Neutrogena history

In 1943 Johnson wrote a credo outlining the company's four areas of social responsibility: first to its customers; second to its employees; third to the community and environment; and fourth to the stockholders.

On the heels of the credo came the company's change from family-owned firm to public company, as J & J was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944.

Stolaroff met Belgian chemist Edmond Fromont in 1954, and acquired the rights to distribute his patented formula of a mild clear soap that cleared the skin, without drying it, in the US. By then, Lloyd Cotsen had entered the Stolaroff family by marrying his daughter Joanne Stolaroff.

1960: McNeil Labs introduces Tylenol as an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever.

To bolster its drug R & D efforts, J & J completed its first major pharmaceutical deal since the 1961 purchase of Janssen Pharmaceutica.

Afterward, it was officially changed to Neutrogena by LloydCotsen in 1962.

After becoming the president of Neutrogena in 1967, Cotsen started selling his products through two platforms: dermatologists and luxury hotels.

Under the General's leadership, annual sales grew from $11 million to $700 million at the time of his death in 1968.

Meantime, the company expanded its feminine hygiene line through the 1973 acquisition of the German firm Doctor Carl Hahn G.m.b.H., maker of the o.b. brand of tampons.

1975: Through a significant price decrease, Tylenol is transformed into a mass-marketed product.

Burke succeeded Sellars in 1976 as CEO and chairman of the board, and David R. Clare was appointed president.

In 1979, while Cotsen was in New York on a business trip, his wife, son, and a young house guest were murdered in the family's Beverly Hills home.

Similarly, Neutrogena's shampoo, introduced in 1980, received a sluggish reception at first.

In 1981 the company extended its involvement in eye care through the acquisition of Frontier Contact Lenses.

French marketing executive Christian Bardin had been hired by Neutrogena in 1982 in order to boost international sales.

After 24 years as president of Neutrogena, Lloyd Cotsen stepped up to become chairman (a position that had remained vacant since founder Emanuel Stolaroff died in 1984). Moving into the slot of president and CEO was Allan H. Kurtzman, former president of Max Factor & Co.

Waldholz, Michael, "Johnson & Johnson Defends Emphasis on Long-Term Growth As Profit Surges," Wall Street Journal, August 8, 1985.

In 1986 J & J acquired LifeScan, Inc., maker of at-home blood-monitoring products for diabetics.

Shampoo sales grew 80 to 100 percent annually after this directional change, representing more than one-third of total sales in 1987.

Following the acquisition of Frontier Contact Lenses, which was renamed Vistakon, J & J introduced the Acuvue brand of disposable contact lenses in the United States in 1988.

1989 was a difficult year amid company growing pains.

At the close of fiscal year 1990, Neutrogena was forced to announce that fourth quarter earnings, at $3.2 million, would be 41 percent lower than the $5.4 million earnings of the previous year's final quarter, due to softness in sales of several products in September.

Another subsidiary that grew through acquisitions in this period was Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., which had been spun off from Ethicon in 1992 to concentrate on endoscopic, or minimally invasive, surgical instruments.

The skin care line had received a boost in 1993 through the purchase of RoC S.A. of France, a maker of hypoallergenic facial, hand, body, and other products under the RoC name.

It was bought over by Johnson &Johnson, a US-based conglomerate in 1994.

In 1997, in exchange for several consumer products, J & J acquired the OTC rights to the Motrin brand of ibuprofen pain relievers from Pharmacia & Upjohn.

On the negative side, J & J was forced to initiate a restructuring in 1998 following a number of difficulties.

Also in 1999 J & J acquired the dermatological skin care business of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.--which was primarily made up of the Aveeno brand--for an undisclosed amount.

______, “More Than Medicine: Johnson & Johnson’s CEO Defends the Company’s Slow-Growing Divisions,” Newark Star-Ledger, June 18, 2000.

In June 2001 J&J acquired ALZA Corporation in a $12.3 billion stock-swap transaction, the company's largest purchase yet.

In pharmaceuticals, J&J once again turned acquisitive to bolster a somewhat somnolent drug-development pipeline, buying Scios Inc. in April 2003.

Sales of Natrecor rose to $384 million by 2004, but the potential blockbuster status of the drug came into question following reports that it was damaging patients' kidneys.

In the year of 2009, Johnson & Johnson decided to launch this brand in India.

In 2019, Johnson & Johnson made over $100 billion in sales.