Love Cosmetics (1969–1980) was introduced by Menley & James Laboratories on March 1, 1969.
[''Menley & James Turns To Love 1969 Style'', ]New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, January 26, 1969, Page F16. By the summer of 1970, the company was marketing and promoting Fresh Lemon bath products and Soft Eyes items to beautify the eyes. Advertising was coordinated by Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency (1967–1990), a company founded by
Mary Wells Lawrence
Mary Wells Lawrence (born Mary Georgene Berg on May 25, 1928) is an American retired advertising executive. She was the founding president of Wells, Rich, Greene, an advertising agency known for its creative work. Lawrence was the first female ...
. Love's advertising budget surpassed $7 million. There was an emphasis on a long-term building operation, with advertisements on television and
in women's magazines.
[ A 4-page spread appeared in the February 1969 Harper's Bazaar. The headline theme was ''This is the way Love is in 1969.'' The opening continued with ''Love today is different than it's ever been. It's freer, more natural, more honest-more out in the open. So are the girls who fall in love these days.'' Singer Andy Williams hosted a mid-March 1969 ''Andy Williams Love Special''.][ Love Cosmetics is credited with introducing ''the lemon craze''.][
]
Ownership
M&J was composed of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
lawyers, doctors, and marketing men. It was a subsidiary of SmithKline & French
Smith, Kline & French (SKF) was an American pharmaceutical company.
History
In 1830, John K. Smith opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, and his younger brother, George, joined him in 1841 to form John K Smith & Co. In 1865, Mahlon Kline joined '' ...
Laboratories. SmithKline & French made Thorazine
Chlorpromazine (CPZ), marketed under the brand names Thorazine and Largactil among others, is an antipsychotic medication. It is primarily used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Other uses include the treatment of bipolar dis ...
, Compazine
Prochlorperazine, formerly sold under the brand name Compazine among others, is a medication used to treat nausea, migraines, schizophrenia, psychosis and anxiety. It is a less preferred medication for anxiety. It may be taken by mouth, rectally ...
, Dexedrine
Dextroamphetamine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and an amphetamine enantiomer that is prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It is also used as an athletic performance and c ...
, Eskatrol, and most notably, Contac
Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a sympathomimetic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes. It may be used as a nasal/sinus decongestant, as a stimulant, or as a wakefulness-promoting agent in higher doses.
It was first chara ...
.[ M&J was sometimes criticized for concentrating its marketing in drug stores. However, it felt that such a basic strategy would enable it to best take advantage of its
capabilities.][''Advertising: Menley Signs Up Della Femina, New York Times, August 21, 1970, Page 57.]
Product line
The ideal customer on which marketing focused was a young woman, 20 to 25. She might be a young businesswoman, co-ed, or young married. She was likely a trend setter and a heavy cosmetics user.[ Love Cosmetics' first line of items
included Love's Fresh Lemon Cleanser, Lovelids eyeshadow, and Eau De Love. In all, there were eleven products, and with the inclusion of shades, they numbered forty-three.
Loveshines was ''the fun stick to contour and color your eyes, face, all your other kissable little curves and hollows.'' Lipsticks were called Lovesticks. The remainder of the line was Love's Basic Moisture, Love's A Little Color, Love's Transparent Powder, Love's A Little Cover, Love's Liner, Love's Mascara, and Lovelids. The latter was an eyeshadow with a container in the shape of a plastic eyeball.]taupe
Taupe ( ) is a dark gray-brown color. The word derives from the French noun ''taupe'' meaning "mole". The name originally referred only to the average color of the French mole, but beginning in the 1940s, its usage expanded to encompass a wide ...
, russet, heather, or olive green. Nighttime was more suited for deeper, yet not brighter colors, especially purple, plum, or teal. In early 1976, Love Cosmetics started marketing Purple Sage, Tumbleweed, and Prairie Dawn eyeshadow shades.
In April 1974, Love Cosmetics began to make a line of Baby Soft products meant for adults. The items were scented with an ''innocent fragrance'' most often associated with babies. There was a Baby soft talc, a body lotion, and a foam bath. A marketing slogan read ''sexy in a very special way.'' Baby Soft products were priced from $2 to $2.75.[''It's Apple-Scented And For the Hair'', New York Times, March 18, 1974, Page 34.] 1975 was a busy year in the cosmetics industry with the introduction of many fragrances by competing firms. Love Cosmetics' new scent was called Daisy L.
Advertising
Peter Godfrey, president of Menley & James, announced in May 1976 that he was seeking a smaller advertising firm to replace Wells, Rich, Green. The parting was friendly but necessary because of the growth of Wells Lawrence's firm. It had become too large for it to give Love Cosmetics' account the attention it required. Wells, Rich, Green began to represent Max Factor
Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz.
Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dolla ...
of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in April 1977. Altman, Stoller, Weiss represented Love Cosmetics for two years before M&J switched to the Jan Zwiren Agency of Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. Zwiren was formerly vice president of the consumer products division of Helene Curtis Industries. Prior to this she worked with M&J in promoting Love Cosmetics. In BC Canada, Peter Rose was "the Man from Love!" producing by far the largest sales per account in North America. The SFM Media Service Corporation continued to coordinate media planning and buying for the Love Cosmetics line.
Buyout
In May 1980 Menley & James entered into an agreement with Chattem
Chattem, Inc. is an American, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products. Originally named the Chattanooga Me ...
of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
, to purchase its Love Cosmetics business. Terms were not revealed.[''Company Briefs'', New York Times, May 20, 1980, Page D4.]
References
External links
Love Cosmetics
1973 Advertisement at YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
Mary Wells Lawrence
at Cladvertising.org
{{Cosmetics
Cosmetics companies of the United States
Companies based in Philadelphia
History of cosmetics
Retail companies established in 1969
1970s fashion
Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania
1969 establishments in Pennsylvania
Retail companies disestablished in 1980
1980 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
1980 mergers and acquisitions