Background
Montenier was born on March 23, 1895 in Neuchatel, Switzerland; the son of Jules and Rose (Girard) Montenier. He came to the United States in 1923 and naturalized in 1928.
Montenier was born on March 23, 1895 in Neuchatel, Switzerland; the son of Jules and Rose (Girard) Montenier. He came to the United States in 1923 and naturalized in 1928.
Montenier attended the University of Neuchatel. In 1919, he received a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Geneva.
Montenier began his career as a professor of chemistry at the University of Geneva in 1919 and held it for three years. In 1934, he became a president at Jules Montemier, Inc. and held it until that company was sold to Helene Curtis Industries, Inc. in 1956.
In 1937, Jules Montenier, Inc. began selling a liquid antiperspirant, using aluminium chloride as the active ingredient. He had reduced some of the irritating effects of aluminium chloride by buffering it with substances like urea and had taken out a series of patents to protect his ideas. Montenier packaged his liquid antiperspirant in a soaked flannel pad but a chance discovery in 1939 suggested that the flannel was also a potential source of skin irritation. In addition, Jules set out to eliminate the need for a pad by developing a spray container to deliver his liquid antiperspirant and in 1944, he came across polyethylene.
Montenier’s experiments with polyethylene suggested that the container would need to be blow-moulded. He looked around for a suitable manufacturer and came across the Plax Corporation in West Hartford and, as a result, a suitable blow-molded polyethylene container was eventually developed. The first commercial sale of Stopette took place on the 23rd of July 1947 at Mandel Brothers Department Store in Chicago.
In 1949, Jules began television advertising for Stopette. When this proved to be successful the company became the sole sponsor of the television game show "What's My Line?" which first aired on CBS in 1950. Montenier invented a Finesse Flowing Creme Shampoo, which was introduced in 1952 and sold in a flexible squeeze bottle. He also introduced Poof Deodorant Body Powder in a squeeze bottle in 1954.
Since 1956 Jules was a consultant at Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.
Montenier was a member of Genealogical Society for Suisse Romande.
Jules Montenier was married to Helen Graf.