The Strange Story of Lysol

Lysol, a product known worldwide for its disinfecting properties, has its roots in the late 19th century. It originated from the pursuit of combating infectious diseases in medical settings.

Lysol was invented in 1889 by German chemist Gustav Raupinstrauch as a medical disinfectant.

Invented in 1889 by German chemist Gustav Raupinstrauch, Lysol was intended to act as a medical disinfectant to help control infectious diseases and save lives.

Lysol's original formula was 50% creosol in soap, which was less toxic than the carbolic acid that was commonly used for disinfection at the time.

Lysol's initial formula comprised 50% creosol in soap, forming a brown-colored germ-killing solution. This was a significant development as creosol was considered less poisonous than the formerly used carbolic acid, making Lysol a safer option for disinfecting purposes at the time.

Lysol gained popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s as an antiseptic used in hospitals and medical settings.

Lysol became widely recognized and used as an antiseptic in medical facilities. However, despite its popularity, concerns about its safety began to surfac ...

In an astonishing twist of historical marketing, Lysol, now a household disinfectant brand, was once controversially repositioned as a women's contraceptive. This repositioning led to widespread use and serious health consequences.

In the 1910s, Lysol's manufacturers shifted their marketing strategy to position the product as a "feminine hygiene" solution for home use.

In 1912, as hospitals ceased the use of Lysol due to safety concerns, the manufacturers decided to target women for home use, specifically for cleaning reproductive organs. This shift in marketing portrayed Lysol as a preventative solution for pregnancy.

This allowed them to market Lysol as an illegal contraceptive, as it was promoted as a way for women to douche after intercourse to prevent pregnancy.

The ability to market Lysol as a "feminine hygiene" product covertly allowed it to be pitched as an illegal contraceptive method. Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark highlight that Lysol was ultimately marketed to women as a post-coital vaginal douche to prevent pregnancy. The term "feminine hygiene" itself became a euphemism for contraception through douching.

Lysol became the most widely used contraceptive in the United States from the 1930s through the 1960s, despite being ineffective and potentially dangerous.

Clark underscores the ineffectiveness of this method with a study from 1933, which pointed out that of 507 women using Lysol for contraception, about half became pregnant. However, it remained in use as a contraceptive until the 1960s, when the introduction of the pill brought about its abrupt discontinuation for this purpose.

Lysol advertisements during this period exploited women's insecurities about sex and marital life to promote the product's contraceptive use.

Lysol’s marketing campaigns played on gendered insecurities to sell the product, suggesting that a woman's desirability and marital satisfaction hinged on her "cleanliness." Ads portrayed scenarios where lack of use led to a loss of m ...

Lysol has evolved from its controversial history as a marketed contraceptive to being part of everyday household cleaning, especially noted during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 1950s, Lysol started transitioning away from its contraceptive marketing and towards promoting its use as a household disinfectant.

In the 1950s, Lysol began to pivot away from marketing its product as a contraceptive, a use that had dangerously misled many consumers. The brand reformulated its product to be less toxic, replacing harmful ingredients like creosol with safer chemicals, to promote its use more responsibly as a household disinfectant.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, Lysol saw a huge increase in sales as people sought out disinfectants, leading to concerns about overuse and potential health impacts.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lysol sales soared, with a notable 12% increase in just one year and the company producing 35 million cans per month in North America. Specifically recommended by the CDC for its effectiveness against COVID due to its ingredient benzalkonium saccharate, Lysol became a staple in pandemic mitigation measures.

However, as the pandemic eased and daily life began to return to some sense of normalcy, people started to stow away their cans of Lysol, leading to a subsequent decline in sales. Despite the increase in sales and widespread adoption of the product, Lysol and other disinfectant brands took the step of warning against the ingestion of their products, reacting to some errant advice ...

An examination of the increased use of disinfectants like Lysol reveals both potential health repercussions for individuals and wider environmental impacts. The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that this surge could be contributing to a rise in autoimmune diseases due to reduced exposure to necessary microbes.

Overuse of disinfectants and the hygiene hypothesis

The hygiene hypothesis posits that overly sterile conditions in industrialized countries might predispose individuals to autoimmune diseases due to a lack of exposure to a variety of germs during childhood. Bacteriologist Graham Rook suggested that the human immune system has evolved with certain microbes, essential for immune system training, which are wiped out by disinfectants. Studies, such as one comparing Finnish, Estonian, and Russian children, found that those from the more industrialized countries had immune systems less exposed to microbes like E. coli, which are necessary to promote a healthy immune response. Clark also remarks that autoimmune diseases became more prevalent after the generation that began using disinfectants, pointing to a significant circumstantial evidence.

High disinfectant use in the U.S. could be problematic if it is indeed killing beneficial microbes that help train our immune system. Comparative studies show lower rates of conditions like food allergies and type 1 diabetes in less developed countries, where there is less exposure to disinfectants and a greater variety of microbial exposures.

The effects of Lysol and other disinfectants

Disinfectants work by destroying microbes' protective layers, causing them to die. Lysol contains a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) called benzalkonium chloride, potent at concentrations as low as 2.4%. When combined with alcohol, QACs become even more effective at killing germs. These substances can denature cells and coagulate proteins, wiping out bacteria.

For disinfectants to be effective, they need to be used at a minimum inhibitory concentration. Lysol is often used at a potency of 2.4%, with recommended conta ...