In 1894, William Hesketh Lever launched Lifebuoy in the UK as the Royal Disinfectant Soap.

Lever grew up in industrialised Bolton, Lancashire, which was a typical English city of the Industrial Revolution era, with thousands of people living in slums where disease ran rampant. Epidemics of typhoid, dysentery and yellow fever were common and infant mortality was exceptionally high.

'Cleanliness is next to godliness' was a common theme of reformist groups, which demanded hygiene education and improved living conditions for the poor and working classes. They also demanded a preventative approach to reduce disease and illness that were primarily caused by unsanitary conditions.

Lever was actively seeking the perfect formula for a soap product that could combat germs and still be affordable to everyone. In what could be termed as a major scientific breakthrough of the era, he found just that in carbolic acid.

Discovered in the 1860's, carbolic acid had antibacterial properties and was frequently used in hospitals. Lifebuoy soap became the world's first health soap to contain the revolutionary ingredient.

Right from its launch, Lifebuoy was always regarded as more than just soap by its consumers. It became a daily fixture in their lives, as it provided the entire family with hygiene and protection from disease – a true 'lifesaver'.

Carbolic acid also gave Lifebuoy soap its distinctive scent, which became synonymous with cleanliness and health for years to come.

Lever believed each business had responsibilities towards the community at large, and saw Lifebuoy as a vehicle to promote hygiene and better living standards for all.

From its launch in 1894, marketing of the Lifebuoy brand focused on hygiene education as a means to fight disease. The brand's advertising counselled audiences on various health issues, including the role of germs and microbes in spreading disease while providing tips to keep the home and family clean and healthy. Press campaigns, working demonstrations and door-to-door visits were all integral to the Lifebuoy campaigns to educate people about hygiene.

The Lifebuoy brand also gained support from medical professionals and scientists who endorsed it in cases of sickness and infectious diseases.

Mother – The health doctor
Recognising the importance of the family very early on, particularly the role of mothers in ensuring the health of children and future generations, Lifebuoy, launched an advertising campaign with a new character called 'Mother, The Health Doctor' in the 1920's.

The campaign was specifically aimed at women, given their strong focus on caring for the health of their children and family. The idea of the mother as protector of family health evolved into a timeless theme, and is part of Lifebuoy advertising even today.

Handwashing – The Lifebuoy Habit
Around the same time, school campaigns by the Lifebuoy brand educated children about the need to wash hands regularly and especially at key times of the day - before meals, after play and before bed.

Becoming popular as 'The Lifebuoy Habit', the campaigns provided comprehensive advice to mothers, teachers, doctors and health authorities all of whom had a common responsibility to teach children the importance of hygiene and cleanliness, and cultivate it as a habit. Children themselves were encouraged to practice 'The Lifebuoy Habit' with creative wash-up charts and certificates for handwashing.

The idea of teaching children the importance of handwashing is still a key element of Lifebuoy hygiene education programmes even today. For over 70 years, the Lifebuoy brand has been involved in ongoing educational activities at schools across countries such as South Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan and India.

Read more on how the Lifebuoy brand is continuing Lever's mission to spread hygiene education globally.

Lifebuoy first came to South Asia via India in 1895, entering a large, complex market. By the mid-1930s, there was such demand for the brand that the Lever Brothers started manufacturing Lifebuoy soap at several factories in India.

A number of sophisticated distribution routes by road, rail and water channels were created to extend the brand’s reach to consumers in Sri Lanka, Burma, Bangladesh, and Pakistan – markets that all had a pressing need for hygiene education and disease control.

As one of the first carbolic soaps to be sold in these markets, the antiseptic properties of Lifebuoy provided vital hygiene protection, and the brand continued to communicate its core mission: to ensure a healthy life through hygiene.

A similar story unfolded in Africa, where Lifebuoy was one of the first branded soaps to enter the continent in the 1890’s. Local manufacture started in South Africa in 1911, and the brand continued its mission to educate people in communities and schools about the importance of hygiene, and the role that it could play.

In 1949, Lifebuoy made its foray into South East Asia via Indonesian. Indonesia was a country whose population was largely rural and relatively poor. Similar to South Asia and Africa, the country faced the challenges of epidemics and bad sanitation. Here too, Lifebuoy promoted to consumers the need to wash regularly with Lifebuoy soap to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

Today, Lifebuoy continues to bring innovative products and hygiene education programmes to people across markets such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.