Boroline – Healthy Skin

What can be integral elements of a Bengali’s life? The list would include Durgapuja, Rosogolla, Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray to name a few. Another intrinsic part of the people from this part of the country is Boroline. When I was a child, I often used to fall while playing. In many such incidents, I cut my elbows or slit my knees. My dad’s first solution always was to “apply a little Boroline”. There was a pocket in my school bag that contained a lot of useful stuff and Boroline was very much able to justify its presence there. If you get a cut somewhere or if you need to stop bleeding, a reliable first aid solution is still that trademark green tube.

For more than 90 years, Boroline has served billions with trust and faith. The brand name conjures up a lot of joy and nostalgia among Bengali people. Why not? Boroline has its roots in Bengal. It was launched by a rich Bengali Gaurmohan Dutta when a fiery Bengal was toiling hard against treacherous British rulers. Gaurmohan Dutta felt the necessity of having something made in his own attic and his firm G.D Pharmaceuticals, driven by the trend of the Swadeshi Movement And Dutta’s indomitable will, gave India its first home-born perfumed antiseptic cream- Boroline.

Boroline consists of boric acid, zinc oxide, and anhydrous lanolin. The ingredients are well known & affordable but other companies which tried, have failed to match the original product! Boroline is used to soften dry lips, cure wounds, smoothen rough elbows, knees,palms, feet, soften itchy and rough skin and also has a reputation as night cream.

Over the years, the brand seems to have merged with Indian culture and tradition. It came to symbolize patriotic entrepreneurship. On the day India got its independence, the company celebrated by distributing 1,00,000 free Boroline tubes. Even after almost a century since its origin, the green tube with the symbol of an elephant on it maintains its “Swadeshi” touch.

With the advancement of time, despite there being new materials or alternatives for manufacturing the product, they are still making the same product using the same ingredients. Various interesting and touching advertisements relate it to the lives of the mass of Bengal and India in general. The latest brand advertisement features Vidya Balan promising to use Boroline to retain age and bring life back to dead skin.

No force has been able to diminish the glory of Boroline. Even in the times to come, I believe it will not only remain very close to a Bengali’s heart but also continue to appeal to people across the country as a symbol of self-sufficient India; a brand that bears the mark of patriotism. Another important feature of this timeless brand is its very long shelf-life. “Bongo Jiboner Ongo” (part of Bengal life), the ever catchy tagline raised by director Rituparno Ghosh, “surovito (perfumed) antiseptic cream Boroline” will surely remain as a symbol of trust and care in each & every corner of the country!