ZEST Deodorant Soap

P&G discontinued that brand last year. Hard as it may be to believe now, Zest played a prominent role in the soap wars of the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

Zest was originally introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1955 and nationally launched in 1957. Zest was originally positioned as a deodorant bar that included both standard soap and synthetic detergent ingredients.

The synthetic detergent ingredient prevented the deposition of soap scum in the presence of hard water. Marbled in appearance, Zest originally came in two variants: Aqua and the yellow, lemon-scented Citrus. By the mid-1960s, the bar no longer had a marbled appearance.

In 2011, Procter & Gamble sold the North American and Caribbean rights of Zest to Brynwood Partners VI LP, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm, through its subsidiary, High Ridge Brands Company.

A company rep from P&G answers why the company decided to sell off Zest: " We continually evaluate all the brands in the portfolio against their strategic fit and value in our longer term global goals. In this case, we felt that Zest, with its great equity in 'clean'...and loyal core following in the U.S. and Canada, was a better value fit for a company that would bring greater focus to it."