Lux (soap)

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LUX
File:LUX (soap) logo.png
Product typePersonal care
OwnerUnilever
Produced byHindustan Unilever[1]
Unilever Sri Lanka[2]
Unilever Pakistan[3]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1925; 99 years ago (1925)
MarketsWorldwide
Websitelux.com

LUX is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as "Sunlight Flakes" laundry soap in 1899.

As of 2009, Lux revenue was estimated at €1 billion.

Lux is marketed primarily in Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa.[4]

Developed by Unilever, Lux (soap) is now headquartered in Singapore.

History[edit]

Origins and history[edit]

Lux Print ads – Early 20s

The brand was founded by the firm Lever Brothers, now known as Unilever, in 1899.[5] The name changed from "Sunlight Flakes" to "Lux" in 1900.”

Lux toilet soap was launched in the United States in 1925 and in the United Kingdom in 1928. Subsequently, Lux soap has been marketed in several forms, including handwash, shower gel and cream bath soap.

Lux beginnings

Advertising History[edit]

Lux Soap was introduced to America in 1925 by the Lever Brothers.[6] It was a white soap packaged in pastel colors designed to be comparable to the finer French soaps, but more affordable.[7] The Lever Brothers used a marketing company named the Thompson Agency to create a marketing scheme for Lux Soap's release, and first found success by stressing the different attributes of the soap to meet consumer needs. Some of the attributes pointed out were fragrance, lather, and how long the bar lasts. Lux Soap was often advertised with exotic drawings and associated with sophistication and luxury primarily aimed towards women. Once Lux Soap began its national campaign in 1926, it was also advertised for men and children.[7] The Thompson agency then began a campaign to make in 1928 to get endorsements from Hollywood actresses, by sending 425 actresses cases of Lux Soap. It received 414 endorsements in return, leading them to claim that 9 out of 10 stars in Hollywood use Lux Soap.[7][6] The use of endorsements by Hollywood starlets was a tremendous success for both Lux Soap, the actresses, and the studios. In 1933, advertisements claimed that Lux Soap was used by 686 out of 694 more well known actresses.[8] Lux Soap's Hollywood campaign along with its many other advertising efforts, would assist Lux Soap in becoming a worldwide leader in soap sales.[6] As the focus of advertising shifted from the use of Hollywood starlets to a focus on everyday women, Lux Soap declined in sales and was removed from the shelves in the 1990s. Lever Brothers shifted their focus to another soap, Dove.[6]

Lux Soap followed Colonial Great Britain to Zimbabwe, Africa in the 1920s, but it took until the mid 20th century before Africans became familiar with toilet soap and few used it.[9] In the 1940s Lever Brothers began mass advertising for Lux, introducing their product as a soap associated with glamour and intelligence, and began using existing advertisements of international celebrities endorsing their products.[9] The advertising shifted in the 1950s emphasizing intelligence rather than beauty. Lever Brothers began to offer different colored bars other than white and used depictions of African people with slogans that insinuated intelligent people used only Lux Soap.[9] Finally, in the 1960s and 1970s Lux Soap advertising shifted back to emphasizing glamour but this time used local models and singers instead of white international stars.[9] Lux soap is still sold as a beauty product in Africa today.

Lux 9 out of 10 stars use Lux

1928–1940[edit]

LUX was launched in the UK, India, Argentina, and Thailand. The brand concentrated on building its association with movie stars and their use of the product.

In 1931, Lux launched a I am over 31 campaign, which focused on older stars. The series of print ads had stars talking about preserving youthful skin in jars.

Lux Romancing the consumer, Deanna Durbin

1940s and 1950s[edit]

Lux used actresses as spokesmodels, including Ronald Reagan, Deanna Durbin and Deborah Kerr.

Lux Romancing the brand

1960s[edit]

Brand spokeswomen included Sandra Dee, Diana Rigg, Samantha Eggar, Audrey Hepburn, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, Kim Novak, Doris Day, and Barbara Rush.

The brand also moved forward with launching LUX in the Middle East.

1970s[edit]

Reflecting the shift in beauty trends in the 1970s, Lux stars included: Brigitte Bardot and Natalie Wood.

1980s[edit]

Lux was launched in China at this time. Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, and Cheryl Ladd were some celebrities used during this era.

In 1941 Leela Chitnis became the first Indian film star to endorse Lux soap brand.

In India, later Bollywood actresses, such as Madhubala Sharmila Tagore, Tim Conway, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Sridevi, Shahrukh khan, Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukerji, Aishwarya Rai, Katrina Kaif, Amisha Patel, Kareena Kapoor, kajal aggarwal Asin, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt have endorsed Lux soap.

1990s – early 2000s[edit]

In the 1990s, Lux used stars such as, Brazil's Malu Mader and Debora Bloch.

This period launched product brand extensions with shower creams and gels, and Lux Super Rich Shampoo in Japan and China.

Lux Style Awards[edit]

In 2002, Pakistan created the Lux Style Awards to celebrate the Pakistani film industry.

2000s[edit]

In 2005, Lux partnered with actress Aishwarya Rai.

Since 2008, Lux has used the slogan “Declare your beauty.”

Lux products are manufactured at 71 locations with more than 2000 suppliers and associates providing the raw materials. It is marketed in Brazil, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and South Africa, and sells soap bars in India, Pakistan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam.

2017 to present[edit]

In Indonesia, Lux used Maudy Ayunda as a spokesmodel. Lux sponsored an award show "Lux Sound of Women" about female musicians.

In India, Lux celebrates women with an annual "Golden Rose Awards" which joins together the female cinematic actresses in Bollywood.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. "Lux". Hindustan Unilever Limited website. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. "Lux launches Star Soap Collection". Unilever Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  3. "Lux". Unilever Pakistan website.
  4. "Lux – personal care brand of Unilever". Archived from the original on 27 December 2010.
  5. "Our approach to sustainability". unilever.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 author., Ward, W. Peter (November 2019). The clean body : a modern history. ISBN 978-0-2280-0063-1. OCLC 1104796443. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sivulka, Juliann (2001). Stronger than dirt : a cultural history of advertising personal hygiene in America, 1875-1940. Amherst, N.Y.: Humanity Books. ISBN 1-57392-952-2. OCLC 46785266.
  8. Segrave, Kerry (2005). Endorsements in advertising : a social history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-2043-X. OCLC 57515046.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Burke, Timothy (1996). Lifebuoy men, lux women : commodification, consumption, and cleanliness in modern Zimbabwe. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-1753-2. OCLC 33282205.

External links[edit]

Template:Unilever