Air Wick is an

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

n brand of

air freshener Air fresheners are products designed to reduce unwanted odors in indoor spaces, to introduce pleasant fragrances, or both. They typically emit fragrance to mask odors but may use other methods of action such as absorbing, bonding to, or chemically ...

owned by the British multinational company

Reckitt Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition pro ...

. It was launched by creator Guy Paschal in 1943 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and is now sold worldwide.

History

Air Wick was introduced in 1943 in the United States. In 1973, it had sales of $33.5 million and earnings of $2.7 million, prompting the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

pharmaceutical company

Ciba-Geigy Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by revenue in 2024. Novartis manufactures the drugs ...

(now

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by re ...

) to investigate purchasing them. Ciba-Geigy took brief control of the company in 1974 before selling it to British household products company Reckitt & Colman (now

Reckitt Benckiser Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition prod ...

) in December 1984. The sale was partly motivated by what Ciba-Geigy's top management saw as a product that was at odds with their corporate culture; their rationale was that as a chemical business, they should not be involved with consumer products. In October 2007, Reckitt Benckiser won a High Court ruling in a lawsuit with

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

over claims that the design of Air Wick Odour Stop was an exact copy of P&G's

Febreze Febreze is an American brand of household odor eliminators manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. First introduced in test markets in March 1996, the fabric ...

air spray. In March 2012, Air Wick announced its partnership with the official charity of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, the

National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation (NPF) is the official charity of the National Park Service (NPS) and its national park sites. The NPF was chartered by Congress in 1967 with a charge to "further the conservation of natural, scenic, historic, scientif ...

. The company launched four new scents inspired by

Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the Kona District on Hawaiʻi Island in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It includes the National Historic Landmarked archaeological site known as the ...

Virgin Islands National Park The Virgin Islands National Park is a national park of the United States preserving about 60% of the land area of Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as more than of adjacent ocean, and nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Charlott ...

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

, and

Glacier Bay National Park Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in Southeast Alaska west of Juneau, Alaska, Juneau. President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the area around Glacier ...

. Portions of the sales went to the

to aid National Parks.

Products

The current Air Wick range includes: * Scented Oils * Essential Mist Diffuser * Automatic Sprays (Timed Air Freshener) *

Aerosol Spray Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. It comprises a can or bottle that contains a payload, and a propellant under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the payload is forced out ...

* V.I.P. Pre-Poop Toilet Spray In the 1980s, they produced a type of air freshener called Magic Mushrooms. A

References

External links

Official website
Cleaning product brands Cleaning products Products introduced in 1943 Reckitt brands {{US-company-stub