HISTORY OF INNOVATION
Looking Back While Moving Forward
Our products have been used by millions—even billions—of people for more than a century, giving BAND-AID® Brand an iconic place in American culture. We reached that place through a history of innovation, healing, and caring for our customers. And while we’re always looking forward to see what we can do next and how we can help, sometimes it’s good to take a look back and see how far we’ve come.
BAND-AID® Brand: A History of Innovation
Take a look at where we started to see how our product was invented and how our dedication to healing and innovation has propelled us through the years.
Combining two products from Johnson & Johnson—adhesive tape and gauze—Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer, creates a bandage that his wife can apply herself. And the BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage is invented.
BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages make their first appearance in stores. These early bandages are extra long strips, measuring 3 inches wide and 18 inches long, which need to be cut to fit.
Gone are the cut-to-fit bandages, and in their place are mass-produced BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages that are ready to use at 3 inches long by ¾ inch wide. There’s a little red string in the packaging for consumers to easily tear it open.
The iconic tin packaging is debuted. Once people have made use of all the BAND-AID® Brand bandages, the empty tins become reusable canisters to hold everything from nails and buttons to marbles and baseball cards.
BAND-AID® Brand introduces its first waterproof bandage, called the DryBak.
BAND-AID® Brand ships millions of adhesive bandages overseas to the front lines during World War II, many of them packaged inside soldiers’ first aid kits.
BAND-AID® Brand Stars ‘n Strips adhesive bandages hit the market. They are the brand’s first mass-marketed, decorated bandages.
Bandages reach the moon! BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages are part of the medical kit on the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which landed the first man on the moon.
The catchy commercial jingle, “I am stuck on BAND-AID® Brand cuz BAND-AID’s stuck on me” is composed. It later won a Clio Award in 1976.
Special character BAND-AID® Brand bandages are introduced for the first time, and they’re an instant hit with kids.
BAND-AID® Brand bandage wrappers become easier to rip into when the red pull-string is replaced with a new tear-apart design.
Tin containers go the way of collectors and future limited-edition collectible versions as BAND-AID® Brand switches their packaging to cardboard.
BAND-AID® Brand joins the online world by launching BAND-AID.com.
BAND-AID® Brand Skin-Flex® adhesive bandages hit the market, giving touchscreen-using customers the ability to keep on texting even with a paper cut.
BAND-AID® Brand honors its 100th anniversary through its partnership with CARE.org and their "100 Days of Care" program.
BAND-AID® Brand introduces OURTONE™ bandages, designed to better blend with brown skin tones.
With more than 100 years of innovation under our belts, we are as committed as ever to continue help our consumers celebrate the tries, not just the triumphs.