373. Helene Curtis SUAVE Hairdressing Crème and Lotion, Print Ads 1960-1969

SUAVE Print Ad, 1969, featuring Terry Aldeguer of the Aldeguer Sisters

Helene Curtis was a company formed from National Industries, which had originally produced personal care products, but which had to shift to making products for the war efforts. After World War II, National Industries resumed making personal care products and was renamed Helene Curtis, after the first names of partner Louis Stein's wife and son. 

The first products to come out from the Helene Curtis plant was SUAVE Hairdressing, in Crème and Lotion, which was launched for general retail sale, and proved to be a sales success. It went on to create more revolutionary products like hairsprays, with the brand name, Spraynet, spray-on deodorant Stopette, and a dandruff shampoo called Enden. 

Hairdresser Nomer Pabilonia for SUAVE. Model: Conchitina Sevilla 

But in the 1960s, Helene Curtis would eventually go back to build on the success of its SUAVE brand, introducing shampoos, creme rinses, and wave sets. As early as the 1960, Helene Curtis SUAVE was marketed in the Philippines, and was actively pushed with regular advertising campaigns. 

The earliest examples show SUAVE print ads featuring well-known fashion icons modeling the latest styles (“The Bob”, “The Bell”) created by leading hairdressers of the day, like Nomer Pabilonia and Moises Sia, who readily endorsed the product. 

Hairdresser Moises Sia for SUAVE, 1960 Print Ad

SUAVE had a great run in the Philippines and in the 1980s, it was repackaged in cost-efficient plastic with caps, as hair control products became more popular. Today, the SUAVE brand is owned by Unilever, and has expanded to include hair grooming essentials for men and women, like gels, shampoos, mousse, aerosol anti-frizz and other hair-control products.