View source for 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 (105 years ago, as a 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]], for his wife Josephine, who frequently injured, cut and burned herself while cooking.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Earle Dickson |url=https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/earle-dickson |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=lemelson.mit.edu}}</ref><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 was a strip of gauze down the middle of a long piece of surgical tape that 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-13 |title=8 things you might not know about the most-trusted brand in the U.S.* |url=https://www.kenvue.com/things-to-know-band-aid-brand-adhesive-bandages |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=Kenvue |language=en}}</ref> Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president until his retirement in 1957. He remained in the board of directors until his death in 1961.<ref name=":1" />

The original Band-Aids were handmade at 18 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, which proved to be very unpopular.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-07 |title=Earle Dickson |url=https://www.invent.org/inductees/earle-dickson |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=The National Inventors Hall of Fame |language=en}}</ref> In 1921, the product made just $3,000.<ref name=":0" /> To help improve sales, Johnson & Johnson distributed free Band-Aids to the [[Boy Scouts of America]].<ref name=":1" /> By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of [[Sterilization (microbiology)|sterilized]] Band-Aids in 1939.<ref name=":1" /> A red pull string was added in 1940 to help open the packaging. It remained until 1992, when it was replaced by a new tear-apart design.<ref name=":0" />

During [[World War II]], millions were shipped internationally, 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 1956, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced, featuring its Stars ‘n Strips design.<ref name=":0" /> Vinyl tape was introduced in 1958.<ref name=":1" /> They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as [[Nickelodeon]] characters, [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], [[Superman]], [[Spider-Man]], [[Smiley|smiley faces]], [[Barbie]], [[Elmo]] (Sesame Street), and [[Batman]]. 

Johnson & Johnson introduced its famous "I am stuck on BAND-AID Brand ’cuz BAND-AID’s stuck on me" jingle in 1975.<ref name=":0" />

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]]