With more than 130 years of history, Dermo-Suavina Calduch is a flagship brand that is present in the personal memories of several generations. As of the first wooden boxes that started to be manufactured in Vila-real in 1880, Dermo-Suavina has always been known for its natural ingredients and their effectiveness in lip care.
1880
Vicente Calduch Solsona created his “Ungüent de Vila-real”
The town of Vila-real, in Castellón, was intensely dedicated to agriculture, and citrus fruits in particular. Vicente Calduch Solsona, pharmacist in this town, created an ointment to treat the cracked and chapped lips typical of field workers. Before long, the product known as “Ungüent de Vila-real” (Vila-real ointment) became popular and residents from other villages nearby started coming to Calduch’s pharmacy, located on Mayor Street, to purchase this product.
1909
Vicente Calduch Almela opened his pharmacy in Castellón
Vicente Calduch Solsona had four sons, all of them pharmacists, who opened pharmacies in different towns, increasing the consumption of this famous ointment among their customers. Vicente Calduch Almela, the eldest, settled in Castellón in 1909. José Calduch Almela remained as the head of the family pharmacy in Vila-real and will be remembered as the founder and first president of the Villarreal FC. Álvaro Calduch Almela opened his pharmacy in Barcelona, and Manuel Calduch Almela, the youngest, settled as pharmacist in Almazora, although his real passion was botany. He was known in this field as the author of studies and expeditions where several native species were catalogued, as also as the discoverer of a plant variety unknown until then, that he called “fond-queri Calduch” as a tribute to his teacher and friend, Professor Pio Font Quer.
1916
Laboratorios Calduch and the Dermo - Suavina were born
The first pharmacy in the city of Castellón was transformed into a small laboratory of pharmaceutical products: Laboratorios Calduch. In this same year, the lip balm known as ``Ungüent de Vila-real`` begins to be marketed under the brand Dermo-Suavina (as we know it today).
1940-2016
Different packaging, same formula.
Dermo-Suavina’s iconic image has changed very little over the three centuries it has been a part of our daily lives. It was initially marketed in a wooden box, which was replaced by a metal one in 1940, in 1965 the plastic container was introduced, and, in 2016, a safer and larger package was created. Dermo-Suavina’s formula is a combination of essential oils and menthol in a fatty vehicle, and it has remained unchanged until today. It is still being manufactured in Castellón by the fifth generation of pharmacists who currently lead Laboratorios Calduch.
Nowadays
Maintaining the tradition
The Dermo-Suavina brand is a family tradition that required no changes to its essence to remain current in the new century. Each year, more units are being manufactured, and increasingly more pharmacies and parapharmacies market our product, as it is a low-cost, effective product, with a track record supporting its qualities.