Norda Essential Oil and Chemical Company Photograph Collection

The Norda Essential Oil and Chemical Company was founded in 1924 in Boonton, New Jersey by Hermann J. Kohl (1889-1971), a German chemist and pharmacist. Kohl received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Heidelberg University and emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1910. In keeping with Kohl’s chemical training, Norda specialized in aromatic chemicals, essential oils, natural and imitation flavors, and pharmaceutical intermediaries for use in perfume, cosmetic, and food products. In its early years, the company achieved great success as a supplier of essential oils for the soap industry, including scents such as lavender, geranium, Rose Marie, and spike and thyme, and reported a total business of $1,680,000 in 1930. However, Kohl’s indictment in February 1930 on liquor conspiracy and federal bootlegging charges cast a pall over Norda and its fellow perfume and fragrance companies, many of which were perceived as fronts for the illegal distribution of grain and denatured alcohol during Prohibition. Eventually, the charges against Kohl were dropped in 1934 following Prohibition’s repeal and Norda continued to prosper, making its initial public offering on the stock market in March 1962 and registering several patents for scent-related products, such as a sea shell perfume diffuser. In 1985, Norda was acquired by Unilever, an Anglo/Dutch food and fragrance company jointly based out of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.