Listerine was first used in operating rooms.
Dr. Joseph Lawrence formulated it in the 1870s as a surgical antiseptic, sold to doctors and dentists. In the 1920s, the company began selling it for bad breath — popularizing the obscure clinical word “halitosis” to make the condition sound medical. Within seven years, revenue climbed from about $115,000 to over $8 million.
Listerine on Brandseum