Lifebuoy Soap – Advert, 1940

Lifebuoy was introduced in England by Lever Brothers in 1895, and marketed as a soap that could be used in every part of the house, from the bathroom to the kitchen.  It was originally, and for much of its history, a carbolic soap, containing phenol (carbolic acid, a compound extracted from coal tar), but in later versions the phenol was removed Lifebuoy’s popularity reached its peak between 1932 and 1948.  After World War Two, when more materials were available and rationing was over, other more appealing soaps began to take hold of…