Ivory Soap - History of an American Classic

I have so many different kinds and scents of soap and body wash in my bathrooms that I could probably open my own store with them! But, even with all of the choice I have, there are times when I really just want to step back in time and use a soap that is considered a classic in every way. That soap is Ivory. The clean smell and gentle lather remind me of my childhood, back when Ivory was THE soap to use.

I don't think there is anyone who hasn't used Ivory soap. It has remained popular for over 125 years, and that says a lot about the quality and the value of this soap. Generations of Americans have used this soap that is still considered to be bath time staple. The purity and mildness of this soap is unsurpassed. Remember those advertisements that proclaimed that Ivory was "99 - 44/100 percent pure"? That's still true today. Ivory is considered the most popular pure soap on the market. Ivory represents a more simple time, and the use of it can evoke fond memories in those who remember it from their childhood. It is memorable as the only soap that floats as well as for its gentle cleansing formula.

The formula for the soap was perfected in 1878, and introduced for the first time in 1879, selling for about ten cents per bar. While under development, it was simply called "white soap". The name was originally meant to be "P&G White Soap" but Harley Proctor, who along with his business partner James Gamble created Ivory soap, wanted a name that people would remember. After trying, and failing, to come up with an appropriate name for the soap, Proctor decided on the name "Ivory" from a verse he heard from the Bible (Psalm 45) while sitting in church