TRUTH AS A CONSTITUENT OF ADVERTISING 237 the skin extremely youth like. No equal in the world. Perfectly harm- less. Warranted in all cases. Drug- gists • 1." Editorial: Ladies' Home yournaI, yu/y 1890: ARE OUR ADVERTISEMENTS SAFE ? "We are continually asked if we can vouch for the reliability of some special advertisement in the J. our- hal. In answer to these questions, we can only repeat what we have said before. Before we insert an ad- vertisement in the Journal we al- ways exercise special care and pains to ascertain that the man, woman or firm so advertising is reliable, and is financially capable of carrying out are reliable, and we base this belief on our efforts to print only those of clean and honorable firms. We are more careful in this respect with each number, and now exclude everything which even looks doubt- ful." ,4dvertisement: Ladies' Home your- naI, December, 1890, Inside Back Cover• PIMPLES, BLACKHEADS AND FLESH WORMS "'Medicated Cream' is the only known harmless, pleasant and ab- solutely sure and infallible cure. It positively and effectively removes ALL, clean, completely and FOR GOOD IN A FEW DAYS ONLY, leaving the skin clear and unblem- PIMPLES, what is offered in the advertisement. Where a doubtful report is obtained we omit the advertisement. As for the reliability of the goods adver- tised, or that they are all that is claimed for them, we cannot vouch. This no periodical can honestly do for its readers. Such a claim would mean the personal examination of every article advertised, and this, of course, is impossible with a peri- odical of a large business patronage. We believe that our advertisements ished always. For those who have no blotches on the face, it beautifies the complexion as nothing else in the world can, rendering it CLEAR, FAIR and TRANSPARENT, and clearing it of all muddiness and coarseness. It is a true remedy to cure and NOT a paint or powder to cover up and hide blemishes. Mailed in a plain wrapper for 30 cents in stamps, or two for 50 cents., by GEORGE N. STODDARD, Drug- gist, 1226 Niagara St., Buffalo, N.Y." Ardvertisment: Same issue, same page (inside back cover):

238 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS ALL COSMETICS ARE INJURIOUS "THE RUSSIAN COMPLEX- ION TREATMENT For speedily urifying, clearing and softening the acial skin and producing t.he most lovely complexion by using the RUSSIAN COMPLEXION PAN AND SOLVENT. "15 minutes fascinating use daily. Guaranteed harmless and success- ful. Strongly recommended by Dr. Charles Park, one of the fore- most physicians of Connecticut, on account of its healthful effect and entire freedom from the danger of all cosmetics. Endorsed by the mul- titude of Ladies who have tried it." From this slugging match in print, you can readily see that a referee was needed. In 1892 the Ladies' Home yourhal itself refused to accept any more advertisements of patent medicines and waged an editorial fight against them. Later, a vigorous campaign was fought by Good Housekeeping against adul- terated foods and medicines through the leadership of Dr. Harvey W. Wiley. As the Joint Committee of the Association of National Ad- vertisers and the American Associa- tion of Advertising Agencies said recently, "The American system recognized in the early 1900's that a free market had to be policed if it were to be kept free... Therefore we believed that our government should... referee the game but not play in it." Our exhibits indicate that es- tablishing an umpire to enforce the rules has made truth a much more important constituent of cosmetic advertising than it was in the gay nineties. And business has been good. Since 1914, the first year for which industry figures are available, the cosmetic business has grown from about $40 million to 8680 mil- lion, or 17 times. In the same period, national advertising has increased 13 times. Since these sales represent many millions of free choice votes in dimes, quarters, and dollars, could it be that the public favors better cosmetic prod- ucts and a larger proportion of truth iri advertising? Might they not even prefer to take their truth straight ? We are in this business of making and selling cosmeticproducts today- .as Mr. Webster says, "fpr imparting or improving beauty, particularly the beauty of the complexion." It is a business increasingly rec- ognized as essential 'to our society. During World War II it was con- sidered a builder of morale. Certain cosmetic ingredients were, of course, given priority for combat use, but most cosmetics remained available. G. I.'s took lipsticks in their pockets to cosmetic-starved women of Eu- rope. Distinguished hospitals now include the use of cosmetics as part of their therapy for restoring women to mental health. In our free society