1962 Humble Beginnings You probably know history’s famous inventors. But we’d like to offer up polymer chemist Joe Palcher, the inventor of Armor All® Protectant. In 1962, Joe discovered a “miracle formula” that protected rubber, plastic, and vinyl from UV radiation and ozone. Move over, light bulb.
1966 The Secret Gets Out That secret formula wasn’t doing anybody any good just sitting on a shelf in Joe’s lab. But luckily for all of us car lovers, in 1966 a local auto shop owner convinced Joe to bottle and sell his formula. They called it Tri-don – that’s No Dirt spelled backwards – and the automotive world would never be the same.
1972 Call It Armor All Protectant In 1972, marketing expert and car enthusiast Alan Rypinski bought the rights to Joe’s company, renamed the product Armor All® Protectant, and set out to make its powerful shine enhancement available to fellow car enthusiasts everywhere.
1976-1979 A Patent Shine In 1976, Alan made it official – he patented Armor All® Protectant, and in 1979 received a second patent for its exclusive infusion method, which allows its chemicals to penetrate the surface and protect it from degradation. But that was just the beginning – and for the next three decades, the innovations kept rolling out.
1979 McKesson McKesson acquires the rights to the Armor All® brand in 1979, eventually taking the company public in the 1980’s.
1982 Car Wash The Armor All® brand launches a wash specifically formulated for cars as an alternative to commonly used dish soap.
1992 Tire Foam® Protectant Tires are meant to be dirty, and nobody pays attention to them, right? Wrong, because you do. Our Tire Foam® Protectant was designed specifically to break down road grime and protect tires.
1994 Wheel Cleaner A car is not clean until the rims shine. At Armor All we know this and designed a wheel cleaner that breaks through road grime, brake dust, and grease to bring out your wheels’ beauty.
1996 Clorox Clorox acquires the Armor All Products Company in 1996, beginning a new chapter for the Armor All® Brand.
2000 Wipes The introduction of Armor All® Wipes was truly revolutionary. By combining the protection and shine of our sprays with the convenience of a wipe, we made it easier to keep your car beautiful and protected even during the busiest times.
2005 Gels Armor All® Gels are introduced in a continuing effort to make it easier for you to achieve the level of beauty you are looking for. Long-lasting shine, rich and luxurious looking leather, and most importantly, protection, can now all be applied in precise amounts and locations.
2010 Avista Capital Partners Clorox sells the Armor All® and STP® brands to Avista Capital Partners in 2010, which named the business Armored AutoGroup and moves its headquarters to Danbury, CT.
2014 Introducing Outlast® Who wants dull, faded exterior trim and tires? Not us! Armor All® Outlast® Trim & Plastic Restorer and Tire Glaze are launched to give the best the Armor All® brand has to offer: brilliant results without needing to spend the weekend in the driveway.
2015 Spectrum Brands A new chapter for Armor All® begins as Spectrum Brands, a global and diversified consumer products company with market-leading brands, acquires Armored AutoGroup from Avista Capital Partners and becomes part of the Spectrum Brands Global AutoCare division.