Purell's Slogans & Taglines

Purell was invented in 1988 by GOJO Industries, a family-owned company founded in 1946 by Goldie and Jerry Lippman in Akron, Ohio. Initially developed for foodservice and healthcare settings where soap and water were unavailable, Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer combined alcohol efficacy with gel convenience. In 1997, GOJO introduced Purell to the consumer market, effectively creating the hand sanitizer category. In 2004, GOJO sold the brand to Warner-Lambert (a Pfizer subsidiary), which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2006. GOJO reacquired Purell from J&J in 2010, and in January 2026 The Clorox Company acquired GOJO Industries for $2.25 billion, bringing Purell under the Clorox umbrella.

The brand's core products are hand hygiene and skin care solutions, including instant hand sanitizers, hand soaps, surface disinfecting sprays, and advanced dispensing systems. Its portfolio serves healthcare facilities, schools, restaurants, and consumers, with the Purell brand holding the #1 market share in hand sanitizer across both B2B and retail channels.

Guided by GOJO's purpose of "SAVING LIVES AND MAKING LIFE BETTER THROUGH WELL-BEING SOLUTIONS" and the philosophy that "Good hand hygiene knows no boundaries," Purell has evolved from a professional-use innovation into a household name synonymous with health and safety, cementing its status as the world's most trusted hand sanitizer brand.