Coppertone is the brand name for an American

sunscreen Sunscreen, also known as sunblock, sun lotion or sun cream, is a photoprotection, photoprotective topical product for the Human skin, skin that helps protect against sunburn and prevent skin cancer. Sunscreens come as lotions, sprays, gels, fo ...

. Coppertone uses a variety of branding, including the Coppertone girl logo and a distinctive fragrance.

Product line

The original product dates to 1944, when

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

Benjamin Green invented a lotion to darken tans. The product line has been expanded to include many skin care products, predominantly sunscreens. Coppertone has become the leading sun care brand in the United States, with annual $9 billion in global sales.

Branding

Coppertone name

The name ''Coppertone'' originated from its marketing of suntan lotion, as opposed to sunscreen.

Coppertone girl

In the time when the product was a suntan lotion, the company introduced the character the Coppertone girl, also known as Little Miss Coppertone. In the advertisement, a young blond girl in pigtails stares in surprise as a cocker spaniel puppy tugs at her swimsuit, revealing her tan line.

Logo history

The original Coppertone logo was the profile of an American Indian chief. In 1953, Tally Embry Advertising in Florida was hired, and their ad men created the concept of the little girl and the pup. An artist named Joyce Ballantyne Brand re-drew the little girl in 1959 when the original artwork was destroyed in a fire. She was then working for Grant Advertising in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Coppertone sign

A series of mechanical billboards were constructed across the United States, whereon the motorized dog and swimsuit bottoms rocked up and down perpetually. Although most of them are long since gone or have stopped moving, one such billboard of the then Coppertone Girl still stands in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

— dog, pigtails, swimsuit, bottom, and all.

Live models

When Joyce Ballantyne Brand redrew the logo in 1959, she purportedly used her daughter, Cheri, as her model, and her drawing closely resembled the original artwork.

Fragrances

Many Coppertone products share a distinctive fragrance.

Chandler Burr Chandler Burr is an American journalist, author, and museum curator. Early life and education Born in Chicago and raised in Washington, D.C., Burr graduated from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. He began his journalism career in 1987 as ...

described it as "arguably the single greatest work of scent branding ever." A researcher on human memory used it as an example of an odor that evokes autobiographical memories. Besides for the classic fragrance, the Coppertone product line has expanded to include other scents. An early slogan for Coppertone was, "Tan, don't burn".

Ownership

* 1944 Benjamin Green develops a suntan lotion * 1957

Plough A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...

acquires Coppertone * 1971 Schering Corporation merges with Plough to form

Schering-Plough Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it becam ...

* 2009

Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...

. acquires Schering-Plough * 2014

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

acquires Merck & Co.'s consumer business, including Coppertone * 2019 Beiersdorf AG announces agreement to acquire Coppertone from Bayer. According to Beiersdorf's president, the purchase will strengthen the company's presence in the USA market. Beiersdorf already owns

Nivea Nivea (, stylized as NIVEA) is a German personal care brand that specializes in skin and body care. It is owned by the Hamburg-based company Beiersdorf Global AG, who also makes the Eucerin brand. ''Nivea'' comes from the Latin adjective ''ni ...

, whose ''Nivea Sun'' is a leading sunscreen in Europe.

Competitors

Circa 2018, competing brands included

Neutrogena Neutrogena Corporation, trading as Neutrogena, is an American company that produces cosmetics, skin care and hair care, is owned by parent company Kenvue and is headquartered in Skillman, New Jersey.

and Banana Boat.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coppertone Girl Advertising characters Female characters in advertising Drugs developed by Schering-Plough Drugs developed by Merck & Co. Former Bayer brands Beiersdorf brands Sunscreen brands Cosmetics brands American brands Products introduced in 1944 2014 mergers and acquisitions 2019 mergers and acquisitions