Mecca Ointment
| Company type | Brand |
|---|---|
| Industry | Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Founder | Albert D. Foster |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
| Products | Topical first aid ointment |
| Website | www |
Mecca Ointment serves as a topical first aid treatment designed to provide short-term alleviation of discomfort and itching caused by minor burns, sunburn, cuts, scrapes, insect stings, and other slight skin irritations. Its formulation includes the active components of Phenol at 0.5%, Camphor at 0.5%, and Zinc Oxide at 1.25%. This ointment is presently available for purchase in Canada.
History of Mecca Ointment
The Mecca Compound recipe was created in 1898 by Albert D. Foster, an analytical chemist. Foster was a co-founder of the Foster-Dack Company based in Chicago, which originally produced Mecca Ointment. The product entered the U.S. market during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was introduced to the Canadian market soon after. Foster-Dack operated its Canadian headquarters and manufacturing facility at 337 King St. W., Toronto, Ontario. In addition, Mecca Ointment was distributed throughout England and Scotland in the early 1900s.
Ownership of Mecca Ointment remained with Foster-Dack until the intellectual property rights were transferred to The Mentholatum Company located in Orchard Park, New York, which handled its production and sales until 2004. On February 8, 2011, Vintage Brands Ltd. purchased all intellectual property rights related to Mecca Ointment from Mentholatum.
Key dates
1888 Albert D. Foster, a pharmacist and analytical chemist in Council Bluffs, Iowa, formulated a medicinal ointment that he initially sold within his local community.
1898 Foster set up a laboratory in Chicago dedicated to manufacturing Mecca Ointment; the U.S. office was situated at 3148 Cottage Grove.
1907 On January 18, the Foster-Dack Company was officially incorporated in Canada with its office based in Toronto.
1920 Foster-Dack released "Mecca Ointment - The Household Remedy," an informational brochure now preserved at McMaster University.
1921-1922 The trademark for "Mecca Compound" was registered in the United States (1921) and subsequently in Canada (1922).
1929 The Foster-Dack Company of Chicago was incorporated with shareholders including A.D. Foster and his family members.
1970 On March 10, Foster-Dack Company Ltd. was formally dissolved.
1972 The Canadian trademark for Mecca was transferred to The Mentholatum Company.
2011 Vintage Brands Ltd. acquired all intellectual property rights pertaining to Mecca Ointment from Mentholatum on February 8.