The Watkins Co. - Winona, MN

Everyday on TV, 1-800 number commercials use offer money-backed guarantees to convince viewers to buy their products. From Snuggies to the “latest” in cooking tools, companies offer these money-backed guarantees as marketing ploys to reel potential buyers in. At some point, the money-back guarantee became more of a gimmick than a way for companies to legitimize their marketing claims.

However, early on in American industry, one company was committed to creating health care products that their customers could always return and get their money back if they weren't completely pleased with the purchase.

The J.R. Watkins Company became the first U.S. business to incorporate a money-backed guarantee in 1869. Relying on door-to-door sales, the company sought to use this method as a way for customers to try their products without paying fees if they were not satisfied with them.

For over 100 years, The Watkins Company’s commitment has been to “making hard-working products from high-quality natural ingredients.” Their products include body and health care products, as well as soap and cleaners.

The Watkins Company creates products to help customers combat the common cough and cold. One such product is bath soak, which comes in menthol camphor scent. This product helps relieve aches and pains by “soften[ing] bath water so you can bathe in relief,” according to the product’s description on the Watkins Company website.

Another product the Watkins Company sells is hand and body lotions. They make them using natural oils and extracts “with 98-99% natural formulas that protect and pamper even the most sensitive skin.” Watkins also has a select variety of scents in their lotions, including lavender, coconut milk and honey, lemon cream and fragrance-free.

Watkins is determined to provide natural ingredients in their home care products as well. “We’re proud to use handpicked, high-quality ingredients in our non-toxic and biodegradable home care formulas,” says the Watkins Company’s home care web page. “Not because it’s fashionable, but because that’s the way we’ve always done it and we know it works.”

The company’s home care products include hand and dish soaps, scented soy candles and all-purpose cleaners, each coming in a variety of flavors to suit their customers’ tastes and interest.

But it isn’t just health, body and home care products that Watkins Company specializes in. They also provide a wide range of cooking spices and seasoning blends—all from natural ingredients. Several of their spices and herbs are also gluten-free, including black pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder and chili powder.  

One other thing we love about J.R. Watkins is how often we run into their products in-use, not just on the shelf. We’ve organically ran into Watkins products in a lodge in Moab, Utah, to a small coffee shop in Littleton, Colorado, and a high-end restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, so keep an eye out, and you'll likely find their hand soap in a bathroom of more than a few establishments.

So next time you’re looking for personal care products with natural ingredients made in America, check out the J.R. Watkins Company on their website or where many cleaning, personal hygiene, and food products are sold.