Charles Macintosh, the son of George Macintosh, was born in Glasgow in 1768. He formed a partnership with Charles Tennant, who ran a cloth bleaching business in Paisley. In 1799 Tennant took out a patent for the manufacture of a dry bleaching powder made from chlorine and slaked lime. It was later claimed that Macintosh was the main person responsible for this development.

In the 1820s Macintosh went into partnership with Hugh Birley, a cotton manufacturer from Manchester. During this time developed a waterproof material and later went into business with Thomas Hancock. Charles Macintosh died in 1843.