Oscar Troplowitz

Oscar Troplowitz
Oscar Troplowitz
Born	18 January, 1863 Gleiwitz, Prussia (now Gliwice, Poland)
Died	27 April 1918 Hamburg, Germany
Occupation(s)	German pharmacist and entrepreneur

Portrait of Oscar Troplowitz by Franz Nölken, 1916 (fragment)

Oscar Troplowitz (18 January 1863, Gleiwitz, Prussia (now Gliwice, Poland) – 27 April 1918, Hamburg) was a German pharmacist and entrepreneur.

Troplowitz trained at Heidelberg University and in 1890 he purchased Beiersdorf AG, which at the time was a chemist's shop and laboratory in Hamburg run by Paul Beiersdorf (1836–1896). Soon afterwards, Troplowitz expanded the company into selling brand-name merchandise as well.

Under Troplowitz's ownership, the company developed several of its own products, including Nivea, Leukoplast, Labello, and a pressure-sensitive tape that would later be known as "Tesafilm". As did Paul Beiersdorf, Troplowitz maintained a close business relationship with dermatologist Paul Gerson Unna (1850–1929). It was on a recommendation by Unna that Troplowitz hired Isaak Lifschütz, a chemist who was the discoverer of the emulsifying agent Eucerit, the main ingredient in Nivea, a brand which he acquired in 1911 from French company Guerlain.

Troplowitz made several reforms in regards to worker benefits at Beiersdorf, such as paid vacations, maternity leave, and a 48-hour work week.

Bibliography

• Beiersdorf, Leonie, Claussen, Christine : Oscar Troplowitz : ein Leben für Hamburg, Ostfildern : Hatje Cantz, 2013, ISBN 978-3-7757-3538-4.