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RIO DIAZ, Sister of Miss Universe Gloria Diaz. Showbiz personality. |
Sunday, May 11, 2025
513. POND'S: "Secrets of a Beautiful Face" Campaign, 1975-1976
Thursday, April 18, 2024
468. Where Are They Now? Filipina-Polish International Model JOLINA ZANDUETA, Ponds, 1976
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JOLINA ZANDUETA---that beautiful face! POND's Ad, 1976 |
In the mid 70s, a new face burst into the local modeling scene with the homecoming of Filipina-Polish international model Jolina Wyrzykowski-Zandueta. She was the daughter of Jolyon Wyrzykowski, a Polish and opera singer Maria Nina Zandueta, a Filipina, whose contemporaries included Irma Potenciano and Conching Rosal. Nina Zandueta took her daughter in tow when she returned to Manila to join a twin bill production of I Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana.
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HARPER'S BAZAAR COVER GIRL, JOLINA ZANDUETA,1970 |
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JOLINA ZANDUETA,for PONDS' Philippines, 1976 |
POND’s snapped her immediately, and Jolina appeared in a print ad—part of a “Secrets of a Beautiful Face” series, actually—that saw print in local magazines. She became the toast of Manila, and made the rounds of exclusive fashion shows and local media.
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PAUL MITCHELL--The Man Behind the Brand |
At that time, she was already married to Paul Mitchell, a successful hairstylist at 16, who built his fortune as a co-founder (along with John Paul Dejoria) of the John Paul Mitchell Systems. The company that developed and sold hair care products that would become famous global brands.
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JOLINA AND ANGUS, FB Page, Angus Mitchell |
Jolina and Paul had an only child, Angus Mitchell, born in 1970. Their son inherited the business in 1989 upon the death of Paul from pancreatic cancer in 1989. He would expand the company by operating hairdressing schools in 2000.
Today, Jolina Zandueta Mitchell is a passionate advocate in the fight against pancreatic cancer, climate change, and in the promotion of clean energy, and wildlife conservations.
Jolina Zandueta Harper’s Bazaar Cover photo: Vtntage Von
Werth, https://vintagevonwerth.de/products/harpers-bazaar-us-june-1970
Paul Mitchell photo: Wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mitchell_(hairdresser)
Paul Mitchell advertisement: Paul Mitchell-Behind the Brand, https://www.ry.com.au/ontrend/news/paul-mitchell/
Angus Mitchell FB Page, Jolina Mitchell Instagram
Saturday, March 16, 2024
466. “GEE, YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC”, Print Ad, 1989-90
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" GEE YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC" Product Ad, 1989-90 |
The popular shampoo that uses an effusively kilometric sentence as its brand name---"GEE YOUR HAIR TERRIFIC”—was sold in the Philippines in the late 1980s in very mod plastic bottles that came in bold primary colors—red, yellow and blue. The shampoo brand was manufactured by Andrew Jergens Co, in the 70s. I only reached the Philippines a decade later, after a successful run in the U.S. Jergen’s lincesed the shampoo’s formulation to Vibelle Manufacturing Corp. in Malabon, which also markets Caronia and Bioré, both cosmetic brands. Which is why, even with the death of he brand in the U.S. it was still around in the early 1990s
The product is now defunct, but during its shortlived appearance
on market shelves in the Philippines, "GEE YOUR HAIR TERRIFIC” was advertised
in full color magazine ads using plain product shots that were unimagitive and not at all-- well, terrific. On TV, a U.S.-produced ad was briefly aired. The
novelty of the brand name made it popular with the youth market back in its time, and
was referenced in sitcom scripts, quoted in stand-up comic acts and used in everyday
jargon.
SOURCE:
"Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific" Shampoo commercial from 1976, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBH1p4O8CGo,uploaded by Video Store 64 , 2023.
Friday, December 9, 2022
403. SUN GOLD POMADE, by Peter & Co., 1962-1972 Ads
During the 1960s, local cosmetic and perfumery companies began making their presence felt in the market, alongside foreign companies, mostly from Japan. One such company was Peter & Co., in Quezon City, which started out making cosmetics, perfumes and toiletry products.
Apparently, Peter & Co, enjoyed a measure of success in that period with their SUN GOLD brand of pomade, brilliantine, and perfume. The company regularly adevryised its SUN GOLD products in magazines from the 1960s-thru the 70s.
SUN GOLD Medicated
Pomade turned out to be their flagship brand. Packaged in attractive wide-mouth clear glass jars with signature
ridges, the medicated pomade was known for its pleasing fragrance.
SUN GOLD Medicated Pomade is available on online sites today, like Lazada and Shopee Philippines in 25 g. plastic jars. It is described in the selling sites as “a perfumed pomade for our lolos”, that is still used by loyal customers for their hair grooming needs.
PICTURE SOURCE: Sun Gold in plastic jar: Shopee Phils.
Friday, November 18, 2022
400. SHOWER TO SHOWER by Johnson & Johnson, Launch Ads 1980
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WEAR FRESHNESS THIS SUMMER! Shower to Shower Omnibus Ad, 1980 |
J &J held on to SHOWER TO SHOWER for fifty years before it was sold to Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2012.
In recent years, however, health issues about talcum powder have risen sharply. A commonplace practice for decades, women have used talcum powder and talc-based products in their genital area which indicates the correlation to the deadly cancer.
SHOWER TO SHOWER is still being sold in Asia—the Philippines included—today. But in May of 2020, Johnson & Johnson quietly announced that it would stop selling all talc-based products—including SHOWER TO SHOWER—in the United States.
Monday, September 26, 2022
397. Celebrity Endorser: MARY PRIETO for YUKI-NO-HANA Medicated Cream, 1959
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MARY PRIETO in her only known endorsement, YUK NO HANA Cream, 1959 |
MARY PRIETO (b.1 Jan. 1920/d. 11 June 2010), a long and fruitful life, finding fame in many different worlds: as Yolanda Marquez, she made waves as a pre-war movie star on the silver screen. As Mary Prieto, she became a celebrated personality in Philippine high society, becoming a classic icon of style and grace. She became a model, and later, she a columnist and writer.
The Fil-Mex beauty (her father was Filipino lawyer Generoso
Hernandez, mother was Marina, a Mexican)
grew up in California until age 14, when she opted to come back to the
Philippines to stay in Macabebe, her father’s hometown. It was here that she
met her father’s cousin, the celebrated Miss Pampanga of 1926, Rosario H.
Paganiban. Rosario had been married a few years with director Vicente Salumbides.
She opened doors for the young Yolanda so she could start a career in the
movies. Soon, she was cast in “Milagro ng Nazareno” from Parlatone Films, where
she co-starred with Angel Esmeralda (Nepomuceno). It was an unprecedented
success and Yolanda was on her way.
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WHEN MARY WAS YOLANDA, 1930s Fan Photo |
Her output over a period of 2 decades was limited to just 9
film appearances, but those were enough to propel her to national fame. The war
however, put her career on hold. In 1944, she met a La Sallian basketball star,
Leo Prieto (later a PBA Commissioner), whom she married and stayed with for 65
years.
She would resurface as MARY PRIETO, and though she had retired from the movies, she made a very rare appearance as an ad model at age 39. Prieto appeared in an ad for a medicated cream made by Kimura Laboratories in 1959. The brand, YUKI NO HANA (Snow Flower) was touted as “the miracle cream of the century” that promises “a pearl-like complexion”.
Prieto gushes about the revolutionary in her endorsement: “YUKI NO HANA Medicated Cream part of my everyday beauty care. It softens and clears my complexion. I use it as a make-up base too. I recommend it for complexion problems.”
Not much is known about this product and its maker. But certainly, the endorser is quintessential figure in Philippine high society: Mary Prieto. With her passing, came the end of a gracious era, where good manners and proper decorum where hallmarks of a good and genteel society.
Tatler Asia: https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/fashion/mary-prieto-the-quintessential-society-lady
High Society Star: Yolanda Marquez, http://viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com/2012/07/300-high-society-star-yolanda-marquez.html
The Best of Karilagan, https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2017/08/26/1733004/best-karilagan
Sunday, June 19, 2022
377, Celebrity Model: HILDA KORONEL for LUX (1981), TUSSY (1974), and CASHMILON (1970) Ads
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LUX LADY, HILDA KORONEL, Print Ad, 1981 |
When she came into the showbiz scene via the movie “Haydee” in 1970, Hilda Koronel was just 13 years old, but her performance in the film as the Filipino fan and her American boy band crush, as well as her refreshing beauty captured the fancy of Philippine fandom,
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HAYDEE, with Ed Finlan, LEA Productions, 1970. Credit: Video48 |
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TUSSY LOTION with Vitamin A, Print Ad, 1974 |
Hilda was not only sought by producers and magazine editors, but also by advertising agencies, who squired her no end for her elegant beauty and influence. It is indeed surprising that she only appeared in a handful of ads, the most prominent being LUX Beauty Soap, where she appeared with an equally young Edu Manzano as her escort, in a commercial produced by J.Walter Thompson.
Her previous appearance had been in a “Tussy” skin lotion ad in 1974, and “Cashmilon” fashions (with Tirso Cruz III), in 1970, perhaps her first endorsement. She had always shied away from publicity, even as local media keeps wanting to pry on her private life, especially her relationships with actor Jay Ilagan and a string of others: Bambi del Castillo, Spanky Monserrat, and Dr. Victor Lopez.
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CASHMILON, with Tirso Cruz III, Print Ad. 1970 |
Hilda has even become more reclusive when she moved to the
U.S. with Fil-Am husband Ralph Moore Jr. in 2000. She may have distanced
herself away from the entertainment circuit, but her luminous beauty and rare
talent will always be remembered and celebrated by her fans who first saw her
on the silver screen 50 years ago.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
369. MORE AMUSING BRAND NAMES YOU WON’T BELIEVE WERE USED IN THE PHILIPPINES (part IV)
Last of a 4-part series of some of the most amusing, unusual, and sometimes, weird-sounding names ever coined for real products, that were available in the Philippines –from the 1930s to the 1960s.
The early toilet soap designed to beautify a woman’s complexion is a trademark of Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co., Inc. The company, itself was founded in 1808 by Robert I. Murray and its business was conducted under the firm name Murray & Lanman in New York. The brand name--REUTER’S SOAP-- has nothing to do with the world-famous news bureau. It was named after its creator, Dr. John Reuter. The classic bar soap was sold in the 1950s under its Spanish brand name, Jabon de Reuter, in the Philippines. The company still is in cooperation today with headquarters in Westwood, New Jersey, and continues to sell the soap.
Now here’s another direct-to-the-point name for a pain-soothing medicated plaster—SAKITALIS (Aches away!). The wordsmith had an easy time with this brand name, and even though it sounded like the aforementioned “Katialis”, it is still distinct in its category. SAKITALIS, which contains belladonna, was “the most effective plaster pan reliever”—in distinctive pink color! It was available in the late 1950s at all drugstores, distributed by Colossal Drug Store. But the coming of made in Japan Salonpas, obliterated it, and by the 1970s, Salonpas became the dominant plaster brand, for its superior efficacy—not to mention its catchy, classy name that has become an everyday term for a pain relieving plaster for all body parts.
Yes, Virginia, there is such a perfume brand called SILENT NIGHT, ‘ a perfume masterpiece made by Countess Maritza of New York, U.S.A.”. It was locally distributed in local stores in 1962. But wait, there’s also a SILENT NIGHT Lotion to complement it. Like a line from the carol, was it also tender and mild,? With a name like that, how can you miss? As the ad suggests—“it’s best to give on Christmas!”. One wonders if it is inappropriate to give SILENT NIGHT on other occasions, say, like birthdays and Valentines,
It’s okay to drink the TANSAN!!!The crown cap revolutionized the glass bottling industry when it was invented in 1897 by William Painter. The first drink that featured the crimped tin cap was called TANSAN, a bottled mineral water marketed by Clifford Wilkinson in the early 1900s. The brand name TANSAN–believed to be of Japanese origin–has now come to mean crown caps in Filipino. The product first came out in straight-sided bottles, and then in small, bulb-shaped green bottles with the name in relief. In its 1920s ads, TANSAN was proclaimed as a 100% pure, sourced from “natural waters free from all earthly deposits.” Being “radium-active,” TANSAN possesses many medicinal qualities, proven against stomach disorders.
The brand name of this revitalizing drink popular in the
1950s seem anachronistic as it sound like the name of contemporary Hollywood
action star, Vin Diesel. But it was produced long before the action star of
“XXX” and “The Fast and the Furious” was born. VIN DÉSILES, a wine-based drink that claims to
restore energy and appetite, and was distributed by Oceanic Commercial, Inc. in
the Philippines. It may not have inspired the name of action star Vin Dieeel,
but it sure is power-packed like him!
SOURCE: By the Author. Originally appeared on
esquiremag.ph under the title: Funniest Filipino Brand Names in the 20th
Century - Esquire , https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/old-brands-philippines-a2289-20190211-lfrm4
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
362. MORE AMUSING BRAND NAMES YOU WON'T BELIEVE WERE USED IN THE PHILIPPINES, Part II
Part II of some of the most amusing, unusual, and sometimes, weird-sounding names ever coined for real products, that were available in the Philippines –from the 1930s to the 1960s.
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BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS, Brand name for: Hair Tonic against baldness, thinning hair and dandruff
BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS was introduced in the late 1840s by "professor" and former New York wig-maker, Alexander C. Barry. The term “tricopherous” alone conjures many images—either a serious, incurable disease or the name of an extinct dinosaur. But despite its name, the product did surprisingly well. Barry exhorted his customers: “Stimulate the skin to healthful action with the Tricopherous, and the torpid vessels, recovering their activity, will annihilate the disease.” Apparently, that worked for many satisfied men. The product contains 97% alcohol, 1.5% castor oil, and 1% tincture of cantharides (Spanish fly), which supposedly help stimulate the scalp’s blood supply. BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS is still being produced and sold today by Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co.
GALISATUM Lunas Galis was a skin ointment developed by Dr. Carlos Jahrling of Botica Sta. Cruz in the 1930s. Dr. Jahrling was a German pharmacist from Offenbach who opened his own business in Manila.“Galis” was an all-encompassing local term for any skin conditions. “-Atum” was a suffix that was commonly used in pharmaceutical products like “mentholatum”and “petrolatum”. GALISATUM with Lunas Galis sounds more like an incantation or a Latin spell to improve skin condition, especially when you say it thrice. But it does relieves prickly heat, chafing, pimples, mange, eczema, dandruff and maladies with mysterious names like Dhobie’s Itch (another term for Jock’s Itch) and Hongkong Foot (a slang for athlete’s foot), as this ad from 1936 claims.
Before gay language became more elaborate, it was okay to for Helene Curtis to dub its latest hair conditioner product. GAYTOP. Nothing wrong with that--in the late 1950s. Today, GAYTOP sounds so suggestive with its homo-erotic undertones; it seems to reveal one’s orientation and preferred sexual role—especially when talked about in a beauty parlor! Indeed, if this product were around today, it will be a “brand that dares not speak its name”.
There really is no reason why a cosmetic product guaranteed to make you “lovely to look at” be named JAGGING JAGGING. It is nonsensical, unfeminine and the sound is far from mellifluous. But Chun Huat Pomade Factory, the manufacturer, did just that, making it hard to believe that Jagging Jagging is indeed, a “girls’ favorite”. Ad from 1934.
Another product coming from Dr. Jahrling’s Botica St.
Cruz is KULSO-ALIS, a concoction with a
brand name that comes from “Kulso” (diarrhea, loose bowel movement) and “Alis”
(to be free from, begone). It was a common way to coin brand names for products
this way, bewildering the Pilipino name may be to a foreigner. Perhaps this
anti-LBM medicine was really meant to target local market only.It is interesting
that Kulso-Alis lists opium as one of
its ingredients. Ad from 1937
Monday, January 24, 2022
360. Brand Stories: HENO DE PRAVIA Soap, Print Ads 1960s-80
HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1974 |
One of the more prized soaps in the world are those made in Spain, and some brands like Maja enjoyed worldwide success, like Maja by Myrurgia , a favorite soap brand in 1930s Philippines.
In the late 60s, another Spanish made soap made its appearance in the Philippines and had a long, successful run as a beauty soap with “fragrance that leaves a little bit of you behind”: HENO DE PRAVIA.
The green soap in the familiar yellow and white package was a product of Perfumeria Gal, which produced the soap in 1905. The soap came into existence when one of the company's founders, Salvador Echeandia, traveled to Pravia in 1903, a northern Spanish village, where he went to sell his company's products. He arrived while farmers were busy cutting “heno”, a grass used as fodder for livestock, and its aroma captivated him.
HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1968 |
HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1974 |
HENO DE PRAVIA,
which caims to be still the no.1 beauty soap in the world, manufactured by Perfumeria
Española Corp., a joint venture of Perfumeria
Gal with CIP. The brand is still available in the Philippines today,
distributed by JDH Zuellig Inchcape Inc. It is also sold on online stores like
Lazada and Shopee.
HENO DE PRAVIA, Family 2, Print Ad, 1980 |
SOURCE: Spanish Shop Online: https://www.spanishoponline.com/heno-de-pravia.html
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
263. Is That Who I Think She Is? RIO LOCSIN for BOOGIE Jeans and HEAVENLY Silken Touch
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RIO LOCSIN, ACTRESS (in "Aliw-Iw"), MODEL (for Heavenly Silken Touch Ad) |
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
241. ANGEL FACE by POND’S, Print Ads 1959-1968
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ANGEL FACE SKIN CARE, introduced by POND's in 1946 |