The History of ChapStick

ChapStick, the world’s first-ever lip balm, was created in the 1890s by Dr. Charles Browne Fleet. In 1869, Fleet, who was a pharmacist and inventor, opened a small, family-run pharmacy in Lynchburg, Virginia. There, he routinely created experimental balms and salves to help his customers. Sometime in the 1890s, he created the product that would later become known as ChapStick. It looked like a small, wickless candle and was wrapped in foil. Perhaps due to the packaging, Fleet’s lip emollient didn’t catch on. In 1912, Fleet sold his product to his friend John Morton for just $5. Morton and his wife then began brainstorming how to make the product more marketable. Mrs. Morton came up with the idea of pouring the melted ingredients into brass tubes and including sticks that could be pushed up as the product was slowly used up. Mr. and Mrs. Morton then launched the Morton Manufacturing Company from their home kitchen and began manufacturing ChapStick. The product caught on quickly. In 1936, Morton asked local commercial artist Frank Wright Jr. to design a logo for the brand, which is still in use today. ChapStick continued to be manufactured in Lynchburg until 1963, when the A.H. Robbins pharmaceutical company bought it and moved manufacturing operations to Virginia. Soon after, the new owner also took the ChapStick brand international by launching it in the UK in 1972. Flavored ChapStick also made its debut in the 1970s; some of the earliest options were Grape and Spearmint. The company has changed hands several times since the 1970s, but ChapStick is still made in Richmond, Virginia today. Over time, the brand has famously introduced hundreds of different flavors and created unique packaging designs to go with each of them. Today, ChapStick is an iconic and highly recognizable brand with many fans in the U.S. and around the world.