The Soothing Legacy of Vicks: A Story of Innovation, Adaptation, and Global Trust
For over 125 years, Vicks has been a household name associated with common cold, cough and sore throat. What began as a humble remedy developed by a small-town pharmacist in North Carolina has become a global brand, deeply woven into the lives of millions. In India, especially, Vicks’ journey is one of the best strategic marketing and emotional connection tugging at the heartstrings of mothers.
In 1894, pharmacist Lunsford Richardson opened a drugstore in Greensboro, North Carolina, in his wife's town to serve the medical needs of the community. He used to prepare medications and remedies for the community, also for the patients who consulted his brother-in-law who was a renowned physician in the community. Among these, the Croup & Pneumonia Salve stood out — created to soothe the severe cough of his own young son, Smith Richardson.
This product, which would eventually become the legendary Vicks VapoRub, was special. Unlike traditional medicines, it provided cough relief through external application which was a breakthrough especially for young children who resisted bitter oral suspensions and medicines.
Lunsford opted for the brand name “Vicks” after seeing an ad for Vick’s Seeds during gardening, finding it short, catchy, and visually appealing for packaging. It was also the name of his brother-in-law, Dr. Joshua Vick, the community physician.
By 1898, Vicks started production under Vicks Family Remedies Company. In 1911, Smith Richardson, for whom the product was initially formulated, recognised the unique vapors Vicks created and suggested changing the name to VapoRub and selling it in the iconic blue jars.
He had gained considerable marketing experience by then after working for a period in New York and Massachusetts after attending college.
More than the marketing campaigns, Vicks soared its sales during Spanish flu between 1918 and 1919 which killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Many customers started stocking up the product to fight off the flu and salesmen of the company were also called into production to match the demand.
Later, Smith Richardson took the reins of the company in 1919 upon his father's death.
Ingredients
The active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub are camphor 4.8% (a cough suppressant and topical analgesic), eucalyptus oil 1.2% (a cough suppressant) and menthol 2.6% (a cough suppressant and topical analgesic). The inactive ingredients in Vicks VapoRub include cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, thymol and turpentine oil.
Vicks also made history by inventing what we now call “junk mail.” When the U.S. Postal Service allowed untargeted rural mailing in 1917, Vicks sent millions of free VapoRub samples to households. This tactic allowed people to experience relief firsthand before buying, spreading trust far and wide.
In 1925, Vicks released a storybook featuring two elves, Blix and Blee, who live in an empty VapoRub jar and come to the rescue of sick children. Today, VapoRub is recognized as having the third most identifiable scent worldwide, trailing only coffee and peanut butter.
Despite its long legacy in the West, Vicks entered India in 1964, through Richardson Hindustan Limited (RHL), a public limited company with over 10,000 Indian shareholders. Though the parent company, Richardson Merrell had opened an Indian office in 1951, true operational freedom was only achieved after RHL.
The company saw a golden opportunity due to India's climatic conditions and flu prone population. India’s climate, hot and humid monsoons and dry winters and changing seasons opened a huge market for them.
They initially focused on children, the ads showing a concerned mother rubbing the balm on the chest of a sick child at different ages.
But they soon realised and started targeting adults as well to cover much more market where the ads showcased the embarrassment of repeated coughing in public places by sick adults.
Vicks Romantic Bachelor, a radio show featuring love stories interwoven with advertisements for various Vicks products, ran through 1933.
In 1983, Vicks faced a serious challenge. The Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) and a nationwide boycott by chemists demanding higher margins restricted the brand’s reach. With pharmaceutical products under heavy price and distribution regulations, Vicks was seeking a breakthrough.
Nationwide boycotts by chemists targeting individual companies were frequent in the early 1980s.
Vicks came up with the revolutionary idea of rebranding Vicks as an Ayurvedic product. Initially the idea seemed far-fetched, but soon everyone realised all the ingredients like camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus were all used in Ayurvedic medicine. DPCO had exemptions for Ayurvedic medicinal compounds and this opened an immense opportunity. Now Vicks could be sold in non-pharmacy shops as well and the sales soared.
Vicks also established a Natural Products Research Centre in Kalwe, Maharashtra in 1985, introducing more Ayurvedic offerings and expanding into international markets, including the Soviet Union.
Vicks’ Indian success wasn’t just regulatory — it was deeply cultural. It focused on child care and emotional weightage.
The ads showcased both the mother-child bonding during care and the embarrassment of adults coughing in public. Later, Bollywood stars like Ranveer Singh brought freshness and youth appeal to the brand.
By the time Procter & Gamble took over the company in 1985, India was established as the leading producer among 130 countries. This happened due to the Ayurvedic tag it achieved during rebranding and resulting bypassing of some regulations. Although India remains a significant producer, countries like Mexico lead in the production currently.
From a North Carolina drugstore to millions of Indian households, Vicks has come a long way. It has not only weathered market challenges and regulatory storms but emerged stronger by listening to its users, adapting to local cultures, and always focusing on what matters most — family care and trust.
References:
Vats, Arushi. “How an ‘Ayurvedic’ Vicks Took Over India.” Mint, June 5, 2016. https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/1rx2BI7YhKE27460siRuyH/How-an-Ayurvedic-Vicks-took-over-India.html.livemint.com
Vicks. “Our Story – A Century of Powerful Relief and Caring.” Accessed June 4, 2025. https://vicks.com/en-us/vicks-history.
MSM