Pine-Sol is a registered trade name of
the Clorox Company
The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...
for a line of household cleaning products, used to clean grease and heavy soil stains. Pine-Sol was based on
pine oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of species of pine, particularly ''Pinus sylvestris''. Typically, parts of the trees that are not used for lumber - stumps, etc. - are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, s ...
when it was created in 1929 and during its rise to national popularity in the 1950s.
By 2016, Pine-Sol products sold in stores no longer contained pine oil, which was done to reduce costs, but as of 2022 the ingredient has since been reintroduced.
History
Pine-Sol detergent was invented by Harry A. Cole of
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
, in 1929.
In 1948, entrepreneur Robert Earnest "Dumas" Milner acquired Magnolia Chemical, the Jackson, Mississippi supplier of Pine-Sol.
Milner put Howard S. Cohoon in charge of the firm which had six employees: three salesmen and three who produced the product. In the following five years Cohoon turned the company into a multi-million dollar operation selling 20 million bottles throughout the United States and 11 other nations. Cohoon modernized the operation from manual bottling and labeling to full automation.
According to Cohoon, at that time pine oil was produced from old
yellow pine
In ecology and forestry, yellow pine refers to a number of conifer species that tend to grow in similar plant communities and yield similar strong wood. In the Western United States, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine. In the S ...
tree stumps which were previously regarded as worthless.
After Pine-Sol went national, Milner Company began a national radio advertising campaign starting with the
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis (born Robert Goldberg; April 25, 1921 – December 11, 1991) was an American radio and television personality, comedian, game show host, and actor. Lewis added the middle initial "Q" to his name accidentally on the air in 1942, ...
show in 1952. By 1955 the Milner company had purchased Perma-Starch, of
Illiopolis, Illinois
Illiopolis is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 891 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The name was formed from Illinois and -polis, a Greek s ...
, and by 1959 Milner had grown to a $1.5 million daytime TV advertising package and a $100,000 radio buy shared between Pine-Sol and Perma-Starch.
In January 1956, the
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
ordered Milner Company to cease and desist an advertising campaign that related to the false claims regarding the effectiveness of Pine-Sol compared to other pine oil containing products. Milner Company had previously agreed to cease and desist several other false claims about germicidal and bactericidal properties of Pine-Sol in March 1951. In February 1963, the Dumas Milner Company, including Pine-Sol facilities in Jackson, Miss., and Perma-Starch plant in Illiopolis, Ill., was taken over by
Wayne, N.J. based
American Cyanamid
American Cyanamid Company was a leading American conglomerate which became one of the nation's top 100 manufacturing companies during the 1970s and 1980s, according to the Fortune 500 listings at the time. It started in fertilizer, but added ...
for stock valued at $17 million. Howard S. Cohoon was to remain in charge of the division.
The Pine-Sol brand was acquired by Clorox from American Cyanamid's Shulton Group in 1990.
The 2005 version of the original 8% to 10% pine oil based cleaner was acidic (
pH 3–4)
and could be used to remove bacteria from household surfaces. However, some of the products now contain
bases (pH 10–11).
There was also a dispute between
Clorox
The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...
and
Reckitt Benckiser
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 merg ...
over potential consumer confusion regarding the fact that both
Lysol
Lysol (; spelled Lizol in India) is a brand of American cleaning and disinfecting products distributed by Reckitt, which markets the similar Dettol or Sagrotan in other markets. The line includes liquid solutions for hard and soft surfaces, ai ...
and Pine Sol both end in "sol" and are used for cleaning. The issues spawned negotiations, agreements and lawsuits among several involved companies over the years from the 1960s to late 1990s.
Formulation
According to 1950s Milner executive Howard S. Cohoon, producer of Pine-sol,
pine oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of species of pine, particularly ''Pinus sylvestris''. Typically, parts of the trees that are not used for lumber - stumps, etc. - are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, s ...
is only formed in large stumps from cut-over timber that has remained in the ground for "at least 20 years." It is not found in live pine trees. When asked about the risk of running out, Cohoon estimated in 1954 that there was "enough to last for another 35 years." He was not worried about a shortage as he claimed pine oil could be produced synthetically.
Although the original Pine-Sol formulation was pine oil-based, today the cleaners sold under the Pine-Sol brand contain no pine oil.
In 2006, The Clorox Company's product line included "Clorox Commercial Pine-Sol Brand Cleaner", with the same ingredients and concentrations as "Original Pine-Sol Brand Cleaner 1."
In 2008, the
material safety data sheet
A safety data sheet (SDS), material safety data sheet (MSDS), or product safety data sheet (PSDS) is a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a widely ...
for the "Original Pine-Sol Brand Cleaner 1" formulation listed 8–12%
pine oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of species of pine, particularly ''Pinus sylvestris''. Typically, parts of the trees that are not used for lumber - stumps, etc. - are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, s ...
, 3-7%
alkyl
In organic chemistry, an alkyl group is an alkane missing one hydrogen.
The term ''alkyl'' is intentionally unspecific to include many possible substitutions.
An acyclic alkyl has the general formula of . A cycloalkyl is derived from a cycloalk ...
alcohol ethoxylates, 1-5% sodium petroleum
sulfonate
In organosulfur chemistry, a sulfonate is a salt or ester of a sulfonic acid. It contains the functional group , where R is an organic group. Sulfonates are the conjugate bases of sulfonic acids. Sulfonates are generally stable in water, non-ox ...
and 1-5%
isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC name propan-2-ol and also called isopropanol or 2-propanol) is a colorless, flammable organic compound with a pungent alcoholic odor. As an isopropyl group linked to a hydroxyl group (chemical formula ) it is the simple ...
.
In January 2013, Clorox began making a product called Original Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner which included
glycolic acid
Glycolic acid (or hydroxyacetic acid; chemical formula HOCH2CO2H) is a colorless, odorless and hygroscopic crystalline solid, highly soluble in water. It is used in various skin-care products. Glycolic acid is widespread in nature. A glycolate (so ...
while lacking any pine oil.
In January 2014, Clorox announced that Pine-Sol products would no longer contain
pine oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of species of pine, particularly ''Pinus sylvestris''. Typically, parts of the trees that are not used for lumber - stumps, etc. - are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, s ...
, due to pine oil's limited supply and increased cost.
In response to consumer requests for the original formula, Clorox made available a product containing 8.75% Pine oil to online purchasers, but said it would not be sold in stores.
References
External links
*
Clorox's online sales, via 1221 Market, portal for 8.75% pine oil!--Official page according to Pine-Sol's verified Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pinesol/posts/787902647900574-->
{{Clorox
Clorox brands
Products introduced in 1929