The Mentholatum Company, Inc. is a maker of non-prescription health care products founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde in the United States.

The Mentholatum Company also produces Fletcher's Laxative a product line purchased in 1984, from Sterling Drug.

[1] The beginning of The Mentholatum Company started when Albert Alexander Hyde left the real estate market in 1889.

After 4 years of research and experimentation, the company introduced the original "Mentholatum Ointment" in December 1894, which consisted of a combination of menthol and petrolatum.

The product was so successful that in 1903, Hyde opened a second office in Buffalo, New York, to handle sales and distribution east of the Mississippi River.

In 1906, The Yucca Co. officially incorporated the name "The Mentholatum Company" after its flagship product, and no longer sold soap.

The Wichita factory was closed after Hyde's death in 1935, and the corporate offices were moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1937 and later to Buffalo in 1945.

The company continued to manufacture new products, such as Migraine Ice (chill pads for migraine sufferers), Softlips Lip Protectant, Deep Heating Rub, Natural Ice Medicated Lip Balm, Pain Patch, Fisherman's Friend cough drops, Fletcher's Castoria, Red Cross Toothache Remedy, Red Cross Canker Sore Medication, and of course, its original Mentholatum Ointment.

Mentholatum acquired the Oxy Skin Care branding (but not all the product formulas) from GlaxoSmithKline in December 2005,[6] and targeted the younger, teen audience with new diversified offerings, packaging, and scents.