An American Tale
At the turn of the 20th century, a man named Lee Scott developed an amber-colored wood care product he described as ‘liquid gold’. Liquid Gold was known to restore, preserve and protects all types of natural wood furniture, cabinets and decor. A local favorite, it was sold door-to-door in Denver, Colorado, for many years.
Ida Goldstein, a widow with three sons, loved Liquid Gold and used it for decades. In 1951, she bought the treasured formula for her sons as a small business opportunity. The family began batching and bottling Liquid Gold in the family garage. Oldest son Jerome (Jerry) Goldstein took the helm and began selling Liquid Gold across the United States, often from the back of his car.
By 1978, Jerry had successfully made Scott’s Liquid Gold a household name and a multimillion-dollar company with national product distribution. Jerry’s son, Mark Goldstein, began working at Scott’s Liquid Gold in 1978 and held leadership positions until 2021.
In 1992, Scott’s Liquid Gold entered the personal care category with newly named subsidiary Neoteric Cosmetics and a line of anti-aging skin care products called Alpha Hydrox. Featuring Glycolic AHAs and with an arsenal of active ingredients, Alpha Hydrox became Alpha Skin Care in 2016, and continues to be the go-to skin care brand for millions of women.
In 2016, Neoteric Cosmetics acquired several hair care brands including Prell Shampoo, a classic American brand, and Denorex Shampoo, a well-known dandruff shampoo. Neoteric Cosmetics is also a specialty channel distributor for Batiste Dry Shampoo.
In the fall of 2019, Scott’s Liquid Gold purchased the Kids ‘n’ Pets and the Messy Pet Cat brands. Kids ‘n’ Pets was founded in 2001 by a busy dad with two kids and two pets and a lot of messes. Using a natural enzyme-based formula, he created Kids ‘n’ Pets Stain & Odor Remover and Messy Pet Cat products to eliminate stains and odors on a variety of surfaces.
In the spring of 2020, Biz laundry additive and Dryel, an in-home dry cleaning solution, became the newest additions to the Scott’s Liquid Gold family of brands. Developed by Proctor & Gamble in 1968, Biz is an enzyme-based laundry formula that fights stains and eliminates odors. Dryel was also developed by Proctor & Gamble Dryel in 1998 and offers an affordable cleaning alternative for special care clothing. On December 23, 2021, Scott's sold the Dryel brand to Summit Brands, a Fort Wayne, Indiana company that markets and distributes household cleaning products.
Still based in the Denver area, Scott’s Liquid Gold continues to develop, market, and sell household and personal care products that consumers know and trust. Now, more than 100 years after Lee Scott, those close to the company are grateful to Ida, Jerry and Mark for their dedication, foresight and vision.
