Innovative thinking for everyday needs—that’s one way of summing up the philosophy that encapsulates the Salvequick brand.

With the final advent of peace after the Second World War, Salvequick’s founder, Christian Cederroth, realized that many wartime necessities ought to work in peacetime as well. Plasters, for example. They could be suitable for everyday life around the home just as well as life in hospitals, we thought. But knowledge about plasters was hard to find, and materials were still undergoing development.

We began experimenting in a rented workshop in Aspudden in south Stockholm. That was our first factory, and the first plaster came off the machines in 1947.

We named it the Salveplast (literally: ointment plaster).

The next challenge concerned the packaging. When Salveplast was launched, competing plasters were being made from long strips of fabric. They were packed by hand and sold over the counter in an open envelope. Unhygienic and impractical. We therefore designed individual pieces of plaster in smaller sizes, impregnated the wound pad with a new antiseptic and packed the plasters in separate single-item pouches. They were made from a new heat-sealed material that offered protection from dirt, bacteria and dust.

In 1953, therefore, we were able to introduce Salvekvick – Europe’s first individually packed plasters.

This soon became a hit far beyond the borders of Sweden. For instance, Salve was launched in Italy right back in 1959 and became a market leader, thanks to our marketing activities, including TV commercials, which were unique in their day.

Today, a good half century later, Salvequick is one of the market leaders in Europe. The explanation for this is our continuous innovative thinking, whether it involves materials or packagings. Anything, in fact, to make sure that taking the plaster out of the pack and placing it on the wound is quick and easy, allowing the wound to heal as effectively and gently as possible!

During this process, Salvekvick has become Salvequick and taken on a new design. The classic plaster is available in a number of designs—from children’s plasters to sophisticated special-purpose plasters like chafing and blister plasters for golfers—and has been joined by new items like modern plaster tapes and large dressings

We sell some 20 million packs of plasters worldwide every year and are to be found in the majority of Swedish homes, schools and workplaces—presumably even in a spot just yards away from wherever you happen to be reading this!

And our development work to create simpler, better wound care products continues.