Ivory Soap
Hey there! Let me tell you an exciting story about Ivory Soap, a soap that has been around for over 100 years and still remains a favorite among many families.
Ivory Soap is a unique soap that floats in water! Can you believe that? But did you know that this soap was not supposed to float? In fact, Ivory Soap’s floating ability was discovered by accident.
Two brothers, James, and David Gamble were partners in the Procter & Gamble Co., which manufactured soap. They wanted to create a soap that was of high quality and affordable for everyone. After four years of experimenting, they finally perfected the formula and called it “White Soap.”
One day, a workman at the factory went to lunch and left the machinery running while a large batch of White Soap was mixing. When he returned, he found that air had been worked into the mixture. Instead of discarding the batch of soap, he poured it into the frames. The soap hardened was cut, packaged, and shipped.
A few weeks later, letters began arriving at Procter & Gamble, asking for more of the soap that floated! The workman’s mistake had turned into a selling point! Harley Procter, who was one of the leaders of the company, came up with the name “Ivory” while listening to a Bible reading at church one morning in 1879.
Ivory Soap is over 100 years old and is still made today. It is made up of 99.44/100 percent pure ingredients, which means it is very gentle on the skin. But did you know that it’s not completely pure? In fact, there are some impurities in Ivory Soap, which make up 0.56/100 percent of the ingredients. These impurities include uncombined alkali, carbonates, and mineral matter.
Even with these impurities, Ivory Soap remains a favorite among many families, and approximately 30 billion cakes of Ivory Soap have been manufactured! So, next time you see Ivory Soap, remember its interesting history and its unique ability to float in water.
