Mentholatum
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA long-established non-prescription healthcare and skincare brand built around mentholated ointments, lip care, topical pain relief, and related consumer health products.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Mentholatum is a consumer healthcare and skincare brand whose origins date to 1889, when Albert Alexander Hyde established the Yucca Company in Wichita, Kansas, after leaving the real-estate business. The company initially manufactured shaving creams, laundry soap, toilet soap, and a camphor-and-menthol cough preparation. Hyde’s interest in menthol’s cooling and soothing properties led to several years of experimentation and the launch of the original Mentholatum Ointment in December 1894. The ointment combined menthol with petrolatum and became the product around which the company’s identity and later corporate name were built. The business expanded rapidly in the United States. A Buffalo, New York, office opened in 1903 to support distribution east of the Mississippi River, and in 1906 the Yucca Company formally adopted the name The Mentholatum Company. Manufacturing capacity followed, with a Wichita factory built in 1909 and a Buffalo factory completed in 1919. After Hyde’s death in 1935, the Wichita operation was closed, while corporate offices moved first to Wilmington, Delaware, and later to Buffalo. The Buffalo factory remained associated with the company until 1997 and has subsequently been redeveloped; the building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2017. Mentholatum developed an important international connection with Japan through William Merrell Vories, an American missionary and entrepreneur who obtained Japanese sales rights in 1913. From 1920, his Omi Sales Company imported and sold Mentholatum products in Japan. After the Japanese distribution business later failed, Rohto Pharmaceutical obtained Mentholatum trademark rights in 1975 and began manufacturing and selling products including Mentholatum Ointment and Mentholatum Medicated Lip Stick. Rohto acquired The Mentholatum Company in June 1988, bringing the historic American brand into a Japanese pharmaceutical and consumer-health group. Following the acquisition, the brand expanded its Asian manufacturing and distribution footprint. The Mentholatum Zhongshan Pharmaceuticals joint venture was established in Guangdong in 1991 to support Chinese expansion. Local production and sales of eye drops began in China in 1996, while Rohto-related operations were also established in Indonesia and Japan. During the 1990s, Mentholatum broadened its portfolio beyond its original ointment to include eye-care products, lip protectants, topical pain-relief products, cold-related remedies, and other non-prescription healthcare lines. Zi for Eyes, introduced in 1999, received a Superdrug Health & Beauty Awards recognition for new eyecare products. The modern portfolio has included the core Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub—marketed as Deep Heat outside the United States—and Mentholatum Lip Care. Other products and acquired or distributed lines mentioned in the company’s history include Softlips, Natural Ice, pain patches, Migraine Ice, Fletcher’s laxative products, and several oral-care or cough-related remedies. In 2005, the company acquired the Oxy skincare branding from GlaxoSmithKline and the Phisoderm brand from Chattem, extending its reach into youth-oriented and broader facial skincare. By the mid-2000s, the brand reported distribution in more than 130 countries. Mentholatum celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2014 and remains an active Rohto-associated consumer healthcare brand.
History
The Mentholatum story began in 1889, when Albert Alexander Hyde founded the Yucca Company in Wichita, Kansas. The early business made shaving creams, laundry soap, and toilet soap, and also marketed a cough preparation containing camphor and menthol. Hyde’s interest in menthol led to a period of research and experimentation that culminated in the introduction of Mentholatum Ointment in December 1894. The product used menthol and petrolatum in a topical preparation designed to provide a cooling and soothing sensation, and its commercial success eventually caused the company to adopt the Mentholatum name. Expansion followed in the United States. In 1903, Hyde opened a Buffalo office to manage distribution east of the Mississippi River. The company officially became The Mentholatum Company in 1906 and constructed a new Wichita factory in 1909. A second factory opened in Buffalo in 1919. After Hyde died in 1935, the Wichita factory closed. The company’s offices moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1937 and to Buffalo in 1945. The Buffalo facility operated as a Mentholatum site until 1997 and later became a redevelopment project. Its historic significance was recognized through National Register listing in 2017. International development began particularly early in Japan. William Merrell Vories obtained rights to sell Mentholatum products there in 1913, and his Omi Sales Company began importing and distributing the products in 1920. Although the Japanese business eventually went bankrupt in 1974, the brand’s Japanese presence created an important foundation for its later connection with Rohto Pharmaceutical. Rohto obtained Mentholatum trademark rights in 1975 and produced products such as Mentholatum Ointment and Mentholatum Medicated Lip Stick. In June 1988, Rohto acquired The Mentholatum Company. Under Rohto ownership, Mentholatum pursued wider Asian production and distribution. A Chinese joint venture, The Mentholatum Zhongshan Pharmaceuticals, was established in 1991. Eye drops began local production and sales in China in 1996, and related operations were established in Indonesia and Japan during the same period. The product range expanded during the 1990s to include topical pain relief, lip protection, eyecare, cold remedies, cough drops, laxatives, pain patches, and specialized products such as migraine cooling pads. The Zi for Eyes product was introduced in 1999 and received a Superdrug Health & Beauty Awards recognition. The company continued to diversify in the 2000s. In December 2005, it acquired the Oxy skincare branding from GlaxoSmithKline and purchased Phisoderm from Chattem. These transactions supported a broader skincare strategy, including products aimed at younger consumers. Mentholatum’s international distribution reached more than 130 countries by 2005. Its best-known continuing product families remain Mentholatum Ointment, Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub or Deep Heat, and Mentholatum Lip Care. The brand celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2014 and continues as a Rohto-associated consumer healthcare and personal-care business.
- 2017
Buffalo building received historic designation
[1]The former Buffalo Mentholatum building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 2014
125th anniversary
[1]Mentholatum commemorated 125 years of operation.
- 2005
Oxy and Phisoderm transactions expanded skincare portfolio
[1]Mentholatum acquired the Oxy branding and the Phisoderm brand.
- 1999
Zi for Eyes introduced
[1]The company launched Zi for Eyes, a cooling and refreshing eye product that later received a Superdrug Health & Beauty Awards recognition.
- 1996
Eye drops began local production in China
[1]Mentholatum started local production and sales of eye drops in China.
- 1991
Chinese joint venture established
[1]The Mentholatum Zhongshan Pharmaceuticals joint venture was formed in Guangdong.
- 1988
Rohto acquired The Mentholatum Company
[1]The acquisition integrated the American brand into the Japanese pharmaceutical company’s international portfolio.
- 1975
Rohto obtained Japanese Mentholatum trademark rights
[1]Rohto Pharmaceutical gained trademark rights in Japan and began manufacturing and selling Mentholatum products there.
- 1919
Buffalo factory opened
[1]A second factory was constructed in Buffalo, New York.
- 1913
Japanese sales rights granted to William Merrell Vories
[1]Vories obtained rights to sell Mentholatum products in Japan.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, non-prescription healthcare and skincare brand emphasizing cooling, soothing, protective, and practical everyday-use products.
Topical ointment · 1894
Mentholatum Ointment
The original product introduced in 1894 and the foundation of the brand. It combines menthol with petrolatum in a topical preparation associated with cooling, soothing, and protective use. The ointment remains one of Mentholatum’s defining products and is sold across multiple international markets.
Topical pain relief
Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub
A topical rub developed as part of Mentholatum’s pain-relief range. In markets outside the United States it is branded as Deep Heat. It extends the brand’s original mentholated topical format into products associated with warming sensations and temporary relief for muscle or joint discomfort.
Lip care
Mentholatum Lip Care
A family of lip balms and medicated lip protectants that became one of Mentholatum’s principal product lines. The range builds on the brand’s protective and soothing positioning and includes products marketed under Mentholatum and related labels such as Natural Ice and Softlips.
Eyecare · 1996
Eye-care products
Mentholatum expanded into eye drops and refreshing eye products during its international growth period. Local production and sales in China began in 1996, and the Zi for Eyes product was introduced in 1999 with a cooling-oriented proposition.
Facial skincare
Oxy
A skincare brand whose branding was acquired by Mentholatum from GlaxoSmithKline in 2005. The transaction supported the company’s move into broader facial skincare and products aimed particularly at younger consumers.
Facial skincare
Phisoderm
A facial-skincare brand acquired from Chattem in 2005. Its addition broadened Mentholatum’s brand portfolio beyond traditional mentholated ointments and topical remedies.
Laxative and digestive remedy
Fletcher's
A laxative product line purchased from Sterling Drug in 1984. It represents one of the company’s historical expansions into non-prescription digestive healthcare products.
Cooling relief product
Migraine Ice
Cooling pads developed for people seeking non-drug cooling relief associated with migraine symptoms. The product was among the specialized consumer-health items included in Mentholatum’s late-1990s portfolio.
Brand decisions
2005
Expansion through Oxy and PhisodermM&ABackground
Mentholatum sought to diversify beyond its traditional topical healthcare products and reach younger skincare consumers.
Action taken
The company acquired the Oxy skincare branding from GlaxoSmithKline and purchased Phisoderm from Chattem.
Aftermath
The transactions expanded the company’s facial-skincare portfolio and supported new packaging, scents, and youth-oriented offerings.
Phisoderm acquisition price. $9.6 million (November 30, 2005)
1988
Acquisition by Rohto PharmaceuticalM&ABackground
Rohto had already developed Mentholatum products in Japan after obtaining local trademark rights.
Action taken
Rohto Pharmaceutical acquired The Mentholatum Company in June 1988.
Aftermath
Mentholatum became part of Rohto’s international consumer healthcare portfolio and subsequently expanded manufacturing and distribution in Asia.
1975
Rohto developed the Mentholatum brand in JapanStrategyBackground
After the Japanese business associated with William Merrell Vories became insolvent in 1974, Rohto Pharmaceutical obtained Mentholatum trademark rights in Japan.
Action taken
Rohto manufactured and sold Mentholatum Ointment and Mentholatum Medicated Lip Stick in the Japanese market.
Aftermath
The Japanese trademark relationship preceded Rohto’s acquisition of the entire Mentholatum Company in 1988.
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