Comments on: The Royal Crown Soap Company

By: Eric Damer

Eric Damer — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 23:12:06 +0000

In reply to Richard Skelly. According to the Province 28 January 1908, Lever Bros. acquired Royal Crown that year.

By: Alison Davies

Alison Davies — Wed, 19 May 2021 19:58:35 +0000

I have a letter dated April 21, 1916 from my great uncle. He was 15 years old and beginning his job as a sea merchant on the schooner Margaret Haney docked in Vancouver. In his letter to his family on Salt Spring Island he writes
‘I went around to the Royal Crown Soapworks but they had closed and so I am posting the coupons back for Basil (brother) to get his two books with. ‘
I enjoyed reading about RCS and the coupons. It brings his story to life even more. Thank you

By: DD

DD — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 18:00:26 +0000

I have a large advertising piece from the late 1800s. The company was founded then. Below is a link to their first trademark and it was taken over by Lever.

By: Richard Skelly

Richard Skelly — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 06:46:09 +0000

Wonder if Royal Crown sold its soap unit to Lever Brothers in 1942?

English-based Lever Brothers merged with a Dutch margarine concern called Margarine Unie in 1930. The combined operation became Unilever, arguably the world’s first multinational. Lever Brothers Limited continued as a Canadian subsidiary.

According to Wikipedia, that subsidiary was sold to a private concern in 2008. Not the most propititious year for financially-engineered deals. Maybe that’s why the renamed Kobex entity wound up going broke.

By: Skip Savage

Skip Savage — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 04:42:54 +0000

Eve, this story takes the cake, of soap that is. I can imagine Canadians collecting the junk pictured in the ads and some of it must still be around.

On another level it’s fascinating how Royal Crown could not escape the fate of companies that do fine and then for some reason die. It’s namesake Royal Crown Cola is still hanging on but I expect the same is in store for it.