Douglas transportation of soap to Hamburg
In the gritty, rhythmic heart of 19th century Hamburg’s Gangway Quarter, a Scot named John Sharp Douglas, a fella with a knack for soap making, kicked off a fragrant revolution. At 29, this laddie had the cojones to bring fresh scents and slick suds to the bustling streets, turning the game of cleanliness on its head.
Born and bred in Glasgow, Douglas had dabbled in soap making before heading off to find greener pastures, away from Scotland’s high taxes. He angled for adventure, hopped on one of the first steamers plying the Elbe, and wound up in the Hanseatic city where his uncle ran a tavern.
Turning Bathroom Breaks into Moments of Luxury
In that era, personal hygiene was seen as a luxury reserved for the few. A majority of folks cleared the grime from their clothes with soap, that rough, unappealing stuff, while they rubbed their bodies with dry cloth, believing, since the Middle Ages, that water could spread the goddamn plague. The wealthy, however, went one step further, stinking themselves up with expensive fragrances and powders to mask the stench.
A Soap-er Hero Steps Up
But times were a-changin’. English doctors had been touting the health benefits of water for years, and according to some gabbers, even seawater was a Mustard Wash for the soul. Germany's first spa towns—Norderney and Cuxhaven—were the in-thing, offering sea baths and reviving cures for those who sought to dodge the oppressive years of Napoleon's troops. And boy, did the good people of Hamburg want a piece of that heavenly action.
Sharp as a Tack, Smart as a Whip
Douglas smelled an opportunity and upped his soap output. The Elbe carried away the wastewater, and the burgeoning Hamburg harbor provided exotic raw materials—coconut and palm oils from Asia, scents and oils from the tropics that he used to elevate soap making to an art. The wealthier Hanseatic merchants and their better halfs went mad for the stuff. But it was out of reach for the toiling masses of the Gangway Quarter.
Souping Up the Process
In 1830, Douglas hit a creative streak, figuring out a way to mix coconut oil and soda. This magical cocktail heated up in a jiffy, slashing production time from five brutally long days down to a mere two hours. This meant lower costs, and nothing is sweeter than affordable cleanliness.
Sell, Sell, Sell!
To set himself apart from the growing competition, douglas whipped up new products, such as the "Chinese Heavenly Soap," a stiff foamy number meant for shaving and bathing, created to make it look like it came straight from the emperor's piss pot. He swaddled his wares in attractive packaging, flaunted his goodies at prominent fairs, and hired the famous Weimar court physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland to shill for him. He even set up his own shop next to the factory to ensure steady distribution.
In 1842, Douglas moved his operation to a bigger factory in St. Pauli, but sadly, life’s a bitch—he keeled over at the height of his success, leaving his sons—still minors—to pick up the pieces.
The Mysterious Recipe of the Pasha
The boys were looked after by a trusted man, Theodor Hopff, who had previously managed the soap distribution in addition to making the rounds from trader to trader. Hopff modernized production, experimented with new ingredients, and expanded the product range. He introduced an "Egyptian Toilet Soap" to the roster, trumping up a backstory about snagging the genuine recipe from the Pasha of Egypt. According to Hopff, it took "unspeakable efforts and financial sacrifices" to get their hands on this exotic formula.
The Next Generation
Thomas and Alexander, the determined sons, spent years learning the tricks of the trade from renowned soap manufacturers abroad, returned, and further expanded the international connections of the company from 1863 onwards. In 1871, under the company name J. S. Douglas & Sons, they hired an English soap master and a chemist from Paris, and shifted the factory to Kleine Schäferkamp in Eimsbüttel, where the heavenly concoctions were churned out until the mid-1990s.
A New Era: Perfumery Douglas
In 1910, the Carstens sisters, a pair of shrewd businesswomen, convinced the soap manufacturers to sell cosmetic products from Eimsbüttel and additional exotic soaps, perfume oils, creams, and powders under the name Perfumery Douglas at the upscale Neue Wall. These clever gals were tapping into a burgeoning trend: emancipated women, fighting for the right to study, work, and revel in their own fragrance, were all about elevating bathroom breaks to moments of luxury.
The Carstens sisters' Perfumery Douglas business thrived, growing into the largest perfumery chain in Europe with around 2,400 branches in 2020.
Store Closures Due to Corona Crisis
But the lockdown measures in the Corona pandemic have left their mark on this formerly thriving enterprise. In January 2021, the perfumery company announced plans to close every fifth store in Europe, affecting around 60 businesses in Germany, as the rapidly growing online sales couldn’t make up for the massive losses in the stationary business in the business year 2019/2020.
So that's the tale of Douglas - a Scottish fellow who made his mark in the dirty but vibrant streets of 19th century Hamburg, turning the stinky, dare we say, shitty world of cleanliness on its head. And hey, that's progress for ya.
- In its early days, Douglas's soap empire primarily catered to the wealthy, offering a luxurious alternative to the rough and unappealing soap available to the masses.
- As the company evolved, Perfumery Douglas expanded its product range to include fashion-and-beauty items, such as exotic soaps, perfume oils, creams, and powders, appealing to the growing trend of emancipated women who sought to elevate their bathroom breaks into moments of luxury.
