Love Cosmetics

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Love Cosmetics (1969–1980) was a cosmetics brand launched by Menley & James Laboratories on March 1, 1969. ^[1] The brand is known for its iconic Fresh Lemon bath products and a range of cosmetics, and quickly gained widespread attention in the American market in the early 1970s. Love Cosmetics' product line includes lemon-scented body wash, moisturizer, eyeshadow and perfume, and is loved by consumers for its distinctive lemon love.

The brand's marketing campaign is handled by the Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency, which has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy for Love Cosmetics, including TV ads and women's magazine ads, with an annual advertising budget of more than $7 million.^[2] The campaign highlights the brand's innovation and unique product features, especially the Fresh Lemon range. In February 1969, Harper's Bazaar devoted a four-page feature to Love Cosmetics, which marked the brand's official debut and increased its market presence.^[3]

Love Cosmetics played an important role in promoting lemon beauty products, becoming one of the pioneers in the cosmetics industry and driving the widespread use of lemon aroma in beauty products. This innovation won the brand loyal customers, especially among young women, and became one of the most representative cosmetics of its time..^[2]

Menley & James Laboratories (M&J) is a subsidiary of Smith, Kline & French Laboratories, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.^[4] M&J's business model focuses on selling its products through drug retailers, such as pharmacies. Although this strategy faced some criticism at the time for relying too heavily on the pharmacy channel and not sufficiently expanding other sales channels, the company believed that this approach was in line with its resource allocation and growth strategy. By partnering with pharmacies, M&J is able to effectively market its products to target markets, particularly in the area of cosmetics and personal care products, relying on the wide reach of pharmacies to enable its products to reach a large number of consumers.^[2]

Love Cosmetics target consumer group is mainly young women, especially those who are fashion-conscious and love to try new cosmetics.^[1] The brand's first products, including Love's Fresh Lemon Cleanser, Lovelids eyeshadow and Eau De Love perfume, marked the beginning of Love Cosmetics' entry into the market. The brand launched 11 basic products, and expanded to a total of 43 products through different colour and packaging changes, covering facial care, eye makeup, perfume and other fields, forming a diversified product range. Love Cosmetics' Fresh Lemon Cleanser and Lovelids eyeshadow have attracted a large number of fashion-conscious consumers due to their unique lemon scent and creative packaging design. In addition, Eau De Love perfume was characterized by a fresh, youthful smell, which successfully captured the preference of young women at the time for novel, fresh fragrances.

In Love Cosmetics' product line, Loveshines is a versatile stick designed to shape and outline the eyes, face and other areas for a vibrant look. It is characterized by its easy application in different parts, helping consumers achieve a more creative and personalized look. In addition, Lovesticks is a lipstick collection launched by the brand that covers a wide range of colour options and aims to provide consumers with a lasting and rich lip colour experience. In addition, Love Cosmetics' product line includes a variety of facial care and makeup products, Examples include Love's Basic Moisture, Love's A Little Color, Love's Transparent Powder and Love's A Little Cover (concealer). These products are designed to give young women a light, natural look. In addition, Love's Liner (eyeliner) and Love's Mascara (mascara) are also popular products of the brand, which can help consumers create a deep eye makeup.

Lovelids eyeshadow is acclaimed for its unique packaging design - each eyeshadow case is shaped like a plastic eyeball, which is both novel and interesting, and has become one of the brand's signature designs.^[1] In order to adapt to the needs of different occasions, Love Cosmetics has made careful arrangements in the colour selection of eyeshadow. During the day, the brand recommends neutrals such as brown, reddish-brown, heather and olive green, which are understated and easy to match for everyday looks; At night, you can choose dark but not too bright eyeshadow shades, such as purple, deep plum and turquoise, to create a more intense, mysterious late look.^[5]

In early 1976, Love Cosmetics also introduced three new eyeshadow colours: Purple Sage, Tumbleweed, and Prairie Dawn. These new eyeshadow shades highlight the brand's innovative spirit and keen insight into fashion trends, further cementing its position in the cosmetics industry.^[6]

In April 1974, the brand launched the Baby Soft collection, aimed at the adult market but with scents inspired by the fresh smell of baby products. The collection includes Baby Soft powder, body lotion and foam bath, priced between $2 and $2.75.^[3] As competition intensified in the Cosmetics market, Love Cosmetics launched a new fragrance, Daisy L, in 1975.^[7]

In May 1976, Peter Godfrey, the president of Menley & James, announced that the company planned to change advertising agencies, following the expansion of the Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency. Can no longer provide adequate attention and service to Love Cosmetics.^[8]While the separation from Wells, Rich, Greene was amicable, the decision was necessary for the company to grow. Godfrey explained that as agencies grew in size, they were no longer able to meet Love Cosmetics' advertising needs, which prompted the brand to change its marketing partners.

In April 1977, Wells, Rich, and Greene began providing advertising services for Max Factor, having previously provided advertising support for Love Cosmetics.^[9] Prior to this, the advertising work was handled by the firm Altman, Stoller, Weiss, for a two-year advertising campaign for Love Cosmetics. Menley & James then transferred the brand's advertising business to Jan Zwiren Agency, a Chicago-based advertising agency. Jan Zwiren, founder of the company, previously served as Vice President of Consumer Products at Helene Curtis Industries and before that worked with Menley & James to promote Love Cosmetics.

In British Columbia, Canada, Peter Rose is known as "The Man of Love", and he led a sales team that set a single account sales record for Love Cosmetics in North America, becoming one of the brand's most successful sales representatives in the region. In the meantime, SFM Media Service Corporation continues to handle media planning and buying for Love Cosmetics, ensuring the smooth running of advertising campaigns and helping the brand expand its presence in the market.^[10]

In May 1980, Menley & James entered into an agreement with the Chattem Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to sell the Love Cosmetics business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.^[11]

In May 1980, Menley & James entered into an agreement to sell the Love Cosmetics brand to the Chattem Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed. The decision marks the end of the Love Cosmetics brand and the deal supports Menley & James' strategic transformation. After the acquisition, Chattem continued to manage the brand and integrate it into its own cosmetics and personal care product lines. The acquisition is part of Chattem's efforts to expand its product categories and strengthen its competitiveness in the market.

• Love Cosmetics 1973 Advertisement at YouTube
• Mary Wells Lawrence at Cladvertising.org