Vi-Jon Laboratories is an American health and beauty care company that produces both private label and brand name products. Headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Overland, they operate five manufacturing and distribution centers in Missouri and Tennessee. The company's products are supplied nationwide to retailers such as Kroger,

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, and

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...

. In the United States, the company markets a line of

hand sanitizer Hand sanitizer (also known as hand antiseptic, hand disinfectant, hand rub, or handrub) is a liquid, gel or foam generally used to kill many viruses/bacteria/microorganisms on the hands. In most settings, hand washing with soap and water is ge ...

s under its flagship brand Germ-X, as well as a line of

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 ...

products under the brand Swan. Both products have become widely sold during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

History

Vi-Jon was founded as Peroxide Specialty Company in 1908 by John B. Brunner. Vi-Jon was acquired by investment firm Berkshire Partners in 2006. In 2006

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

filed a lawsuit against Vi-Jon alleging that Vi-Jon copied the look of

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

Pro-Health mouth wash; the parties settled a few months later, with Vi-Jon agreeing to withdraw its product from the market, to not use bottle designs that are confusingly similar to those of P&G, to not make "compare to Crest Pro-Health" or gingivitis efficacy claims without specific testing to support these claims, and to pay P&G. In August 2014, Berkshire announced its intention to sell Vi-Jon. As of September 2020, the company became 100% employee-owned. Germ-X

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.vijon.com
Germ-X official website (archived)
Manufacturing companies based in St. Louis Manufacturing companies established in 1908 Personal care brands 1908 establishments in Missouri Private equity portfolio companies