GABA Group

GABA is a Swiss oral- and dental-care company whose name is an acronym of "Goldene Apotheke Basel" (Golden Pharmacy of Basel). Its best-known umbrella brands are elmex, aronal and meridol, and since 2004 the group has belonged to Colgate-Palmolive. The group's parent company, Gaba International AG, and its subsidiary Gaba Schweiz are headquartered in Therwil near Basel. GABA operates subsidiaries in Germany (Gaba Deutschland, based in Lörrach, founded 1921), Italy, France (Gaba Laboratoires, based in Paris, since 1999), Belgium (Gaba Benelux, founded 1991) and the Netherlands (Gaba Benelux, founded 1919), and maintains licensing and distribution partnerships in Spain, Portugal, Finland, Luxembourg, Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Israel. The company's roots reach back to the Goldene Apotheke Basel, founded in 1638 as one of the first pharmacies in Basel and one of the oldest firms in Switzerland. In 1846 the Basel physician Emanuel Wybert brought back the recipe for a cough remedy from a study trip to America; his friend Hermann Geiger, then owner of the pharmacy, first sold the resulting "Wybertli pastilles" during a flu epidemic that year. From 1906 they were industrially produced in St. Ludwig (today Saint-Louis) in Alsace under the name "Wybert", and in 1910 they were renamed and marketed as "Gaba tablets". In 1917 the business was split into the Goldene Apotheke and the Gaba AG founded by Hermann Geiger for mass production of the tablets. Between 1919 and 1926 subsidiaries were established in Germany and Belgium along with the holding company Doma AG (later Gaba AG) in Basel. From 1944 GABA specialised in oral and dental hygiene, launching aronal toothpaste with added vitamin A in Switzerland. After the Second World War Ernst Ludwig Heuss, son of Theodor Heuss, led Wybert GmbH in Lörrach and later Gaba AG in Basel. Following the development of amine fluorides, elmex anti-caries toothpaste was developed in 1962. Further product innovations followed from the late 1960s, including meridol mouthwash in 1986 and toothbrushes for various target groups from 1999. Gaba International AG was founded in 1979 to bundle the group's central services, and a new logistics centre was built in Hauingen in 1992. In 1999 the "Wybert pastilles" brand was sold as it no longer fitted the company's core profile, followed later by the hair-care brand "Plantur". In 2000 the entire group was renamed from Wybert to Gaba, and in 2001 the companies Odopharm (Paris) and Vebas (near Milan) were acquired. From late 2003 to 1 June 2004 GABA was integrated into the Colgate-Palmolive group but retained as an independent unit under the Colgate-Palmolive umbrella. In November 2012 it was announced that the Lörrach and Therwil production sites would be closed and manufacturing moved from 2013 to Świdnica in Lower Silesia, Poland, cutting a total of 240 jobs. In May 2013 Colgate-Palmolive announced it would move its European headquarters from Geneva to Therwil and merge it there with the headquarters of its subsidiary Gaba International AG, affecting around 65 employees in Geneva. GABA mainly produces toothpastes, dental and mouth rinses, gels and toothbrushes, as well as special products for dental professionals. Its customers are both general consumer retail and the dental professional audience, as well as drugstores and pharmacies. The famous cough pastilles, called "Gaba-Täfeli" or "Gaba-Zeltli" in Switzerland, reverted to Wybert pastilles after 90 years and were removed from GABA's product range. The GABA group is the market leader in its business segment in Germany and Switzerland. In Germany the Gaba brands hold an estimated average value market share of around 20 percent (toothpastes about 22–23 percent, manual toothbrushes about 12–13 percent, rinses about 35–36 percent). Annual sales of the German Gaba GmbH are around 170 million euros.

The GABA group's history begins with the Goldene Apotheke Basel, founded in 1638 as one of the first pharmacies in Basel and one of the oldest firms in Switzerland. In 1846 the Basel physician Emanuel Wybert (1807–1884) brought back the recipe for a cough remedy from a study trip to America. His friend Hermann Geiger, then owner of the pharmacy, first sold the resulting "Wybertli pastilles" during a flu epidemic that year. Because of the good response, from 1906 Hermann Geiger and his brother Paul Geiger produced them industrially in St. Ludwig (today Saint-Louis) in Alsace under the name "Wybert". In 1910 they were renamed "Gaba tablets" and advertised as a brand. In 1917 the company was split into two parts: the Goldene Apotheke and the Gaba AG founded by Hermann Geiger for mass production of the tablets. Between 1919 and 1926 subsidiaries were established in Germany and Belgium as well as the holding company Doma AG (the later Gaba AG) in Basel. The Wybert pastilles were advertised with slogans written by Elly Heuss-Knapp, wife of the later German Federal President Theodor Heuss ("Ob's windet, regnet oder schneit, Wybert schützt vor Heiserkeit"). Specifically for radio advertising she invented the musical jingle in which the product name of the pastilles was sung; she patented the idea for this acoustic trademark. The contact between the Wybert company and Elly Heuss-Knapp came about because Hermann Geiger was her cousin. From 1944 GABA specialised in oral and dental hygiene and brought aronal toothpaste with added vitamin A onto the Swiss market. After the Second World War Ernst Ludwig Heuss (1910–1967), son of Theodor Heuss, became head of Wybert GmbH in Lörrach and later also of Gaba AG in Basel. After the development of amine fluorides, elmex anti-caries toothpaste was developed in 1962. From the late 1960s further product innovations followed, including meridol mouthwash in 1986 and, from 1999, toothbrushes for various target groups. In 1979 Gaba International AG was founded to bundle the group's central services. In 1992 a new logistics centre was built in Hauingen. In 1999 the "Wybert pastilles" brand was sold because it no longer fitted the company's core profile, and later the hair-care brand "Plantur" as well. In 2000 the entire corporate group was completely renamed from Wybert to Gaba. In 2001 the companies Odopharm (Paris) and Vebas (near Milan) were acquired. From the end of 2003 to 1 June 2004 GABA was integrated into the Colgate-Palmolive group but remained as an independent unit under the Colgate-Palmolive umbrella. In November 2012 it became known that the Lörrach and Therwil production sites would be closed and manufacturing would take place from 2013 in Świdnica in Lower Silesia, Poland, with a total of 240 jobs cut. In May 2013 Colgate-Palmolive announced it would move its European headquarters from Geneva to Therwil and merge it there with the headquarters of its subsidiary Gaba International AG; around 65 employees in Geneva were affected by these plans. In research and development, in the 1950s GABA developed, in cooperation with the dental institute of the University of Zurich, organic fluorides (amine fluorides), in particular olaflur and dectaflur, as an alternative to the common inorganic fluorides such as sodium fluoride and sodium monofluorophosphate. They served as active ingredients for plaque prophylaxis in elmex products until 2024. In 2024 GABA replaced the amine fluoride in elmex toothpastes with a mixture of an amine and sodium fluoride, and amine fluoride now occurs only in the elmex products declared as medicines.

• 2024

  GABA replaces amine fluoride in elmex toothpastes with a mixture of an amine and sodium fluoride

• 2013

  Colgate-Palmolive announces move of European headquarters from Geneva to Therwil, merging with Gaba International AG

• 2012

  Announcement that Lörrach and Therwil production sites will close; manufacturing moves to Świdnica, Poland from 2013, cutting 240 jobs

• 2004

  GABA integrated into the Colgate-Palmolive group as an independent unit (from late 2003 to 1 June 2004)

• 2001

  Odopharm (Paris) and Vebas (near Milan) acquired

• 2000

  Entire group renamed from Wybert to Gaba

• 1999

  Wybert pastilles brand sold; Gaba Laboratoires in Paris established; toothbrushes for various target groups introduced

• 1992

  New logistics centre built in Hauingen

• 1991

  Gaba Benelux (Belgium) founded

• 1986

  meridol mouthwash introduced

• 1979

  Gaba International AG founded to bundle the group's central services

• 1962

  elmex anti-caries toothpaste developed after the development of amine fluorides

• 1944

  GABA specialises in oral and dental hygiene; aronal toothpaste with vitamin A launched in Switzerland

• 1921

  Gaba Deutschland founded in Lörrach

• 1919

  Gaba Benelux (Netherlands) founded

• 1917

  Company split into Goldene Apotheke and Gaba AG founded by Hermann Geiger

• 1910

  Pastilles renamed and marketed as "Gaba tablets"

• 1906

  Industrial production of Wybert pastilles begins in St. Ludwig (Saint-Louis), Alsace

• 1846

  Emanuel Wybert brings back a cough remedy recipe; Wybertli pastilles first sold during a flu epidemic

• 1638

  Goldene Apotheke Basel founded as one of the first pharmacies in Basel

Market leader in oral care in Germany and Switzerland; premium pharmacy-heritage dental brands under Colgate-Palmolive.

• elmex

  Anti-caries toothpaste developed in 1962; flagship oral-care brand

• aronal

  Toothpaste with added vitamin A, launched in Switzerland from 1944

• meridol

  Mouthwash introduced in 1986 and related oral-care products

• Toothbrushes

  Toothbrushes for various target groups since 1999

• Dental professional products

  Special products for dental professionals

• Wybert radio jingle

1. 1GABA-Gruppe – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2GABA – Wikidatawikidata.org