Carmex

Carma Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1937 in Wisconsin by Alfred Woelbing. After experimenting with his products, Woelbing created his own line of lip balm and other cosmetic products. After experimenting with his products, Woelbing created Carmex on his family's stove top. He began by selling the product from the trunk of his car. During this time Woelbing and his wife poured their lip balm into the now well-known yellow-capped jars. Then in 1957, the family business moved out of the kitchen and into a rented facility in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa.

Woelbing's son Don joined the business in 1973, and introduced assembly lines to Carma Labs. In 1975, due to the product's success, a new production facility was built in the southwest suburb of Franklin; production at the same facility continues to the present day. It remains under the ownership of the founding family.

Carma Labs began producing the product in squeezable tubes in 1988. In 1989, it began producing it in stick form which had been the longtime form factor for ChapStick and Blistex, Carma's major competitors in the lip balm market.

Alfred Woelbing suffered a stroke in 1997, but continued to be involved in the company until he died in 2001 at age 100.

The company continued further expansion under the management of Alfred's son Don and grandsons Paul and Eric. In 2002, mint-flavored Carmex lip balm (SPF 30) joined original Carmex lip balm in the product line, and Carmex lip balm became available throughout North America, Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa. During 2006, Carma introduced the DailyCare Carmex with SPF 15.