Fragrance house

J. R. Watkins

J. R. Watkins began in 1868, when J. R. Watkins acquired the rights to Dr. Ward’s Celebrated Liniment and made it in his kitchen in Plainview, Minnesota. The company moved to Winona in 1885, and in 1894 discontinued the Dr. Ward’s name and incorporated as The J. R. Watkins Medical Company. Its business grew from medicinal remedies into ointments, liniments, vanilla, and spices; from 1915 to 1940, it was the largest direct-selling company in the United States. Watkins Vanilla & Spices received a Gold Medal for Highest Quality at the 1928 Paris International Exposition. In 1978, the business was sold to Minnesota businessman Irwin L. Jacobs, ending 110 years of Watkins family ownership. In 2018, Swander Pace Capital acquired the J.R. Watkins personal-care and household brand and assets from Watkins Inc., which retained its spices and extracts business. Today, the personal-care identity centers on apothecary goods for hand, body, and home, with plant-based or nature-derived ingredients and signature scents. J.R. Watkins is especially associated with its Lemon Cream personal-care scent and lemon in its home collection.