out in some regions and products in many countries are becoming known simply as Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick. In North America, both products, as well as

and Afta, are still being marketed as being "by Mennen", where the name is still well-known and holds positive connotations. The

line was sold to

Playtex Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine hygiene products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex p ...

, who has since sold the brand to

Naterra Naterra International, Inc., is a privately held based consumer products sales and marketing company based in Coppell, Texas. Naterra manages several brands, including Baby Magic and Tree Hut. Mr. Jin K. Song is CEO. Naterra is headquartered in ...

; Colgate-Palmolive retained the Baby Magic branding (as ''Baby Magic Mennen'') for the Latin American market.Baby Magic Mennen

References

External links

Colgate-Palmolive

Mennen France
{{Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive brands L'Oréal Companies established in 1878