About Vicks

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For more than 100 years, families have turned to Vicks® to reclaim their days and nights from cold and flu symptoms. Take a look at the Vicks heritage to see just how far the legacy has grown.

A Century of Soothing, Comforting Care

		Pharmacist Lunsford Richardson purchases Dr. Joshua Vick’s retail drug business in Greensboro, North Carolina. His brother-in-law, along with Dr. Vick and a package of Vicks Seeds, are the inspiration for the Vicks name, which he feels is medicinal sounding.
Vick’s medicinal remedies become an instant hit. Castor oil, liniment, and dead shot vermifuge are included in the product line. The best-selling product is Croup and Pneumonia Salve.
		Smith Richardson joins the family business. He persuades his father to sell only the Croup and Pneumonia Salve and market the product under the moniker VapoRub®. Smith pushes the family to change the name of the company to the "Vick Chemical Company."
		VapoRub links onto the U.S. national distribution chain amidst an outbreak of Spanish influenza. Consumers look to VapoRub for relief and sales rocket from $900,000 to $2.9 million in one year.
		Vicks VapoRub rapidly gains popularity on the international market. People in more than 60 countries turn to VapoRub for immediate relief.
Vick’s Nose & Throat Drops (later renamed to Va-Tro-Nol) and Cough Drops (regular flavor) are launched to expand the product line.
		Vicks creates a fully operational Research and Development (R&D) department, which begins developing new products to help relieve cold and flu symptoms. The team releases a variety of new signature Vicks products, including VapoSteam®, Sinex®, and Formula 44®.
Vicks R&D touts a promising new multi-symptom cough and cold syrup to take the lead in an untapped market. According to legend, the syrup name, NyQuil®, was derived from the term “nighttime tranquility.”
NyQuil hits the national distribution road, and quickly becomes one of the most popular Vicks products.
		Vicks develops DayCare to provide relief for daytime cough and cold symptoms. DayCare launches nationally in the United States, and soon dons the name DayQuil®, a mainstay of American medicine cabinets.
The world is introduced to the timeless NyQuil slogan, “The nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so you can rest medicine.” The company’s official name is changed to Richardson-Vicks.
		Richardson-Vicks approaches Procter & Gamble to discuss a merger in avoidance of a hostile takeover. Negotiations end with a deal that establishes VapoRub and NyQuil as new members of the P&G family.
Vicks carves its niche in the market with the introduction of Pediatric Formulas 44e and 44m, followed by Children’s NyQuil.
		Vicks releases a variety of advanced cold- and flu-relieving products, including NyQuil LiquiCaps, Vicks VapoRub Cream, and DayQuil Allergy Relief. A global packaging redesign effort aligns all of the Vicks packaging to give every product a consistent look and feel.
Vicks continues to develop and refine innovative cold- and flu-symptom-relief products, such as DayQuil Sinus, NyQuil Sinus, and Vicks BabyRub.
		Vicks unveils DayQuil Cold & Flu Symptom Relief Plus Vitamin C.
See all of the products Vicks has to offer.