{"id":687,"date":"2020-06-04T23:44:59","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T06:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tinselandstars.com\/?p=687"},"modified":"2020-06-04T23:48:19","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T06:48:19","slug":"mary-pickford-enters-the-cosmetic-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tinselandstars.com\/mary-pickford-enters-the-cosmetic-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Pickford Enters the Cosmetic Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
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Some of Mary Pickford Cosmetics in our collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cFrom the moment I first faced footlights, as a little girl of five, and later, before the motion picture camera, I have had to use cosmetics. Naturally the discovery of pleasing, effective and beneficial beauty aids became a very practical necessity. Eventually, with the help of competent chemists, I developed my own beauty requisites.<\/em><\/h5>\n
These products have so satisfactorily met my exacting social and professional requirements that I have long thought that other women would appreciate their benefits. Careful tests have shown that, in large quantities, they can be produced at prices within the reach of every woman. So, I have formed my own company, offering to the women of America at extremely moderate prices, the identical beauty aids I personally use. As a matter of fact, when I had them made up just for my personal use, they cost me considerably more than prices at which I am offering them to you. To cite just three instances, the cleansing cream, the tissue cream, and the soap literally cost me four and five times the amount at which I am able to price them in quantity production.<\/em><\/h5>\n
I am enthusiastic about these preparations, and am sure that if you will try them, you will be as gratified with the results as I have been.\u201d -Mary Pickford<\/em><\/h5>\n

Mary Pickford, who has done more for the movie business perhaps than any other one woman, decided in 1938 to do something also for the well-being of womankind in general, she intended to keep the ladies looking beautiful. \u00a0At this same time Constance Bennett launched a short-lived cosmetic venture and Sally Rand was in discussions but hers never took off.\u00a0 Mary stated \u201cI want to give beauty to the masses!\u00a0Unless I can give the finest product, the purest ingredients to girls\u2014every girl in every walk of life\u2014I do not intend to go on with the work.\u00a0 I must give them the best at a price they can afford to pay\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cCosmetics,\u201d she says, \u201cshould be fun.\u00a0 Lashes must be darkened with gaiety and lips moulded with joy.\u00a0 So, if that isn\u2019t the effect you get with your daily make-up, you aren\u2019t approaching it in the right spirit\u2014or you\u2019re using the wrong cosmetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary used the appeal of price, \u201cromance\u201d and quality when developing and marketing the cosmetic line.\u00a0Campbell-Ewald Company of New York (the address for Mary Pickford Cosmetics, Inc was 580 Fifth Ave, New York) was used to handle advertising of the entire campaign, including radio.\u00a0 Mary also utilized the writing services of Helen Underhill for the Mary Pickford Cosmetics, Inc.<\/p>\n

Just a couple years prior, Mary had worked in radio with the CBS Radio show, \u201cParties at Pickfair.\u201d\u00a0She intended to do something similar in radio to market the cosmetic line to the public.\u00a0 As early as October 1937, Mary was rumored returning to the air soon if a program being planned by Ruthrauff and Ryan is acceptable to her.\u00a0She would head her own show plugging a line of Mary Pickford cosmetics.\u00a0 By the early summer of 1939, the test run of radio series was to begin.\u00a0Mary Pickford Cosmetics, Inc. was also sponsoring a two-month test campaign comprising of one-minute spot announcements about 6-9 times weekly.\u00a0 These were occurring on WSYR, Syracuse; WMBG, Richmond; KRLD, Dallas; and WHN, New York.\u00a0 Besides radio, Mary Pickford Cosmetics, Inc. had a magazine and newspaper ad campaign.<\/p>\n

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Paper ad in our collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mary Pickford\u2019s preparations were beautifully packaged in Wedgewood blue and white and almost pleasingly priced at less than a dollar.\u00a0 They were made available to local drug stores.<\/p>\n

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Logo on the Mary Pickford Cosmetic line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cosmetic line included:<\/p>\n