Tec Labs - Poison Ivy Experts

Just how does a company set out to fill the "itch niche"? Tec Labs began its work in an entirely different field and with a vastly different intent for its product. Today, the Oregon company is focused exclusively on the development of products to stop the itch and soothe the skin.
The first Tec Labs product was Tecnu®. Dr. Robert Smith, a chemical engineer, developed Tecnu in the early 1960s during the cold war years. The wash was originally intended as a waterless cleanser to remove nuclear fallout dust from skin and clothing for families' personal bomb shelters. Dr. Smith named the product Tecnu to stand for "technically new".

At the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Smith retired Tecnu to a back shelf in his home in Corvallis, Oregon. Oregon is notorious for its poison oak and it wasn't long before Smith's wife, Evelyn, tried the cleanser on her skin and clothes after an encounter with poison oak in her garden. When the experiment was successful and removed the residual oils, a new chapter began. Dr. Smith collaborated with forestry students at an Oregon university and found that the oak-and-ivy application was a consistent and effective use of the product. In 1977, the Smiths started producing and marketing Tecnu for use in the Northwest. Business took off when the Smiths began selling Tecnu to professional foresters, firemen, surveyors, utility and telephone crews to assist with poison oak, ivy and sumac while they were working in the field.

Tecnu is now standard issue in most major utility and power companies throughout the United States.
Tec Labs continues to develop new products in defense of the skin. A focus on preventative and soothing products that gently provide serious relief has helped the company stand out from competitors. Whether the culprit is poisonous plants, biting insects, lice or even the sun, Tec Labs continues to bring innovative solutions to market.