The company is one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the U.S., beginning in 1886 when
Samuel Curtis Johnson purchased the
parquet flooring division from the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company and named the new business S. C. Johnson. The company's principal product at that time was parquet flooring, later adding other floor care products such as Johnson's Prepared Wax, Johnson's Dance Wax, and Johnson's Wood Dye. Under
Herbert Fisk Johnson Sr., the company expanded worldwide, establishing its first subsidiary in the
United Kingdom in 1914. Giving his employees credit for a successful year, Herbert gave them $35,000 in 1917. In 1932, SC Johnson introduced Johnson's Glo-Coat. The success of Glo-Coat bolstered the company during the Great Depression. S. C. Johnson's line of wax-reliant products necessitated
Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr.'s 1935 expedition to Fortaleza, Brazil, to find a direct sustainable source of wax. From April 1935 until May 1950, the company was the sponsor for the
Fibber McGee and Molly radio show, officially known as
The Johnson Wax Program. During the 1950s, the company served as sponsor of the game show ''
The Name's the Same. The company went on to co-sponsor Robert Montgomery Presents on NBC, and The Red Skelton Show'' on
CBS. In April 1939, the
Frank Lloyd Wright–designed SC Johnson Administration Building opened. Its addition, the Research Tower, opened in 1950. The
SC Johnson Headquarters was designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1974. The launch of Raid House & Garden Bug Killer in 1955 marked the company's first major departure away from wax-based products. Within the next few years,
Sam Johnson, fourth generation leader, introduced some of the company's best known brands:
Glade,
OFF!, and
Pledge. In April 2018, the company updated its
tagline from "A Family Company", which began in 1998, to "A Family Company at Work for a Better World". According to the company, the updated tagline is "A reminder that SC Johnson holds itself to a higher standard."
Acquisition milestones • In 1992, the company bought
Drackett, manufacturer of
Windex,
Drāno, and other specialty cleaning products. • In 1998, S. C. Johnson expanded its roster of consumer brands when it purchased
Dow Chemical's DowBrands division, which included
Ziploc,
Saran,
Fantastik, and
Scrubbing Bubbles. • In 1999, the commercial cleaning products and systems division separated from Johnson Wax and became a stand-alone company called Johnson Wax Professional, later known as
Diversey, Inc. • In 2003, the company acquired four
Bayer household chemical brands including
Baygon, Bay Fresh, Bayclin, and Autan. • In 2008, the company acquired Caldrea, Co., maker of household cleaning products including the Caldrea and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day brands. • In 2011, the company acquired
Kiwi shoe care brand from
Sara Lee Corporation, thus also expanding its shoe care businesses after the deal. • S. C. Johnson acquired Deb Group in 2015. A year later the company announced a new line of SC Johnson Professional products at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN conference in Chicago. • In July 2016 the company signed an agreement to acquire Babyganics, a baby products company with skin care, oral care, sun care, insect repellent, diapers, and wipe products. • In 2017 the company signed an agreement to acquire cleaning brands Method and
Ecover. • In December 2019, the company acquired the privately held
Stasher company and its brand of reusable silicone food storage bags.
Ingredients The company launched a website listing ingredients for their products sold in North America in 2009. Fragrance ingredients were added to the list in 2012. The company added the ingredients of its European products to the list in May 2016. In May 2017, SC Johnson disclosed a list of 368 potential skin allergens in its products. == Brand names ==