Phisoderm

Phisoderm is a skin detergent which assists persons who are allergic to soap and Phisohex, a detergent^[1] and sudsless cleanser^[2] which prevents the spread of infections. In the 1950s both Phisoderm and Phisohex were manufactured by Winthrop Laboratories. Earlier the product was made by Fairchild Brothers & Foster. Phisoderm was developed by Dr. B. Thurber Guild (1886 - 1958), a physician and pharmaceutical manufacturer. Guild practiced medicine in Boston, Massachusetts and was a specialist in allergies.^[1] The brand is currently owned by Mentholatum.

Withdrawal from sale and reinstatement

Both Phisoderm and Phisohex were removed by drugstores and retail outlet stores when the Food and Drug Administration halted the production and distribution of products containing more than 1% of hexachlorophene, in September 1972.^[2]

Phisoderm continued to be produced by Winthrop Laboratories, a division of Sterling Drug, in 1980. An over-the-counter drug, its advertising was carried out by Warren Muller Dulubowsky.^[3] By April 1989 Sterling Drug was owned by Eastman Kodak. Three Sterling brands, Haley's M-O, Philips' Milk of Magnesia, and Phisoderm, were being advertised by N.W. Ayer.^[4] In 1991 the Phisoderm account was picked up by Ammirati & Puris of New York.^[5] When Bayer bought Sterling in 1994, Chattem acquired the Phisoderm brand by that time. In 2005, it was sold to The Mentholatum Company.

References

1. Dr. B. Thurber Guild, Allergist, Was 72, New York Times, June 17, 1958, pg. 29.
2. Germicide Limit Stirs Confusion, New York Times, September 24, 1972, pg. 53.
3. A Sterling Drug Account May Be Up For Grabs, New York Times, April 14, 1980, pg. D7.
4. Advertising, Moves By Sterling, New York Times, November 8, 1989, pg. D25.
5. Advertising New York Times, June 25, 1991, pg. D21.