J. So•. Cosmetia Chemists 20 653-661 (1969) ¸ 1969 Soctety of Co•mettc Chemtsts of Great Britain An industrialist looks at the cosmetic industry The 1969 Medal Lecture by LEONARD J. MATCHAN, Esq., Chairman, Cope Allman International Ltd., delivered before the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain on 1st May 1969, with Clifford t•ugh, Esq., President of the Society, in the Chair. Synopsis--The changes which the cosmetics industry has undergone in the past 40 years are reviewed. In conclusion, the future development of the industry is touched upon. It was some twelve months ago that I felt highly honoured to be asked to deliver this Medal Lecture. It was eleven months ago that I started to get cold feet and to realise that honours and ego can lead one into all sort of pitfalls and mistakes and, until it is all over, some regrets. Realization dawned when I was given copies of the previous lectures. I read with awe but, frankly, with no understanding, the highly technical and erudite dissertations delivered by men of academic and scientific achieve- ment and realised that really I had no place in such an august gathering. But, I thought, I have ten months to go (I had spent a month reading the previous papers), in which to research, to remember and to contemplate in order to undertake the task. This I did, and then decided to take a week off from my own business in order to complete the task at my leisure, but the day before I went away - April 13th to be exact - I .read in the Observer Supplement an article entitled "The ill0 Million Face - revealing the new cosmetic look for 1069 and the fantastic technology behind it". This, of course, was pure sabotage, completely spoiling my carefully nurtured theme, my week of thought and leisure in the sun, and any hope that I may have had of ending up with a brass farthing, let alone a Medal. 653

654 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS I must therefore resort to talking mostly about the subject I know best of all - myself, my experiences and my thoughts. As you know, I was intimately connected with the cosmetic industry from the early 30's to the early 50's - the first seven years learning my business, the next seven trying to preserve or save it, and the last seven trying to adapt it to the new conditions, both political and technological, that emerged as a result of a world upheaval. These were the days when we were striving in a situation which was always secondary to national survival. Subsequently, when victory was ours, we battled to plan the national reconstruction of industry at a time when one knew that the technological revolution,• greatly stimulated by the war, must spill over into our industry. We had to grasp this opportunity with both hands if our competitive strength was to be developed in this new era, where world demand would be vastly increased by improved living standards for the great mass of the working population of the world. One foresaw all that then, and it was an exciting prospect, but it was at this time that I left the industry proper. For the last eighteen years I have been watching closely from the side- lines, as an increasingly large supplier on the packaging side. My activities took me also into wider industrial fields and I have been able to view the kaleidoscope of the industry's efforts and progress in a more general sense, and from a more detached standpoint. I have watched with absorbing interest - and not without profit - the progress of your industry through four decades. I have had experience of almost every facet - theatrical make-up, wigs and toupees (now, of course, called hair-pieces), manufacture, international selling, trade affairs in war and peace and, from the outside, supply and service to the industry. I propose to examine briefly each decade and then to try to suggest what may happen in the next ten years. Statistical information, both from the government and the industry, has unfortunately never been too reliable. Because of some pretty harsh legislation during the war and constant changes in bases, it is difficult to get truly comparative figures. I would gamble, however, that Table I is not too far out. It excludes soaps and dentifrices, and makes no allowances for the retailer's margin or Purchase Tax. Yes, yours is one of the phenomenal growth industries, so let us try to see why, how, and where this growth comes from. The 30's saw the emergence from the depressive 20's and were, in fact, a growth period for the industry, particularly in the U.S.A. I mention this