Here is the answer to the question many of us have been wondering lately.
Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, millions of Americans are using Purell Hand Sanitizer more than ever before. As a brand on top of mind for many, in part due to constant use and reports of potential outages, a commonly asked question is who owns Purell, anyway? Read for an explanation below.
Background
Purell was invented in 1988 at GOJO Industries, an Akron, Ohio-based hygiene and skin care products manufacturer. In 2004, GOJO sold the exclusive rights to distribute Purell to the consumer market to the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, while retaining rights to sell to the industrial customers. Two years later, rival pharmaceutical firm Johnson and Johnson purchased the rights from Pfizer.
Today
Today, GOJO Industries has complete ownership of Purell after buying consumer selling rights from Johnson and Johnson in 2010. This means that the bottle of Purell you bought from store came from the original inventors, and they receive the profits from the sale.
Who Owns GOJO Industries?
Founded in 1944 by husband and wife duo Goldie and Jerry Lippman, who in turn inspired the name of the company, the company today remains privately held by the Lippman family.
Already wealthy from the success of its many hand hygiene and skin care products, there is no doubt that the Lippman family’s fortunes have grown as a result of historic demand for their product.
