The Swarfega Story; celebrating 65 years

• Deb Silkware Protection Ltd was established in Belper, Derbyshire by A.B. Williamson in 1941
• The name ‘Deb’ originates from the word ‘Debutante’,
  the traditional name given to girls making their first
  appearance in society
• Swarfega, a great British brand, was invented by Deb
  in 1947
• We estimate that 40 million people use our products
  every day
• Such is our commitment to continuous improvement we
  have invested in a purpose-built facility in Derbyshire
• Celebrating 70 years of manufacturing in 2011, Deb is
  proud to continue to invest in the future of the county
  and support British manufacturing

"Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow"

Swarfega, manufactured by Deb Ltd, is renowned the world over for its unique cleaning properties which over the years has transformed Swarfega into a generic term for heavy-duty hand cleaning.

In fact, just mention the word “Swarfega” to a group of people and virtually everybody will know the loveable green gel; be it through their own use or that of their parents or grand parents.

But, not many people know that when the product was first invented in Belper, Derbyshire by AB Williamson (Founder of Deb Ltd), it actually started out as Deb Silkware Protector; a mild solution for hand-washing silk stockings, intended to prevent them from laddering.

The war diverted silk to parachute production, and the Americans arrived in Britain with nylons and destroyed the silk stocking market — and the need for Deb Silkware Protector.

From early memories of motor fitters washing their hands with petrol, paraffin and sand — and suffering from cracked skin and dermatitis — AB Williamson decided to reformulate Deb Silkware Protector and invent a skin cleaner which would remove engine oils and grease, but leave the skin’s natural oils intact.

In 1947, Swarfega was born; it was the first hand cleaner of its type in the world. The name derives from “swarf”, being the old Derbyshire engineering term for oil and grease and “ega”, as in “eager to clean”.

As businesses in the late 1940's and early 1950's did not provide proper hand cleaners (only tablet soap), people started using Swarfega after a hard day at work and its popularity quickly grew.

In its early days, Swarfega was available in places frequented by men such as motorbike shops, chemists and even barbers.

Today, the “Swarfega” brand is so much more than the Original Green Gel; it is the umbrella brand for an ever expanding range of skin care products, degreasing & vehicle maintenance products and general surface cleaners aimed at both professional and domestic markets.

Such is Deb’s commitment to continuous improvement and developing new benefits for their customers, they have invested in a purpose-built, 150,000 sq ft global headquarters based in Denby, Derbyshire; a few miles away from the original factory in Belper.

Swarfega, a great British brand, was a pioneering product invented by Deb, in Derbyshire, and it was important to the company that it was kept local.

Derbyshire is a county that has a long history of manufacturing and Deb is proud to continue to invest in its future and remain a British manufacturing company with its roots in the local community.