The Brands of Procter and Gamble Quiz

Answer: Pampers

Pampers nappies were first sold in the US in 1961. The idea for developing disposable nappies first occurred to Victor Mills, a researcher at Procter and Gamble, in 1956 as he disliked changing the cloth nappies worn by his grandchild. The nappies have changed over time as better materials have been developed meaning they have become thinner and lighter.

Answer: Always (or Whisper)

The Always brand was introduced by Procter and Gamble in 1983. Always products are sold under the Whisper brand name in Australia and Asia. Always manufacture a range of feminine hygiene products including sanitary pads, pantyliners, cleansing wipes and incontinence pads.

Answer: Head and Shoulders

Head and Shoulders was first sold in the US in 1961. The main ingredient used for tackling dandruff is Zinc pyrithione which has fungal and bacteria inhibiting properties.

Answer: Oral-B

The Oral-B brand name was created by Dr Robert W Hutson a US periodontist. In the 1950s Hutson developed and patented new designs of toothbrush which aimed to be better at cleaning teeth while being gentler on gums than existing toothbrushes. Procter and Gamble acquired the Oral-B brand in 2006.

Answer: Olay

Olay, originally known as Oil of Olay, was developed by chemist Graham Wulff in South Africa in 1952. The brand was sold under slightly different names in some countries including Oil of Ulay in Australia and Oil of Olaz in Western Europe. Procter and Gamble acquired the brand in 1985 and in 1999 decided to drop the name changes and the 'Oil of' and now market the brand worldwide under the brand name 'Olay'. Today Olay is a market leader in anti-aging beauty creams.

Answer: Gillette

The Gillette Company was formed in 1901 and named after its founder, King C Gillette, an American manufacturer of safety razors. The Gillette company merged with Procter and Gamble in 2005.

Answer: Febreze

The Febreze brand name comes from mixing together the words fabric and breeze, and was in fact originally marketed in the UK as "Fabreeze". The first product sold under the brand name was a fabric freshening spray which was designed for removing smells from hard-to-launder items like sofas and curtains.

The product range has expanded over the years to include air fresheners as well as the original fabric spray.

Answer: Braun

Braun was founded in Germany in 1921. The company originally manufactured radio sets but in the 1950s expanded their product range to include other electrical goods including electric shavers. After Procter and Gamble took over Braun they stopped production of other appliances and focused on electric beauty and grooming products.

Answer: Vicks

Vicks was started by brothers in law pharmacist Lunsford Richardson and Dr Joshua Vick when they started marketing Vick's Family Remedies in 1890. The famous Vicks VapoRub was first sold in 1891 under the name of Croup and Pneumonia Salve, it was changed to its modern name in 1912.

As well as VapoRub Vicks also manufacture the cold relief medicines DayQuil and Nyquil alongside Formula 44 cough medicines. The company was bought by Proctor and Gamble in 1985.

Answer: Mr Clean (or Flash)

The first Mr Clean product was developed by Linwood Burton who ran a ship cleaning business. They developed Mr Clean as an alternative to the caustic cleaners that his workers used in a bid to cut disability payouts due to health problems caused by the chemicals.

In 1958 the product was sold to Procter and Gamble. Procter and Gamble came up with the famous Mr Clean mascot to help market the product. In the UK another company has the rights to the name 'Mr Clean' and so the product is marketed under the name Flash.