Coppertone

Coppertone is an American sun-care brand whose origins date to 1944, when pharmacist Benjamin Green developed a lotion intended to help people develop a darker tan. The early product was therefore positioned as suntan lotion rather than as modern sunscreen, and the name Coppertone reflected the promise of a copper-colored tan. Over time, the line expanded toward protection from ultraviolet exposure and became associated primarily with sunscreen and other sun-protection products. The brand’s identity was built as much through advertising as through the lotion itself. Its best-known character is the Coppertone Girl, also called Little Miss Coppertone: a blond girl in pigtails whose swimsuit is tugged down by a Cocker Spaniel puppy, exposing the contrast between protected skin and a developing tan. The concept was created by advertising personnel at Tally Embry Advertising in Florida in 1953. After the original artwork was destroyed in a fire, illustrator Joyce Ballantyne Brand redrew the girl in 1959. The revised illustration was reportedly modeled on Brand’s daughter and became the basis for the familiar visual identity. Coppertone also used mechanical billboards that animated the dog and swimsuit as part of the character’s advertising presence. A surviving example in Miami Beach has been associated with the brand’s roadside and outdoor advertising history. The company’s branding originally included a profile of an American Indian chief before the Coppertone Girl became the dominant public symbol. A second distinctive asset is the brand’s fragrance. Many Coppertone products have historically shared a recognizable scent that consumers and fragrance commentators have treated as an example of scent-based brand recognition and memory. The classic fragrance, together with the Coppertone Girl and the early slogan “Tan, don’t burn,” helped distinguish the brand in a crowded sun-care market. Ownership changed several times as the brand moved through major consumer-health companies. Plough acquired Coppertone in 1957. Plough later merged with Schering Corporation in 1971 to form Schering-Plough. Merck & Co. acquired Schering-Plough in 2009, and Bayer acquired Merck’s consumer-health business, including Coppertone, in 2014. Beiersdorf AG announced an agreement to acquire Coppertone from Bayer in 2019. The transaction placed Coppertone alongside Beiersdorf’s broader skin-care portfolio, including Nivea, and was presented as a way to strengthen Beiersdorf’s position in the United States. Today Coppertone remains principally associated with sunscreen and related sun-care products. Its historical importance lies in combining a mass-market tanning and sun-protection proposition with memorable character advertising, a durable product scent, and a visual identity that has remained recognizable across successive corporate owners.

Coppertone began in 1944, when pharmacist Benjamin Green created a lotion designed to darken the skin through tanning. This origin explains the brand’s name and its early positioning: Coppertone initially promoted the cosmetic appearance of a tan rather than focusing exclusively on protection from ultraviolet radiation. An early slogan associated with the brand was “Tan, don’t burn.” As consumer expectations and the sun-care category developed, Coppertone broadened its range and became chiefly identified with sunscreen and other products intended to protect or care for skin exposed to the sun. The brand’s most important historical development was its advertising identity. Before the famous character appeared, Coppertone used a profile of an American Indian chief in its logo. In 1953, Tally Embry Advertising in Florida developed the concept of a small blond girl with pigtails whose swimsuit is pulled down by a Cocker Spaniel puppy. The image dramatized a tan line and gave the product a memorable story that could be recognized quickly in print, outdoor advertising, and packaging. The character became known as the Coppertone Girl or Little Miss Coppertone. The original artwork was later destroyed in a fire. Illustrator Joyce Ballantyne Brand redrew the girl in 1959 while working for Grant Advertising in New York. The replacement image reportedly drew on Brand’s daughter, Cheri, as a model and closely followed the earlier design. This redrawn version helped establish the visual form that audiences continued to associate with the brand. Coppertone also installed mechanical billboards in several parts of the United States. These signs used moving components to make the dog and swimsuit appear to move repeatedly. Although most such billboards disappeared or ceased operating, a recognized surviving example remains in Miami Beach. Coppertone’s sensory identity developed alongside its visual identity. Many products carried a distinctive fragrance, and the scent became an important memory cue for consumers. Commentators have described the fragrance as an unusually effective example of scent branding, while researchers studying autobiographical memory have used it as an illustration of how odors can evoke personal experiences. The line eventually incorporated additional scents, but the classic Coppertone smell remained closely linked to the brand. Corporate ownership changed repeatedly. Plough acquired Coppertone in 1957. In 1971, Plough merged with Schering Corporation, forming Schering-Plough. Merck & Co. acquired Schering-Plough in 2009. In 2014, Bayer acquired Merck’s consumer business, including Coppertone. In 2019, Beiersdorf AG announced an agreement to acquire the brand from Bayer. Beiersdorf already operated the Nivea skin-care and Nivea Sun businesses, and described Coppertone as a means of expanding its position in the United States. Through these changes, Coppertone remained a recognizable sun-care name. Its product portfolio expanded beyond the original tanning lotion into a range dominated by sunscreens, while its advertising legacy continued to rest on the Coppertone Girl, the puppy-and-tan-line image, outdoor mechanical signage, and the familiar fragrance. The brand’s historical trajectory therefore combines changing sun-care norms with unusually durable character and sensory branding.

1. 2019Beiersdorf agrees to acquire Coppertone

   Beiersdorf announces an agreement to purchase Coppertone from Bayer and strengthen its United States sun-care presence.

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2. 2014Bayer acquires Coppertone through Merck’s consumer business

   Bayer acquires Merck’s consumer-health business, including Coppertone.

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3. 2009Merck acquires Schering-Plough

   Merck & Co. acquires Schering-Plough and takes ownership of Coppertone.

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4. 1971Schering-Plough is formed

   Plough merges with Schering Corporation, placing Coppertone within the newly formed Schering-Plough.

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5. 1959Joyce Ballantyne Brand redraws the Coppertone Girl

   After the original artwork is destroyed by fire, Joyce Ballantyne Brand creates a new version of the character that becomes the enduring visual reference.

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6. 1957Plough acquires Coppertone

   Plough becomes the brand’s corporate owner.

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7. 1953Coppertone Girl advertising concept is created

   Tally Embry Advertising develops the concept of a girl whose swimsuit is tugged by a puppy, revealing a tan line.

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8. 1944Benjamin Green develops the original tanning lotion

   Pharmacist Benjamin Green develops the lotion that becomes the foundation of Coppertone, initially as a product intended to darken a tan.

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Mass-market sun care centered on accessible sunscreen and recognizable family-oriented branding. The brand historically connected tanning with outdoor leisure, while its modern identity is primarily associated with protection from sun exposure.

• Original Coppertone tanning lotionTanning lotion1944

  The original 1944 product was a lotion developed by Benjamin Green to help darken the skin through tanning. It represented the brand’s early cosmetic-tanning proposition and helped give Coppertone its name. As the category evolved, the brand’s emphasis shifted toward sun protection and a broader sunscreen portfolio.

• Coppertone sunscreenSunscreen

  Sunscreen became the central category associated with Coppertone as the product line expanded beyond its original tanning lotion. The range has been described broadly as including multiple sun-protection formats and related skin-care products, making the brand primarily a mass-market sun-care name rather than solely a tanning product.

• Coppertone GirlBranding and advertising property1953

  The Coppertone Girl is the brand’s signature advertising character: a blond girl with pigtails whose swimsuit is pulled down by a Cocker Spaniel puppy. The image communicates a tan line and became one of the most recognizable elements of Coppertone’s identity, appearing in advertising and related brand materials.

• Coppertone classic fragranceSensory brand asset

  A distinctive fragrance shared by many Coppertone products became an important sensory marker for the brand. The scent has been associated with consumer memory and recognition, complementing the Coppertone Girl as a non-visual component of the brand’s identity.

• 1959Redrawn Coppertone Girl

  United States

  Joyce Ballantyne Brand redrew the Coppertone Girl after the original artwork was destroyed in a fire. The revised illustration preserved the central girl-and-puppy concept while establishing the version most closely associated with the mature brand identity.

  Outcome. The redesigned character continued as the brand’s principal visual signature.

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• 1953Coppertone Girl campaign

  United States

  Coppertone introduced the advertising concept of a young girl whose swimsuit is pulled by a puppy, revealing a tan line. The character gave the brand a distinctive narrative device and became its defining advertising symbol.

  Outcome. The Coppertone Girl became a durable and widely recognized brand asset.

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• Coppertone mechanical billboards

  United States

  Coppertone used mechanical outdoor billboards in which the dog and swimsuit moved repeatedly, turning the Coppertone Girl image into a physical roadside attraction.

  Outcome. Most installations disappeared or stopped operating; a noted surviving billboard remains in Miami Beach.

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• 2019Sell Coppertone to BeiersdorfM&A

  Bayer agreed to sell Coppertone as Beiersdorf sought to strengthen its position in the United States sun-care market.

  What changed. Beiersdorf announced an agreement to acquire Coppertone from Bayer.

  Aftermath. Coppertone joined Beiersdorf’s skin-care portfolio, which also includes Nivea and Nivea Sun.

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• 1953Adopt the Coppertone Girl conceptOther

  The brand needed a memorable identity for a suntan-lotion market in which product names and functional claims could be difficult to distinguish.

  What changed. Tally Embry Advertising developed the girl-and-puppy image centered on the exposure of a tan line.

  Aftermath. The character became the defining symbol of Coppertone and remained central to its advertising history.

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• 2019Beiersdorf agrees to acquire Coppertone from Bayer

  Beiersdorf announced an agreement to purchase Coppertone from Bayer, citing the opportunity to strengthen its presence in the United States sun-care market.

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• 2019Beiersdorf acquires Coppertone from Bayer

  Beiersdorf completed the acquisition of Coppertone, transferring the long-established sunscreen brand from Bayer to the owner of NIVEA and other personal-care brands.

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• 2014Bayer acquires Merck’s consumer business

  Bayer acquired Merck’s consumer-health business, including Coppertone.

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• 2009Merck acquires Schering-Plough

  Merck & Co. acquired Schering-Plough, bringing Coppertone into Merck’s consumer-health portfolio.

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• 1971Schering Corporation merges with Plough

  The merger created Schering-Plough, which became the corporate owner of Coppertone.

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• 1957Plough acquires Coppertone

  Plough acquired the Coppertone brand as part of its consumer-health and personal-care portfolio.

  M&A
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1. Coppertone
2. Beiersdorf acquires Coppertone from Bayer