Oscar Troplowitz (18 January 1863 – 27 April 1918) was a German

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 ...

and

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

. Troplowitz was born to a Jewish family in

Gleiwitz Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

. trained at Heidelberg University and in 1890 he purchased

Beiersdorf AG Beiersdorf AG is a German multinational company that manufactures personal-care products and pressure-sensitive adhesives headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin (makers of Aquaphor), Labello, La Prairie, ...

, which at the time was a chemist's shop and laboratory in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

run by

Paul Beiersdorf Paul Carl Beiersdorf (26 March 1836 – 17 December 1896) was a German pharmacist from Neuruppin, Brandenburg. He was founder of Beiersdorf AG in Hamburg. Life In 1880 he founded the Beiersdorf Company, a Hamburg pharmaceutical operation where ...

(1836–1896). Soon afterwards, Troplowitz expanded the company into selling brand-name merchandise as well. Under Troplowitz's ownership, the company developed several of its own products, including

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 ...

, Leukoplast,

Labello Labello is a brand of lip balm stick. It is produced by Beiersdorf AG in Germany and Austria. The labello lip care sticks are also sold under the name Labello Nivea, Liposan and Nivea Lip Care. Labello makes lip care products that are used for ...

, and a

pressure-sensitive tape Pressure-sensitive tape or pressure-sensitive adhesive tape (PSA tape) is an adhesive tape that sticks when pressure is applied without the need for a solvent (such as water) or heat for activation. It is also known in various countries as self ...

that would later be known as "Tesafilm". As did Paul Beiersdorf, Troplowitz maintained a close business relationship with

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medi ...

Paul Gerson Unna Paul Gerson Unna, (September 8, 1850, Hamburg – January 29, 1929, Hamburg) was a German physician specialized in dermatologist, dermatology and one of the pioneers in dermatopathology. Biography Paul Unna was born to German Jewish parents Mor ...

(1850–1929). It was on a recommendation by Unna that Troplowitz hired

Isaak Lifschütz Isaac was one of the patriarchs of the Abrahamic faiths. Isaac may also refer to: * Isaac (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname of Isaac and its variants Organizations * International Societ ...

, a chemist who was the discoverer of the emulsifying agent

Eucerit Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, sheep grease, sheep yolk, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep br ...

, the main ingredient in

, a brand which he acquired in 1911 from French company

Guerlain Guerlain () is a French perfume, cosmetics, and skincare house which is among the oldest in the world. Many traditional Guerlain fragrances are characterized by a common olfactory accord known as the "". The house was founded in Paris in 1828 b ...

. Troplowitz made several reforms in regards to worker benefits at Beiersdorf, such as paid vacations, maternity leave, and a 48-hour work week.Historical Figures at Beiersdorf
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References

Bibliography

* Beiersdorf, Leonie, Claussen, Christine : ''Oscar Troplowitz : ein Leben für Hamburg'', Ostfildern : Hatje Cantz, 2013, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Troplowitz, Oscar 1863 births 1918 deaths German pharmacists People from Gliwice 19th-century German Jews Businesspeople from Hamburg People from the Province of Silesia University of Breslau alumni Heidelberg University alumni Beiersdorf people