In 1945, Ramer Sponges Founder Reginald Boswell began developing a process for a foam material which was exceptionally soft and gentle. At this time, the only available sponges in the world were natural sea sponges.

It all started with Mosquito fighter planes...

The path to develop these personal care sponges was an unusual one. During WWII, scientists had created a strong and lightweight alternative to balsa wood which was used in the production of frames for the Mosquito fighter planes. Despite being very strong and lightweight when dry, it had one large drawback. It became beautifully soft on contact with water. Not quite what you want for an aircraft wing, but Reginald recognised the soft quality of the material and its potential for the bodycare market. 

Early years 

Since 1946, the Ramer name has become synonymous with the production of high-quality sponges for bodycare. The first production line was housed in a disused gymnasium in Pimlico, London, and the first year’s entire stock was bought by the Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics Company.

Ramerfoam® 

Ramerfoam® material is also supplied to other manufacturers, both in the UK and abroad, for conversion into components for a diversity of products from cigar humidors to de-icing systems on the wings of small aircraft. It also has uses in the medical field.

Today

Ramer remains a family company and is the UK’s leading producer of super-absorbent and super-soft sponge products for beauty and bodycare. We supply customers worldwide and have done so for over 70 years. All Ramer sponge products are manufactured in the UK at our purpose-built facility in Devon, nestled in the rolling hills of the Otter Valley.