Lava (soap)


Lava is a heavy-duty hand cleaner in soap bar form manufactured by the WD-40 Company. Unlike typical soap bars, Lava contains ground pumice, which gave the soap its name. The soap and pumice combination is intended to scour tar, engine grease, paint, dirt, grime, filth, and similar substances from the skin. The original Lava soap, which was a beige colored bar, is no longer manufactured.

History

Lava soap was developed by the William Waltke Company of St. Louis in 1893. In 1927, Procter & Gamble acquired the Lava and Oxydol brands from William Waltke Company. P&G sold the Lava brand to Block Drug in 1995. The WD-40 Company acquired the brand from Block Drug in April 1999.