Media Information
Happy 80th 'Sprayday' to the UK aerosol
13/03/2008
Major product anniversaries usually revolve around a favourite brand – an evocative, classic fragrance or a must-have face cream. However, the manner in which some products are dispensed is often as important to performance as the ingredients themselves.
Take for instance the fine mist delivered by a favourite aerosol hairspray or the speed of a sports anti-perspirant, life without these just wouldn’t be the same. So it’s time to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of that seemingly most modern of all product formats, the aerosol. Eighty years ago, the Norwegian inventor, Eric Rotheim, was granted the UK patent for his early aerosol, (the forerunner of the aerosols we know today) on November 1st 1928.
The UK now produces nearly a third of the aerosols in Europe and is second only to the USA in world production. About 1.2 billion aerosols are produced each year by companies in Britain with some 50% being exported. UK expertise is renowned throughout the world. So next time you reach for an aerosol, just remember where you’d be without that deceptively simple, but ingenious, piece of packaging.
As Sue Rogers, Director of the trade association the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association [BAMA], says: “Aerosols have been a success story for the past eighty years. People like the combination of ease-of-use, portable convenience and consistent, high performance. Research shows that users like the fine, controllable spray and appreciate the fact that they are airtight, clean and hygienic.” Eighty years on from the granting of the UK patent, there are around 2,000 brands of aerosol products on the market with over 200 different uses.
A Short History of the Aerosol
Although various forms of pressurised containers have existed since 1825, it wasn’t until the 1920s that Eric Rotheim filed patents for devices which most resemble modern aerosols. His invention was designed to allow him to get wax evenly onto his skis. The first commercial production of aerosols took place in Norway but neither of the two ventures lasted; however the Second War changed everything.
In 1942 in the Pacific Rim, more men were being killed by insect borne disease than by the battle itself. This inspired L D Goodhue and W N Sullivan, who were working for the US Department of Agriculture. Goodhue was a research chemist and in 1935 he had the idea of spraying insecticides using liquefied halogenated hydrocarbons but this had never been followed up. During 1941, Goodhue and Sullivan were being pushed to come up with a solution to the Pacific Rim problem so they decided to give Goodhue’s idea a test run. The test was successful and by 1942 portable cylinders were developed for use by soldiers which became known as the ‘Bug Bomb’.
After the war, they became popular with the public as they were sold through army surplus shops. Manufacturers in the US saw the potential. They modified beer cans and replaced the bug bomb’s copper valve with a plastic one. In 1949 production in the UK began.
In the UK, consumer aerosols have been CFC free for nineteen years, since the industry voluntarily removed them in 1989. The industry continues to take a responsible stance towards environmental issues and safety and its products. For example, the aerosol recycling campaign that BAMA has run over several years targeting local authorities has been a great success. Six years ago BAMA estimated that only 7% of local authorities were collecting aerosols for recycling. Today, over 75% of local authorities accept empty aerosols. However, research indicates that many consumers are still unaware that empty aerosols can be recycled along with other household waste. Go to http://www.recycleaerosols.co.uk/ for further information.
AEROSOL MILESTONES
1825 Charlie Plinth introduces the Regency portable fountain to dispense soft drinks using carbon dioxide.
1837 Perpigna invents an early soda siphon incorporating a valve.
1899 Hebling & Pertsch patent an aerosol pressurised using methyl and ethylchloride as propellant.
1928 Eric Rotheim patents the early aerosol in the UK, the forerunner of the aerosols we know today.
1933 Early aerosol fire extinguishers were invented for use in motor cars by Midgely (General Motors).
1942 Goodhue and Sullivan developed the first aerosol insecticides, the ‘Bug Bomb’, for use by US War II.
1945 Throw-away cans and valves are developed making commercial production a reality.
1947 Aerosol contract filling begins in the US.
1949 The first automated filling lines are installed in the UK by Walter Gregory & Co and Cooper McDougall and Robertson.
FIRST AEROSOLS INTO THE UK
1942 Insecticide
1949/50 Veterinary (maggot spray, ring worm spray, foot rot spray)
1949/50 Air freshener (Press Clear – Walter Gregory & Co, Fresh-Aire – Coopers, McDougall & Robertson)
1953/54 Paint
1954 Hairspray
1954 Shaving foam (Colgate – Rapid Shave)
1954/55 Deodorants
1959 Furniture polish
1963 Medical (antibiotic spray)
Mid 60s Oven cleaner
1965 Antiperspirant (Arrid Extra Dry – Carter-Wallace)
Late 60s Nebulisers
1986 Hair Mousse
1987 Shaving gel (Aerosols International)
1994 Bathroom Mousse
1998 Shower Gels
2005/6 DNA Tracer Spray (Walk Easy Ltd)
(FEA International Aerosol Awards winner – Most Innovative Aerosol Product)
2005/6 Asthma Inhaler with dose reader (Valois)
(FEA International Aerosol Awards Winner - Innovation in Aerosol Package Design)
2006 Liquid Plasters
Ten Things You May Not Know About Aerosols
1. Aerosols were invented by Norwegian, Erik Rotheim, in 1929 to help him put wax on his skis.
2. The most expensive aerosols ever made was a diamond spray used to rub down precision moulds.
3. The most popular aerosols are deodorants and body sprays. They were first made in the UK in 1954.
4. The first aerosols made in the UK were insecticides and air fresheners in 1942.
5. Pepsi produced an aerosol so that astronauts could get a drink of cola without getting soaked.
6. UK aerosols have not contained CFCs since 1989.
7. Aerosols are used for many reasons, for instance on farms to prevent pigs mating or to make lambs accept their foster mothers.
8. Different types of aerosols spray at different rates and even have a certain sound. You would have a shock if your deodorant sprayed at the same rate as your de-icer.
9. Empty aerosols can be recycled.
10. Food aerosols other than cream are popular in some countries: the Japanese have coffee and chicken soup whilst Americans relish aerosol ketchup and mustard.
ends
For further press information or images please contact:
Gill Shaffer
Axiom Communications
020 8347 8206
e-mail: gill@axiom-uk.com