Listerine
Template:Short description Template:Infobox brand Listerine (Template:IPAc-en, Template:Respell) is an American brand of antiseptic mouthwash that is promoted with the slogan "Kills germs that cause bad breath". Named after Joseph Lister, who pioneered antiseptic surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in United Kingdom, Listerine was developed in 1879 by Joseph Lawrence, a chemist in St. Louis, Missouri.<ref name="Newton">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Originally marketed by the Lambert Pharmacal Company (which later became Warner–Lambert), Listerine has been manufactured and distributed by Johnson & Johnson since that company's acquisition of Pfizer's consumer healthcare division on December 20, 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Listerine brand name is also used in toothpaste, chewable tablets, and self-dissolving teeth-whitening strips.
History
Inspired by Louis Pasteur's ideas on microbial infection, the English doctor Joseph Lister demonstrated in 1865 that use of carbolic acid on surgical dressings would significantly reduce rates of post-surgical infection. Lister's work in turn inspired St. Louis-based doctor Joseph Lawrence to develop an alcohol-based formula for a surgical antiseptic which included eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol (its exact composition was a trade secret). Lawrence named his antiseptic "Listerine" in honor of Lister.<ref name=Listerine>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lawrence hoped to promote Listerine's use as a general germicide as well as a surgical antiseptic, and licensed his formula to a local pharmacist named Jordan Wheat Lambert in 1881. Lambert subsequently started the Lambert Pharmacal Company, marketing Listerine.<ref name=Listerine/> Listerine was promoted to dentists for oral care in 1895<ref name=DentalJournal>Template:Cite journal</ref> and was the first over-the-counter mouthwash sold in the United States, in 1914.<ref name=Casey>Template:Cite book</ref>
Lambert's licensing agreement with Lawrence required that he and his "heirs, executors and assigns" be paid royalties by Lambert or its successors for each bottle sold in perpetuity, until such time that Lambert or its successors ceases manufacturing Listerine.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Most of these royalty shares are held by Lawrence's heirs. Real estate broker John Reynolds bought a roughly 50% stake in the royalties in the 1950s, which he then transferred to the Archdiocese of New York, and was later resold to other parties to help fund the diocese. The Salvation Army, American Bible Society, and Wellesley College also held shares in Listerine royalties.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":1" />
Listerine entered common household use after Jordan Wheat Lambert's son Gerard Lambert joined the company and promoted an aggressive marketing campaign.<ref name="Listerine" /> According to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's book Freakonomics:<ref>Template:Cite book
Previous editions of Freakonomics incorrectly described halitosis as a "faux medical term", which this Wikipedia article previously reflected.</ref>
In 1955, Lambert Pharmacal merged with New York–based Warner-Hudnut and became Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company, and incorporated in Delaware with its corporate headquarters in Morris Plains, New Jersey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the merger, Warner-Lambert attempted to back out of the aforementioned royalty agreements with Lawrence by filing a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The company cited that the payments were based upon Listerine's formula having initially been a trade secret, but that since the formula had been published in 1931, the property no longer had a value, and that the indefinite agreement was legally unreasonable. The court, however, ruled in favor of Lawrence and the defendants, citing that the conditions were plainly-worded, implicit, and could be waived by ending production of the product.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2000, Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Among Lambert's assets was the original land for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From 1921 until the mid-1970s, Listerine was also marketed as preventive and remedy for colds and sore throats. In 1976, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that these claims were misleading, and that Listerine had "no efficacy" at either preventing or alleviating the symptoms of sore throats and colds. Warner-Lambert was ordered to stop making the claims, and to include in the next $10.2 million worth of Listerine ads specific mention that "Listerine will not help prevent colds or sore throats or lessen their severity."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The advertisement run by Listerine added the preamble "contrary to prior advertising".<ref>Business: Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment by Marianne M. Jennings, 8th edition, page 324, "Given these safeguards, we believe the preamble 'Contrary to prior advertising' is not necessary."</ref>
For a short time, beginning in 1927, the Lambert Pharmaceutical Company marketed Listerine Cigarettes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From the 1930s into the 1950s, advertisements claimed that applying Listerine to the scalp could prevent "infectious dandruff".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Listerine was packaged in a glass bottle inside a corrugated cardboard tube for nearly 80 years before the first revamps were made to the brand: in 1992, Cool Mint Listerine was introduced in addition to the original Listerine Antiseptic formula and, in 1994, both brands were introduced in plastic bottles for the first time. In 1995, FreshBurst was added,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> then in 2003 Natural Citrus.Template:Citation needed In 2006 a new addition to the "less intense" variety, Vanilla Mint, was released. Nine different kinds of Listerine are on the market in the U.S. and elsewhere: Original, Cool Mint, FreshBurst, Natural Citrus, Naturals, Soft Mint (Vanilla Mint), UltraClean (formerly Advanced Listerine), Tooth Defense (mint shield), and Whitening pre-brush rinse (clean mint).Template:Citation needed In the United Kingdom, where in recent years the only option for most residents to obtain the original Listerine was to purchase from a dwindling number of larger branches of Boots the Chemist only the flavoured products are now obtainable as Boots has removed the Original from its selection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Original is not listed on the Listerine UK website as among the Listerine products available in the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Composition
According to the product overview, the ingredients are as following for Listerine Total Care.<ref name="listerine.com">Template:Cite web</ref> Similar distribution is contained in other varieties, which also list the essential oils as active ingredients.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Listerine Total Care
Active ingredient
- Sodium fluoride 0.02% (0.01% w/v fluoride ion)
Inactive ingredients
- Water
- Sorbitol
- Alcohol (21.6% v/v)
- Poloxamer 407
- Sodium saccharin
- Flavor
- Eucalyptol
- Methyl salicylate
- Thymol
- Phosphoric acid
- Menthol
- Disodium phosphate
- Sucralose
- Red 40
- Blue 1
Distributions in case of Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash, Original-05/22/2008 for essential oils are: menthol (mint) 0.042%, thymol (thyme) 0.064%, methyl salicylate (wintergreen) 0.06%, and eucalyptol (eucalyptus) 0.092%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Benefits
In combination, all have an antiseptic effect,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and there is some thought that methyl salicylate may have an anti-inflammatory effect as well.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Ethanol, which is toxic to bacteria at concentrations of 40%,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> is present in concentrations of 21.6%<ref name="listerine.com"/> in the flavored product and 26.9%<ref name=":0" /> in the original gold Listerine Antiseptic.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At this concentration, the ethanol serves to dissolve the active ingredients.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Research indicates that Listerine can reduce dental plaque by 22.2% and gingivitis by 28.2% at 6 months. Dental plaque by 20.8% and gingivitis by 27.7% at 6 months, when compared with vehicle in test. The vehicle was 26.9% hydroalcoholic containing all ingredients in Listerine Antiseptic except its essential oils.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Listerine also sell a formulation called Listerine Advanced Defence Gum Treatment containing a common food preservative, ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE) at 0.147%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Safety
Alcohol
The addition of essential oils means the ethanol is considered to be undrinkable, known as denatured alcohol, and it is therefore not regulated as an alcoholic beverage in the United States (Specially Denatured Alcohol Formula 38-B, specified in Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21, Subpart D). However, consumption of mouthwash to obtain intoxication does occur, especially among alcoholics and underage drinkers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The use of alcohol-containing mouthwash such as Listerine may increase the risk of developing oral cancer in some cases, see Template:Sectionlink.<ref name=":19">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2009, Johnson and Johnson launched a new alcohol-free version of the product called Listerine Zero.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
Contaminants
On April 11, 2007, McNeil-PPC disclosed that there were potentially contaminants in all Listerine Agent Cool Blue products sold since its launch in 2006, and that all bottles were being recalled.<ref name="LACBpresser">Template:Cite press release</ref> The recall affected some 4,000,000 bottles sold since that time.<ref name="WNJ">Template:Cite news</ref> According to the company, Listerine Agent Cool Blue is the only product affected by the contamination and no other products in the Listerine family were under recall.<ref name="LACBpresser" />