Calgon is an American brand of bath and beauty products, owned by PDC Brands.

Early history

The original product consisted of powdered

sodium hexametaphosphate Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) is a salt (chemistry), salt of composition . Sodium hexametaphosphate of commerce is typically a mixture of metaphosphates (empirical formula: NaPO3), of which the hexamer is one, and is usually the compound referr ...

(amorphous sodium polyphosphate), which, in water, would complex with ambient

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

s and certain other

cation An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

s—preventing formation of unwanted salts and interference by those cations with the actions of

soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

or other

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with Cleanliness, cleansing properties when in Concentration, dilute Solution (chemistry), solutions. There are a large variety of detergents. A common family is the alkylbenzene sulfonate ...

s. Its name, a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

derived from the phrase "calcium gone",Walker, Andrea K. (June 22, 2010)
"Calgon, take me away...again"
''The Baltimore Sun''. was originally promoted for general use in bathing and cleaning. It gave rise to derivative products, which have diverged from the original composition. Today, Calgon water softener contains the active ingredient

sodium citrate Sodium citrate may refer to any of the sodium salts of citric acid (though most commonly the third): * Monosodium citrate * Disodium citrate * Trisodium citrate The three forms of salt are collectively known by the E number E331. Applications ...

, and the now discontinued powder used

zeolite Zeolites are a group of several microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. They mainly consist of silicon, aluminium, oxygen, and have the general formula ･y where is either a meta ...

and

polycarboxylate Polycarboxylates are organic compounds with several carboxylic acid groups. Butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylate is one example. Often, polycarboxylate refers to linear polymers with a high molecular mass (Mr ≤ 100 000) and with many carboxylate gr ...

, all of which are less problematic in wastewater treatment than phosphates.

Companies

The brand has its origin in Calgon, Inc. of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, which first put Calgon water softener on the market in 1933. In 1965, Calgon was separated into: * Calgon bath and beauty products, sold to

Coty Coty Inc. is an American multinational beauty company founded in 1904 by François Coty. With its subsidiaries, it develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes fragrances, cosmetics, skin care, nail care, and both professional and retail hai ...

, and then acquired by Ascendia Brands on 9 February 2007. Ilex Capital of

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

purchased the product line and the rights to the name for $4.2 million in 2008. The brand's operations became part of Ilex Consumer Products Group LLC. In 2013, private equity firm Yellow Wood acquired Ilex Consumer Products Group; Calgon is now part of their portfolio company, PDC Brands. *

Calgon Carbon Calgon Carbon Corporation is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based company that manufactures and markets products that remove contaminants and odors from liquids and gases, both for industrial, municipal, and consumer markets. Calgon Carbon's product ...

Corporation, acquired by its management in a leveraged buyout in 1985 and taken public in 1987. * Calgon Water Management, sold to

English China Clays English China Clays PLC, or ECC, was a mining company involved in the extraction of china clay, based in St Austell, Cornwall. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 1999 was acquired by Imetal. History English China Clays was i ...

in June 1993 for $307.5 million. * Calgon Vestal Laboratories, sold to

Bristol-Myers Squibb The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, doing business as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consist ...

in November 1994 for $261.5 million and then to the Steris Corporation in 1996.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cleaning product brands Companies based in Pittsburgh