Small glass bottle containing brown liquid with a handwritten label that says "Lysol." Lysol Disinfectant has a long history as a cleaning product, douche, contraceptive, and abortion aid. Lysol was created in 1889 by Gustav Raupenstrauch. The disinfectant's early formula included cresol which was reported to cause inflammation, burning, and death. In the early 1920s, the company that made the disinfectant, Lehn & Fink, aggressively marketed the product to American wives. These advertisements stoked women's fears of turning away their husbands due to odor and uncleanliness. These ads also used euphemisms that hinted at Lysol's effectiveness as a contraceptive and abortion aid.