In 1868, qualified pharmacist Eduard Gerlach took over his father’s traditional dry goods business and added a new field of business to the company – a pharmacy. At that time, foot care was not yet the core business, but would soon become this. Gerlach recognised the signs of the times: Good, comfortable leather shoes were not yet a product for average citizens, who were subject to extreme foot strain as factory workers or agricultural workers. Gerlach's observations taught him how unpleasant sores and blisters can be. In 1882, he brought to market the first industrially-produced foot care cream in the world; this product was named E. GERLACH’S PRESERVATIVE CREAM.

His brand quickly found a ready market. Thanks to the unique properties of his special cream and his industrial method of production, Eduard Gerlach was the first person that was able to successfully manufacture foot care products in large quantities at low prices and always with consistent quality. Primarily due to this fact, foot care became affordable for a large portion of the general public and thus the prerequisites for the creation of a general foot care consciousness were laid down. A new era of foot care began. Eduard Gerlach received numerous international honours for his “Preservative cream”.