Shoe polish, is a waxy paste, cream, or liquid used to polish, shine, and
waterproof leather shoes or boots to extend the footwear's life, and restore,
maintain and improve their appearance. Various substances have been used as
shoe polish for hundreds of years, starting with natural substances such as
wax and tallow. Modern polish formulas were introduced early in the 20th
century and many of those original formulations are still in use today.
Today, shoe polish is usually made from a mix of natural and synthetic
materials, including naphtha, turpentine, dyes, and gum arabic, using
straightforward chemical engineering processes. Shoe polish is usually
flammable, can be toxic, and, if misused, can stain skin. It should be
used in a well-ventilated area with care taken to protect clothes, carpet and
furniture. The popularity of shoe polish paralleled
a general rise in leather and synthetic shoe production, beginning in the 19th
century and continuing into the 20th. The World Wars saw a surge in demand for
the product, in order to polish army boots.
Usage Shoe polish is applied to the shoe using
a rag, cloth, or brush. Shoe polish is not a cleaning product, and therefore
the footwear should be both clean and dry before application. A vigorous
rubbing action to apply the polish evenly on the boot, followed by further
buffing with a clean dry cloth or brush, usually provides good results. Another
technique, known as spit-polishing or bull polishing, involves gently rubbing
polish into the leather with a cloth and a drop of water or spit. This achieves
the mirror-like, high-gloss finish sometimes known as a spit shine or bull
which is especially valued in military organizations. Despite the term, saliva
is less commonly used as the vehicle or diluent with polish than is water.
Polishes containing carnauba wax can be used as a protective coating to extend
the life and look of a leather shoe. Shoe polish may be purchased pre-soaked
into a hard sponge, which can be used to buff leather without needing to apply
any additional polish to either the leather or the sponge. This is usually
known as an applicator. A number of companies that manufacture shoe care
products also sell a liquid shoe polish in a squeezable plastic bottle, with a
small sponge applicator at the end. To decrease its viscosity, bottled polish
usually has a very low wax content. There are many products closely related
to shoe polish, but not strictly considered as such. Other chemical
products may be used to clean and shine shoes—in particular whiteners for white
shoes, and a variety of sprays and aerosols for cleaning and waterproofing
suede shoes. A banana peel can also be used to effectively shine shoes.
Although shoe polish is primarily intended for leather shoes, some brands
specify that they may be used on non-porous materials, such as vinyl. The
polish is generally the same colour as the shoes it will be used upon, or it
may be neutral, lacking any intrinsic colour.
History = Before the twentieth century=
Since medieval times, dubbin, a waxy product, was used to soften and
waterproof leather; however, it did not impart shine. It was made from natural
wax, oil, soda ash and tallow. As leather with a high natural veneer
became popular in the 18th century, a high glossy finish became important,
particularly on shoes and boots. In most cases, a variety of homemade polishes
were used to provide this finish, often with lanolin or beeswax as a base.
In the 19th century many forms of shoe polish became available, yet were rarely
referred to as shoe polish or boot polish. Instead, they were often called
blacking, or simply continued to be referred to as dubbin. Tallow, an animal
by-product, was used to manufacture a simple form of shoe polish at this time.
Chicago, Illinois, where 82% of the processed meat consumed in the United
States was processed in the stock yards, became a major shoe polish producing
area. In 1832, James S. Mason of Philadelphia
began the commercial production of shoe blacking and inks. In 1851, James S.
Mason & Co. constructed a building at 138/140 Front St. where ultimately ten
million boxes were produced annually, to hold tins of blacking produced by two
hundred employees. Later, tins of blacking were labeled as Mason Shoe
Polish. This business ceased operation in 1919 and the building was razed in
1973. Other early leather preserving products
included the Irish brand Punch, which was first made in 1851. In 1889, an
English man by the name of William Edward Wren, started making shoe
polishes under the brand name Wren's and won the “First in the Field – First
Award Leather Trades Exhibition 1892″ award held in Northampton, the centre of
Britain’s boot making industry which signify the importance and prestige of
the exhibition in the trade. In 1890 the Kroner Brothers established EOS, a shoe
polish factory in Berlin, which serviced the Prussian military. It finally closed
in 1934 when the Nazis forbade Jews to operate a business. The German brand,
Erdal, went on sale in 1901. Prior to 1906, shoe polish was not well
known as a purchasable product, nor was it particularly sophisticated. While
sales were not especially high, a few brands, like Nugget, were available in
the U.K. during the 19th century. The practice of shining people’s shoes
gradually caught on and soon many shoeshine boys in city streets were
offering shoe shines using a basic form of shoe polish along with a polishing
cloth. = Modern polish=
The first shoe polish to resemble the modern varieties were the British and
British Commonwealth brands like Cherry Blossom, Kiwi and Wren's. According to
an advertisement published in March 1947 by Wren's, the advertisement claimed
that William Wren originated the first wax polish in 1889. However, the most
well known brand was Kiwi. Scottish expatriates William Ramsay and Hamilton
McKellan began making "boot polish" in a small factory in 1904 in Melbourne,
Australia. Their formula was a major improvement on previous brands. It
preserved shoe leather, made it shine, and restored color. By the time Kiwi
Dark Tan was released in 1908, it incorporated agents that added
suppleness and water resistance. Australian-made boot polish was then
considered the world's best. Black and a range of colors became available, and
exports to Britain, continental Europe, and New Zealand began, although the
polish is now made in the Far East. Previously owned by the Sara Lee
Corporation since 1984, Kiwi was sold in 2011 to SC Johnson[1].
Ramsay named the shoe polish after the kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand;
Ramsay's wife, Annie Elizabeth Meek Ramsay, was a native of Oamaru, New
Zealand. It has been suggested that, at a time when several symbols were weakly
associated with New Zealand, the eventual spread of Kiwi shoe polish
around the world enhanced the Kiwi's popular appeal and promoted it at the
expense of the others. A rival brand in the early years was
Cobra Boot Polish, based in Sydney. Cobra was noted for a series of cartoon
advertisements in The Sydney Bulletin, starting in 1909, using a character
called "Chunder Loo of Akim Foo." Chunder is Australian slang for vomit,
and possibly originated through the rhyming slang of Chunder Loo and spew.
= Surge in popularity= At the end of the 19th century, leather
shoes and boots became affordable to the masses, and with the outbreak of World
War I in 1914, the demand for large numbers of polished army boots led to a
need in the market for a product that would allow boots to be polished
quickly, efficiently and easily. The polish was also used to shine leather
belts, handgun holsters, and horse tack. This demand led to a rapid increase in
the sales of shoe and boot polish. The popularity of Kiwi shoe polish spread
throughout the British Commonwealth and the United States. Rival brands began to
emerge, including Shinola and Cavalier, Cherry Blossom, Parwa, Jean Bart, and
many others. Advertising became more prominent; many shoe polish brands used
fictional figures or historical characters to spread awareness of their
products. In the German documentary of 1927 Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, a
scene focuses on shoe shining with a polish called Nigrin sporting the face
of a Negro. Shoe manufacturing improvements in the
mid-19th century allowed for factories to produce large amounts of shoes made
of leather, and later synthetic materials. This increase in leather shoe
production continued well into the 20th century and led to a surge in the number
of retail shoe stores in the industrialized world, and subsequently a
call for shoe polish by footwear consumers.
Shoe polish was to be found just about everywhere Allied troops ventured.
American war correspondent Walter Graeber wrote for TIME magazine from the
Tobruk trenches in 1942 that "old tins of British-made Kiwi polish lay side by
side with empty bottles of Chianti." A story indicative of the rise in global
significance of shoe polish is told by Jean Williams, a New Zealander who lived
in Japan during the Allied occupation straight after World War II. American
soldiers were then finding the dullness of their boots and shoes to be a
handicap when trying to win the affections of Japanese women. U.S.
military footwear of the time was produced in brown leather with the rough
side out. When the British Commonwealth Occupation
Forces arrived in Japan—all with boots polished to a degree not known in the
U.S. forces—the G.I.s were more conscious than ever of their feet. The
secret was found to rest not only in spit and polish, but in the superior
Australian boot polish, a commodity which was soon exchanged with the
Americans on a fluctuating basis of so many packets of cigarettes for one can
of Kiwi boot polish. = Modern day=
Shoe polish products are low-value items that are infrequently purchased, as a
single can might last several months for even the most frequent user. Consumer
demand is inelastic and largely insensitive to price change, while sales
volumes are generally low. In the shoe polish market as a whole, some 26% of
turnover is accounted for by pastes, 24% by creams, 23% by aerosols, and 13% by
liquids. In recent years, the demand for shoe polish products has either been
static or declined; one reason is the gradual replacement of formal footwear
with sneakers for everyday use. There are numerous branded products
available, as well as generic store brands. There are two chief areas of
shoe polish sales: to the general public, and to specialists and trade,
such as shoe repairers, and cobblers. The sales percentages between the two
outlets are roughly comparable. Kiwi remains the predominant shoe polish
brand in most of the world, being sold in over 180 countries. Today, it is
manufactured in Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, South Africa,
Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Other leading brands
include Kelly's, Shinola, Lincoln Shoe Polish, Meltonian, Angelus, and Cherry
Blossom. Kiwi was acquired by the American
company Sara Lee following its purchase of Reckitt and Colman in 1991 and
Knomark with its brand Esquire Shoe Polish in 1987. The Federal Trade
Commission ruled that Sara Lee had to divest its ownership of these companies
in 1994 to prevent it from becoming a monopoly. Since this ruling, Sara Lee
has been prevented from acquiring any further assets or firms associated with
chemical shoe care products in the United States without prior commission
approval. The Competition Commission in the United Kingdom investigated the
potential monopoly of Sara Lee in the shoe care industry. By the end of 2010,
Sara Lee's Household & Body Care division was acquired by S.C.Johnson &
Son. Empty shoe polish bottles can be used to
create graffiti, by dumping out the polish inside and filling it full of ink
or paint. They are used as a cheap alternative to markers designed for
graffiti, and are much more widely available. Kiwi polish was also used
heavily by the U.S. Military. Composition and toxicology
Shoe polish consists of a waxy colloidal emulsion, a substance composed of a
number of partially immiscible liquids and solids mixed together. It is usually
made from ingredients including some or all of naphtha, lanolin, turpentine,
wax, gum arabic, ethylene glycol, and if required a colourant, such as carbon
black or an azo dye. It typically has a specific gravity of 0.8, is negligibly
soluble in water, and is made of between 65 and 77% volatile substances—usually
naphtha. The high amount of volatile substances means that the shoe polish
will dry out and harden after application, while retaining its shine.
Lanolin, a hydrophobic grease from wool-bearing animals such as sheep or
goats, acts as both a waterproofing wax and a bonding agent, giving the shoe
polish its greasy feel and texture. It prevents the naphtha from evaporating
until the polish has been spread and buffed into a thin film on the leather
surface. An essential ingredient in shoe polish is a thickener; without this, the
polish would be too runny, making it difficult to use. Gum arabic, a
substance from two sub-Saharan species of the acacia tree, is commonly used to
increase the viscosity of the product. Shoe polish contains chemical substances
which can be absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. When handling shoe polish,
one should ideally wear gloves, and stay in a well-ventilated area. Shoe polish
should be kept out of reach of children and animals. It can stain the skin for a
protracted period of time, and will cause irritation to the eye if there is
direct contact. Manufacture
Shoe polish can be manufactured using large vats, reasonably powerful heaters
and air conditioners. There is no set method of manufacture, although most
methods use pressures of two atmospheres to ensure the naphtha does not boil off,
and temperatures of up to 85 °C. The first step in the manufacture of a
typical shoe polish is the melting of the wax with the highest melting point
in an electric heater. Following this, all other waxes are added, usually by
descending order of melting point. While this wax is held at a constant
temperature, the emulsion—a mixture of the various oils and, if used, fats, is
then heated separately, at around 85 °C. The heated emulsion is then added to the
waxes, along with distilled water. When the mixture reaches around 80 °C,
turpentine oil is added. This mixture is then mixed and continually stirred for
half an hour. Dyes are added and mixed in turpentine oil if it is not a neutral
polish. The mixed mass is reduced slowly to 50 °C, and as its viscosity
increases, it is poured through a closed funnel into a cooling chamber. The
poured mass is allowed to settle slowly, providing uniform distribution. The
process is considered straightforward and the required equipment is relatively
easy to acquire. The cost of establishing shoe polish manufacturing
facilities has been estimated at around $600,000.
Shoe polish is traditionally packaged in flat, round, 60-gram tins, usually with
an easy-open facility. Because the amount of shoe polish that needs to be
applied is small, and the shoe polish will desiccate due to volatile
ingredients, such as naphtha, a large container would dry out before being
fully used. The traditional flat, round tins have since become synonymous with
shoe polishes. See also
Leather: preservation and conditioning References
External links "Blacking". Encyclopedia Americana.
1920. How shoe polish is made