Genuine Phillips' Milk of Magnesia

This advertisement ran on March 17, 1929 in the Chicago Sunday Tribune.

Glenbrook property with Chas. H. Phillips Chem. Co. mfg. plant

Chas. H. Phillips Chemical Co. plant blueprint

Charles H. Phillips invented "Milk of Magnesia", a laxative, in 1873.  He named this substance (hydrate of magnesium, 8% solution with water) based on its milky appearance.  Phillips manufactured and distributed this medicine through the Chas. H. Phillips Chemical Company, the pharmaceutical company he founded in 1819, at his Glenbrook manufacturing plant in the city of Stamford, Connecticut.  Phillips' Milk of Magnesia was manufactured solely at this location beginning in 1880 until 1976 (see maps/ diagrams to the right).





In 1923, Sterling Drug, Inc. acquired Chas. H. Phillips Chemical Co., and subsequently added three new products to the Milk of Magnesia line:  Phillips' Milk of Magnesia Toothpaste in 1924, Phillips' Dental Magnesia & Tooth Powder in 1925, and Phillips' Milk of Magnesia Tablets in 1931.

In 1995, Sterling Drug, Inc. was acquired by Bayer HealthCare, which still manufactures products in the Phillips' line today.

Phillips' Milk of Magnesia began embossing its trademark (see images above) on its bottles beginning in 1906 when it was patented.  Bottles manufactured before this year are often seen with differing Phillips logos.  For example, in an earlier rendition of the Phillips' Milk of Magnesia bottle, the logo appears as "C.H. PHILLIPS / NEW YORK" surrounding the double circled monogram in the center, followed by the text "PATENTED / APRIL 29th & JULY 22nd / 1873" below the logo.  Also, it should be noted that some of the earliest Milk of Magnesia bottles had no embossments at all and made do with paper labels only.

In addition to the Phillips' Milk of Magnesia trademark, the Chas. H. Phillips Chemical Company trademark, a facsimile of Charles H. Phillips' signature (see image below), could be found on the bottle's label towards the bottom.

A general rule of thumb in dating these bottles, as there seems to be no identifying marks to assist in that job, is to look at the bottle's construction--particularly the closure type of the finish--and its trademark embossment on the body.  The newest glass Milk of Magnesia bottles usually won't have any embossments at all on the body, and will have only the glass maker's marks on the base to help with the dating.

Bottles from 1906 to the 1920s usually have text embossed underneath the main logo stating its registration and/ or patent number.

Bottles manufactured from the '20s to the '60s will generally have the "traditional" logo seen previously embossed on the body of the bottle, with older ones including the text "TRADE MARK" above the monogram in the logo within the other circle.

The following are a collection of advertisements that the Chas. H. Phillips Co. ran from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Ad - 1928

Ad - 1929

Ad - 1933

Ad - 1932

       

Ad - 1935

Ad - 1947

Ad - 1953

Ad - 1948