Few products become so familiar that their brand name begins to replace the thing itself. In Italy, Borotalco is one of them, because the powder created by Florence-based Manetti&Roberts was not simply a successful personal-care product, but the word many people used, and still use, when referring to talcum powder in general.
Its story begins in Florence, where Manetti&Roberts was founded in the nineteenth century as a pharmaceutical and chemical company. In 1904, the firm launched Borotalco, a finely milled talcum powder intended for everyday skin care and hygiene. It entered the market as a practical product designed for ordinary domestic use at a time when household toiletries were becoming more widespread.
