Founded in 1949 by John Critzas, Goop is an all-American, family-owned brand to this day.

Our story began in 1943, when John Critzas was drafted at the young age of 18 to serve his country in World War II. As a Sherman tank gunner in the 12th Armored Division under General George Patton—known as the Hellcats—he took part in numerous heroic missions, including rescues and concentration camp liberations.

When working around heavy equipment (especially tanks), hands tended to get dirty. Water and soap were rationed, and not always available in the field. The men would often use the unleaded gasoline of the time to clean up after performing maintenance—because it cut through grease and grime and evaporated quickly. But it wasn’t kind on the skin!

Upon his return to civilian life after the war, John was inspired to create a better waterless hand cleaning solution. The formula he worked to develop used natural petroleum and skin-safe surfactants. It was more powerful than traditional soap, much safer and more pleasant to use than gas and was quickly embraced by mechanics and hot-rodders of the post-war era as “Goop!”

John officially founded Critzas Industries in St. Louis, Missouri in 1949 to manufacture his product. And we’re still in the same facility today, carrying on John’s legacy of ingenuity and taking great pride in one’s work.

Our manufacturing lines have been updated throughout the years, and new products like Orange Goop have been added to the family. But our core formula remains as true as possible to what John worked to develop back in the day. (And with Classic Goop, we’re making that original, high-performance cleaning experience available once again—metal tin and all!)

Goop products now serve a multitude of industries and have a strong global presence in the automotive, hardware, construction, janitorial, agricultural, mining and military markets. We’ve discovered and shared new ways to use our products for safe, effective cleaning on everything from laundry stains to pets. But most importantly, we work hard every day to bring quality products to hard-working professionals and do-it-your-selfers.

Learn more about our founder, John Critzas, and his contributions to the 12th Armored Division Museum

Our mission is to empower professionals and DIYers to do more by providing the most powerful waterless hand cleaners and degreasing solutions on the market.

Our vision is to educate and grow new generations of customers as the most trusted solution for easy, waterless cleanup after life’s toughest messes.