Combe Incorporated history

When they were satisfied with the formula, Combe launched the product in 1951, calling it Clearasil, a name that played to the teenage desire for clear skin.

In 1952, he moved his offices to 100 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, New York, sharing a second floor location with a beauty parlor.

Eastco soon outgrew this location too, and in 1956 moved to a larger office in White Plains, where Combe operated for the next 16 years.

By 1960, Clearasil was doing well enough that Mr.

In 1962, Combe created the men's hair color category with the introduction of Grecian Formula 16, a product that gradually dyed away gray hair.

In the 1970's, for instance, Combe introduced a hair removal product called Delila, inauspiciously named after Samson's hair-shearing, strength-sapping lover.

In 1971, Combe hired a head of a research and development unit, recruiting a man named Doctor Herbert Lapidus, who would play a major role in the creation of new products over the next 30 years.

In June 1974, Combe opened its first manufacturing plant, located in Rantoul, Illinois.

''My father always said learn with someone else's money first,'' said Christopher Combe, who has been working at the company since 1975.

An example of the latter was the Sea Bond denture adhesive, which had been introduced in 1978 but proved a disappointment.

Odor-Eaters for Women was introduced in 1988, followed a year later by Odor-Eaters Foot Powder.