Editing Band-Aid

{{short description|Brand name of adhesive bandages and related products}}
{{About|one brand of adhesive bandage|the musical ensemble|Band Aid (band)|other uses|Band Aid (disambiguation){{!}}Band Aid}}
{{infobox brand
| logo           = Band-Aid logo.svg
| name           = Band-Aid
| image          = File:BandAid.jpg
| type           = [[Adhesive bandage]]/[[dressing (medical)|dressing]]
| currentowner   = [[Kenvue]]
| origin         = [[United States|U.S.]]
| introduced     = June 1920 (invention)
| discontinued   =
| related        =
| markets        = Worldwide
| previousowners =
| trademarkregistrations =
| ambassador     =
| tagline        = 
* "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!" ([[United States|US]])<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Innovation |url=https://www.band-aid.com/our-brand/brand-history |website=Band-Aid |publisher=[[Johnson & Johnson]] |access-date=24 November 2022}}</ref>
* "Stays on until you want it off" ([[Australia|Aus]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Band-Aid |url=https://www.band-aid.com.au/ |website=Band-Aid |publisher=[[Johnson & Johnson]] |access-date=24 November 2022}}</ref>
| website        = {{URL|1=http://www.band-aid.com/}}
}}
[[File:Band-Aid close-up.jpg|alt=|thumb|A close-up of an open Band-Aid]]

'''Band-Aid''' is a brand of [[adhesive bandage]]s distributed by the consumer health company [[Kenvue]], spun off from [[Johnson & Johnson]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lippincott.com/work/kenvue/|title=Kenvue &#124; A new name for an iconic consumer health company|website=Lippincott}}</ref> Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.

==History==
The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, [[Earle Dickson]], in [[Highland Park, New Jersey]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hphistory.org/timeline.php|title=Historical timeline|website=hphistory.org|language=en|access-date=2018-06-02}}</ref> for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage |title=BAND-AID® Brand Heritage |work=[[Johnson & Johnson]] |date=April 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615114556/http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.

The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of [[Sterilization (microbiology)|sterilized]] Band-Aids in 1939.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-band-aid-1991345|title=The History of the Band-Aid|access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref>

In [[World War II]], millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/the-story-of-the-black-band-aid/276542/|title=The Story of the Black Band-Aid|website=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=25 August 2018|date=2013-06-06}}</ref>

In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], [[Superman]], [[Spider-Man]], [[Rocket Power]], [[Rugrats]], [[Smiley|smiley faces]], [[Barbie]], [[Dora the Explorer (TV series)|Dora the Explorer]], [[Elmo]], and [[Batman]].

In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, [[Lysol]], by more than two points.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://morningconsult.com/most-trusted-brands-2022/ |title=Most Trusted Brands 2022 |publisher=[[Morning Consult]] |accessdate=2022-10-05 }}</ref>

[[File:Band-Aid tins (1942, 1958).jpg|thumb|center|upright=1.5|Band-Aid tins (1942, 1958)]]

==Trademark status==
Over time, Band-Aid has become a well-known example of a [[genericized trademark]] in the United States, [[Canada]] and [[South America]].<ref name="gc">{{cite web |url= https://www.genericides.org/trademark/band-aid |title= Has band-aid become a generic trademark? |access-date= April 29, 2021 |website= genericides.org |archive-date= April 29, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210429144935/https://www.genericides.org/trademark/band-aid |url-status= dead }}</ref> Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Trademark Status & Document Retrieval: BAND-AID |url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85488471&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch |work=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office|USPTO]] |date=May 15, 2012 |access-date=September 21, 2015}}</ref> and has tried to prevent its genericization in its marketing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wenlei |first1=Ma |title=The curse of generification for brands such as Band-Aid, Hoover, Google, Xerox and escalator |url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/the-curse-of-generification-for-brands-such-as-bandaid-hoover-google-xerox-and-escalator/news-story/e0f648fa32d7e07e134d83f889cbf643 |access-date=12 May 2021 |publisher=News.com.au |date=July 1, 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Elastoplast]], a comparable European brand and [[genericized trademark]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|band-aid}}
* [http://www.band-aid.com/ Band-Aid Brand Official Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615114556/http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage Band-Aid Brand History]
* [http://www.jnjfirstaid.com Johnson & Johnson First Aid Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110730101120/http://www.jnjfirstaid.com/ |date=2011-07-30 }}

{{J&J}}

[[Category:Brands that became generic]]
[[Category:Drugs developed by Johnson & Johnson]]
[[Category:First aid]]
[[Category:Personal care brands]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1920]]