Purell
Perspective
ON THE ORIGINS OF BRANDS AND THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD THEMTHE PUMP
Sen. Rob Portman
is trying to lift
federal tariffs on
pump-dispenser
parts that are
bottlenecking
production.THE BATCH
For all the frenzy
over Purell, it’s
actually a simple
product: 70%
alcohol, plus
moisturizers like
glycerin.THE NAME
In the late 1980s,
GOJO’s CEO
initially toyed with
calling the brand
Flash because “it
worked in a flash.”THIS FAMOUS HAND
SANITIZER IS EASILY THE
MOST IN-DEMAND PRODUCT
IN THE U.S.—BUT 30 YEARS
AGO NOBODY WANTED
ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
BY ROBERT KLARA«