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Band-Aid

Product type	Adhesive bandage/dressing
Owner	Kenvue
Country	U.S.
Introduced	June 1920 (invention)
Markets	Worldwide
Tagline	"I am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!" (US) "Stays on until you want it off" (Aus)
Website	www.band-aid.com

Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.

History

The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey, for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.

The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of sterilized Band-Aids in 1939.

In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide.

In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman, Spider-Man, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and Batman.

In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, Lysol, by more than two points.

Trademark status

Over time, Band-Aid has become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America. Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has tried to prevent its genericization in its marketing.

See also

• Elastoplast, a comparable European brand and genericized trademark

References

1. "History of Innovation". Band-Aid. Johnson & Johnson. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
2. "Band-Aid". Band-Aid. Johnson & Johnson. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
3. "Kenvue | A new name for an iconic consumer health company". Lippincott.
4. "Historical timeline". hphistory.org. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
5. "BAND-AID® Brand Heritage". Johnson & Johnson. April 2015. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
6. "The History of the Band-Aid". Retrieved 25 August 2018.
7. "The Story of the Black Band-Aid". The Atlantic. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
8. "Most Trusted Brands 2022". Morning Consult. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
9. "Has band-aid become a generic trademark?". genericides.org. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
10. "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval: BAND-AID". USPTO. May 15, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
11. Wenlei, Ma (July 1, 2014). "The curse of generification for brands such as Band-Aid, Hoover, Google, Xerox and escalator". News.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2021.

External links

• Band-Aid Brand Official Website
• Band-Aid Brand History
• Johnson & Johnson First Aid Website Archived 2011-07-30 at the Wayback Machine

• Products introduced in 1920
• First aid
• Drugs developed by Johnson & Johnson
• Personal care brands
• Brands that became generic