New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-14


The third high spot in the development of
selling ideas was the invention Of soap that
would float One of the greatest industries
in the United States owes its remarkable
growth mainly to the skilful exploitation OF
this one time innovation. Contrary to popular
belief, the floatsbility so to speak, is due in
most cases not to ingredients, but to the proc
ess Of manufacture. While the soap mixture
is still fluid in the boiling vat air is forced
through the mass, which as it hardens impris-
ons minute particles O. atmosphere. The re-
suit is product slightly lighter in specific
gravity than the water with which it is used
ONE METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF
LIGHTER-THAN-WA SOAPS.
Another method is to incorporate filler
tale or some similar light substance. The
agents used in this process have no saponace-
ous value and, although harmless, are distinct
ly an adulteraton They are employed only
in TIE manufacture of the cheaper grades OF
floating soaps Many persons think that soaps
float because they contain oil. Without taking
time to demonstrate the fallacy OF this belief
! will assert only that they don't.
All the big soapmaking concerns in this
country, except few whose entrance into the
field is comparatively recent, had to drive out
the foreign soaps before they attained success.
Less than generation has elapsed since prac-
tcally all our toilet soaps were imported.
Now the American manufacturer not only con-
trolls his home market, bat has successfully in
vaded South America and the West Indies and
even the Old World, Last year we sold abroad
eight times as much soap as we imported Our
soap exports were worth S4,soo,ooo.
A certain scented toilet soap made in New
Jersey has larger sale in the United States
than all the imported toilet soaps combined
It's popularity is the best proof / know of the
prime importance Of having toilet soap pleas
ing to the sense of smell. When its origi
majors, who now, by the way, control the arg
est soap and perfumery plant in the world,
started 70 attack the monopoly of the Euro
pean soapmakers they found that perfum-
they were almost hopelessly behind their
foreign competitors. SO their first move was
the employment OF corps OF competent syn
thetic chemists, who were set to studying the
perfumers art
ONE OF THE CAREFULLY GUARDED
SECRETS OF THE TRADE.
The discovery of the particular perfume
used in their most popular toilet soap was
made by accident after the chemists had spent
months mixing every kind OF smelly stuff they
could find in the hope OF finding a winning
combination. The new perfume was given
mellihuous Oriental name, which soothes
the ear as gratefully as the scent itself tickes
the olfactories. 1t would be interesting to
know the composition OF this widely used per-
fume but that is one OF the most carefully
guarded secrets in the trade
The only imported soap which thus far has
been able to resist the onsaughts OF its Amer
lean competitors is one whose chief ingredient
is distinctly foreign. l mean CASTLE, which, as
everybody knows is made OF olive OIL Amer
lean soapmakers import immense quantities
OF this oil, but most of the CASTLE soap sold
under American bran Is is European made i'm
ported in large bars melted and remoulded
here to bear the names and designs of the
American manufacturer. Naturally this do
mestic CASTLE is just as good as the imported.
but SO deep rooted is the prejudice in favor
OF CASTLE in the old-fashoned cut bars that
the American dealers have had little success
in their efforts 70 persuade consumers to sban-
don this awkward shape for the handler re-
moulded cakes.
Recently the largest manufacturer of CASTLE
soap in Europe discussed with his American
agents the advisability of abandoning the
time-honored bars and putting his product on
the marke. here in small, pressed cakes at
tractively wrapped. The agents opposed the
innovation on the ground that it would deprive
the imported CASTLE of its greatest asset.
Thousands of users they argued, still cherish
the belief that CASTLE is the only pure" soap,
and this market would be sacrificed by adopting
modern methods and trying to beat the Amer
lean manufacturers at their own game. So
the European soap magnate, who had conf
dence in these agents born OF twenty-five
years business association, decided to stick to
his old methods.