# Calgon

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American brand of bath and beauty products

Not to be confused with [Calgon Carbon](/source/Calgon_Carbon) or [Calgon (water softener)](/source/Calgon_(water_softener)).

Calgon Product type Bath and beauty Owner PDC Brands Country United States Introduced 1930; 96 years ago (1930) Previous owners Calgon, Inc. Merck & Co. Website takemeaway.com

**Calgon** is an American brand of bath and beauty products, owned by [PDC Brands](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PDC_Brands&action=edit&redlink=1).

## Early history

The original product consisted of powdered [sodium hexametaphosphate](/source/Sodium_hexametaphosphate) (amorphous sodium polyphosphate), which, in water, would complex with ambient [calcium](/source/Calcium) [ions](/source/Ion) and certain other [cations](/source/Cation)—preventing formation of unwanted salts and interference by those cations with the actions of [soap](/source/Soap) or other [detergents](/source/Detergent). Its name, a [portmanteau](/source/Portmanteau) derived from the phrase "**cal**cium **gon**e",[1] was originally promoted for general use in bathing and cleaning. It gave rise to derivative products, which have diverged from the original composition. Today, Calgon water softener contains the active ingredient [sodium citrate](/source/Sodium_citrate),[2] and the now discontinued powder used [zeolite](/source/Zeolite) and [polycarboxylate](/source/Polycarboxylate), all of which are less problematic in wastewater treatment than phosphates.

## Companies

The brand has its origin in Calgon, Inc. of [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania](/source/Pittsburgh%2C_Pennsylvania), which first put Calgon water softener on the market in 1933.[3]

In 1965, Calgon was separated into:

- Calgon bath and beauty products, sold to [Coty](/source/Coty), and then acquired by Ascendia Brands on 9 February 2007. Ilex Capital of [Annapolis, Maryland](/source/Annapolis%2C_Maryland) purchased the product line and the rights to the name for $4.2 million in 2008. The brand's operations became part of Ilex Consumer Products Group LLC.[1] In 2013, private equity firm Yellow Wood acquired Ilex Consumer Products Group; Calgon is now part of their portfolio company, PDC Brands.[4][5]

- [Calgon Carbon](/source/Calgon_Carbon) Corporation, acquired by its management in a leveraged buyout in 1985 and taken public in 1987.

- Calgon Water Management, sold to [English China Clays](/source/English_China_Clays) in June 1993 for $307.5 million.[6]

- Calgon Vestal Laboratories, sold to [Bristol-Myers Squibb](/source/Bristol-Myers_Squibb) in November 1994 for $261.5 million[7] and then to the Steris Corporation in 1996.[8]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-akwalkertbs_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-akwalkertbs_1-1) Walker, Andrea K. (June 22, 2010). ["Calgon, take me away...again"](https://archive.today/20130117220637/http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-calgon-revive-20100621,0,3879275.story). *The Baltimore Sun*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["CALGON® Water Softener - Liquid"](https://www.rbnainfo.com/product.php?productLineId=192). www.rbnainfo.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Trademark registration of "Calgon", [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=u1m9ki.1.1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Yellow Wood Partners Purchases Ilex Consumer Products Group, Inc"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161111000604/http://yellowwoodpartners.com/ilex/). Archived from [the original](http://yellowwoodpartners.com/ilex/) on 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-11-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Our Investments"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161026135804/http://yellowwoodpartners.com/our-investments/). Archived from [the original](http://yellowwoodpartners.com/our-investments/) on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-11-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Freudenheim, Milt (12 June 1993). ["British Company Will Buy Calgon Unit From Merck"](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/12/business/company-news-british-company-will-buy-calgon-unit-from-merck.html). *The New York Times*. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["COMPANY NEWS; BRISTOL-MYERS TO BUY CALGON VESTAL FOR $261.5 MILLION"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html). 4 November 1994. Retrieved 19 July 2016 – via NYTimes.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Company Overview - Corporate - STERIS Corporation"](http://www.steris.com/about/company/file_steris_timeline/history.cfm). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.takemeaway.com)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Calgon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.