Eduard Gerlach, a pharmacist, took over his father Ludwig's colonial goods business in Lübbecke, Westphalia, Germany, in 1868 and added a drugstore to it. Eduard Gerlach founded a successful family business with his drugstore, the first of its kind in the county at the time. Under the brand name GEHWOL, the company has gained reputation around the world and has come to be synonymous with foot care.

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Due to his invention of the first cream to be produced commercially for the prevention and treatment of foot maladies, Eduard Gerlach is rightfully regarded as a forerunner in the field of modern foot care. He benefited much from his personal experience and professional expertise.

 

He was able to personally experience the excruciating pain of his feet while serving in the military. He was a pharmacist who, in 1882, created "E. Gerlach's Preservative Cream" by successfully combining basic ingredients like potassium carbonate, unsaturated fatty acids, mineral-based lubricants, and disinfecting essential oils. His product soon located a willing consumer. Eduard Gerlach was the first person to be able to successfully manufacture foot care items in huge quantities at low rates and always with consistent quality, thanks to the exceptional qualities of his special cream and his industrial method of manufacturing. Because of this, a huge percentage of the general people could now afford foot care, setting the stage for the development of a widespread foot care consciousness. Care for feet entered a new era. For his "Preservative cream," Eduard Gerlach won numerous accolades on the world stage.