Mennen is a brand owned in most parts of the world by the Colgate-Palmolive 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, t ...

, 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 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, preven ...

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 regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, 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, ...

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, 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 and personal products such as the Skin Bracer,

, and Baby Magic 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, served as Governor of Michigan 1949–1961 and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs 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, 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 and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes the historic center of Harpers F ...

, there is a giant advertisement painted on the rock face of Maryland Heights. 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 Skin Bracer and Afta, are still being marketed as being "by Mennen", where the name is still well-known and holds positive connotations. The Baby Magic line was sold to Playtex, who has since sold the brand to Naterra; 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