About Vicks
Vicks is one of the world's most trusted cold and flu remedy brands, with origins dating back to 1891 when North Carolina pharmacist Lunsford Richardson created a menthol salve to help his young son suffering from severe croup. Named after his brother-in-law Dr. Joshua Vick, the product was originally called "Vick's Magic Croup Salve" before being rebranded as VapoRub in 1912. The brand's breakthrough came during the devastating 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, when sales exploded from $900,000 to $2.9 million in a single year. Tragically, founder Lunsford Richardson succumbed to the very illness his product helped relieve, dying from Spanish Flu in 1919 just as VapoRub achieved its first major commercial peak. His son H. Smith Richardson continued building the company. In 1985, Procter & Gamble acquired Vicks as a "white knight" to prevent a hostile takeover by Unilever. Today, Vicks remains a household name trusted by families worldwide for over 125 years. The product range has expanded far beyond the original VapoRub to include NyQuil, DayQuil, Formula 44 cough medicines, nasal sprays, and inhalers. UK supermarkets stock the comprehensive Vicks range including VapoRub in traditional jar and easy-apply twist formats, Sinex Soother and Micromist decongestant nasal sprays, First Defence nasal spray, Vicks Inhaler nasal sticks, and throat lozenges. Compare prices at Ocado and Asda.










