Ivory (soap)

Ivory, a white and mildly fragranced bar soap, is a product of the Procter & Gamble Company.

History

Because Ivory is one of P&G's oldest products (first vended 1879), P&G is sometimes referred to as 'Ivory Towers' and its factory and research center in Saint Bernard, Ohio is called 'Ivorydale.'Ivory is whipped with air in its production and floats in water. According to an apocryphal urban legend, a worker accidentally left the mixing machine on too long and the company chose to sell the supposedly ruined batch in hopes that the buying public wouldn't notice. When appreciative letters about the new, floating soap inundated the company, P&G ordered the extended mix time as a standard setting. However, company records indicate that the design of Ivory was not the result of accident. In 2004, P&G company archivist Ed Rider found documentation that revealed that chemist James N. Gamble discovered how to make the soap float. [http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/ivory.asp]

Ivory's first slogan "It Floats!" was introduced in 1891. The product's other well-known slogan, "99.44 % Pure", was based on the results of an analysis by an independent laboratory the founder's son, Harley Procter, hired to demonstrate that Ivory was more pure than the castile soap then available.

Ivory soap is more caustic than some milder bars, such as Dove, a non-soap synthetic detergent bar. Some consumer investigations have found that Ivory's antimicrobial activity is better than other skin soaps, even those containing antibacterials such as triclosan.Fact|date=February 2007 A postulate for this effectiveness is the ability of the soap to lyse bacteria efficiently, and to rinse cleanly. The drawback to the soap is its drying effect on the skin, as it easily dissolves natural oils.

Ingredients

The Ivory soap bar (classic) contains: sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, water, sodium chloride, sodium silicate, magnesium sulfate, and fragrance. [http://www.epinions.com/content_175770734212]

It has a determined pH value of 9.5. [http://www.google.com.tw/url?sa=t&ct=clnk&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2F209.85.175.104%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcache%3A-XYs6xEmrbIJ%3Awaltonfeed.com%2Fold%2Fsoap%2Fsoaplit.html%2Bivory%2Bsoap%2Bph%26hl%3Dzh-TW%26ct%3Dclnk%26cd%3D1%26gl%3Dtw%26client%3Dfirefox-a&ei=3OCGSLSKK5O26gPE3eGIBg&usg=AFQjCNEJamGSkaZ4h8fgdiDMun-NeYoKPQ&sig2=uEun_eEIaz6uyO7hkXonIg]

Now

As of 2005, Ivory is a small brand by P&G standards. The Ivory brand includes liquid hand soap, body wash, dish liquid, and a mild laundry product called Ivory Snow.

Cultural references

*Parodying Ivory's slogan, John Frankenheimer titled his 1974 movie, "99 and 44/100% Dead".
*"99 and 44/100% Pure" are the words spoken by Willy Wonka on opening the safe / factory door in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
*Porn star Marilyn Chambers once appeared on Ivory Snow packaging. [cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/risque/porn/chambers.asp|title=Snopes.com|accessdate=2008-07-28]
*Ivory soap exhibits a peculiar foaming phenomenon when exposed to microwave radiation. This experiment is commonly performed to demonstrate Ivory soap's unique properties.
* An episode of "Tales From The Crypt" was titled "99 & 44/100% Pure Horror" and centered around the rich owner of a soap company & his wife.
* Country singer Ronnie Milsap referenced the Ivory soap slogan in the song "Pure Love", written by Eddie Rabbit

References

External links

* [http://www.ivory.com/ Ivory Products Home Page]
* [http://www.ivory.com/history/index.html History of Ivory]
* [http://www.wikihow.com/Expand-Ivory-Soap How to Expand Ivory Soap]
* [http://www.joshleo.com/vlog/2006/09/01/ivory-soap-souffle/ How to Expand Ivory Soap] Video by Josh Leo
* [http://www.pental.com.au/pental_our_brands.htm The Australian equivalent, in production since 1900, Velvet Pure Soap's home page]
* [http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/ivory/index.asp Ivory Project: Advertising Soap in America 1838-1998] by the Smithsonian Institution