Cutex Hydrating Cuticle Oil, Formulated with Vitamin E & Sweet Almond Oil, (13.6ml) for Dry, Brittle & Rough Nails, Almond Scent, Dermatologist Tested

Product Information

Warren, N. (1922). How a great toilet goods business was built. The American Perfumer & Essential Oil Review, November, 393-394, 419. Cutex is a liquid cuticle remover, which makes cutting of the cuticle unnecessary. It is the first product of its kind on the market, and while there are two or three competitors now in the field, they have never been equal to Cutex. Cutex Polish Kit containing Cutex Liquid Polish and the new Cutex Polish Remover added to the line that year. The bottles now appear to incorporate brushes built into the lid. Kane, M. (1946). Northam Warren, pioneer in manicure field. The American Perfumer & Essential Oil Review, February, 43-44.

We used classified ads of “Manicure Girls Wanted” and weeded out the applicants. With a rather careful training in the office, these girls went out and met the operators in the beauty parlors very successfully. Their strong point was the fact that they could talk the girls’ own language—could bring out just the point which the manicure girl wants to know, and which no ordinary salesgirl could ever discover. Above: 1932 Cutex Club Kit. A complete set of manicure preparations in a leather case with bottles topped with Bakelite caps. The Cutex campaign developed by J. Walter Thompson was designed by a woman, Helen Lansdowne Resor [1886-1964], one of J. Walter Thompson’s chief copywriters. It followed lines similar to the one Resor had developed for Pond’s Cold and Vanishing Creams with most of the early advertisements being educational in tone. The early copy concentrated on explaining how Cutex Cuticle Remover was to be used, why it was preferable to cutting the cuticle with scissors, and how to do a complete manicure with Cutex products.

Forde, K. (2002). Celluloid dreams: The marketing of Cutex in America, 1916-1935. Journal of Design History, 15(3) 175-189. Liquid Nail Enamel:“For imparting an instantaneous brilliant and lasting polish to the nails. Can be used without fear of injury to the nails.” No one makes nailcare luxe quite like Dior. Formulated with apricot, camellia and argan oils, plus a dose of vitamin E, the serum both hydrated our cuticles and strengthened our nails. In 1930, following the move to darker nail polishes in Europe, three new shades were added: Coral, a red pink; Cardinal, a flame red; and Garnet, a red-lily red. This bought the total number of Cutex Liquid Polish shades to six, with a seventh shade, Ruby, a red red, added in 1933. All of these shades were created with dyes, so were somewhat transparent. In 1931, the corks in Cutex bottles were replaced the corks with Bakelite caps. When a brush was needed, this was fitted into the cap, a design more in tune with nail polishes in production today.

Above: Cutex Nail Polish Bottles with colour inserts and Oily Polish Remover designed by Donald Deskey [1894-1989]. A cuticle oil can also extend the life of a manicure, whether it’s gel or polish,” adds Littley. “Strengthening and protecting the nail is important through the use of an oil, especially if you get manicures biweekly or monthly.”A nourishing blend of vitamin E and sweet almond oil that is specially formulated to target dry, brittle nails and rough cuticles. Cuccio’s professional-grade cuticle oil is used in salons around the world, and it’s easy to see why. Safflower oil, honey, vitamin E, and lactic acid work together to soothe and refresh skin and nails, offering moisture that lasts. It also comes in a whopping 2.5-ounce bottle, the biggest cuticle oil we’ve found, so it will last a long time. The Revlon Nail Enamel Company was founded in 1932 by Charles Revson [1906-1975], Joseph Revson [1905-1971] and Charles Lachman [1897-1978],. The nail polishes it sold were of the cream, opaque type. Northam Warren only began selling this type of polish in 1934 and this helped give Revlon an opening. However, there are indications that part of the problem for Cutex was an industry-wide antagonism to its dominance in the market. Vogues in beauty come and go then crop up again in the never-ceasing search for something new—G. Vail, 1947. This cuticle treatment from Sundari boasts a handful of unique, all-natural ingredients. Neem extract, an essential part of collagen with antibacterial properties, helps promote nail growth and fend off infection, while Triphala and alma extract soften tough skin and provide lasting hydration.

Bliven, B. (1917). Creating a special class of salesmen to handle unusual type of customer. Printers Ink, 48(12), 37-40, 45. She recommends jojoba oil, which has the smallest molecule, and sweet almond oil, which has a larger molecule but still absorbs and helps to hydrate the upper layers of the cuticle.Cake Polish:“A compact cake polish—the old favorite. Velvety smooth does not break or crumble—very economical. Rub a little on the palm of one hand, pass the nails of the other hand lightly, swiftly, over the powdered palm. In a moment you have nails that are noticeably lovely. Pink or white.”

The actual price of the product that you choose is of course one of the most vital aspects of choosing the right product, we will go into that in more detail in just a moment. We were big fans of this oil’s applicator brush, which made it easy to control exactly how much product we were applying. It also helped us get the oil into those tough-to-reach corners of our nails. It took less than three minutes for the oil to absorb, which felt reasonable compared to many other cuticle oils we’ve tried, and it didn’t feel greasy afterwards. Within a week, our previously dry cuticles were supple as can be, and the more we used the oil, the more our nails seemed to retain hydration. Cutex Cuticle Eraser is a 2-in-1 treatment not only exfoliates but also moisturises dry, damaged cuticles. Cuticle Comfort:“[A] salve for the relief of lacerated, dry or irritated cuticle, hang-nails and brittle finger nails, both cooling and healing.”As customers became more familiar with the product, the tone of Cutex advertising shifted from educational towards messages about the importance of having well-manicured hands, followed by product endorsements from actresses and society women, a tactic J. Walter Thompson also used to promote Pond’s. We have learned, also, to anticipate in a measure the preferences of the public as to the form of our products. As an example, the logical form of nail polish is the cake, and we were, for a time, inclined to manufacture it as our leading polish. It is easy to apply and has several advantages in its favor. But I was in Paris during 1920, and I noticed that there were dozens of different makes of liquid polish and that they were outselling all other forms. So when I returned we decided that the American preference would follow that of France. We increased our advertising on liquid polish, and it has outsold all of our other polishes. Cutex nail polish remover business (American and Puerto-Rican) acquired by the investment firm, The Shansby Group. Cutex continued to lose ground after the war. In 1943, Cutex was advertised as “The world’s favorite nail polish”, by 1956 it was “The world’s largest selling manicure aids”. By then, Cutex had largely relinquished its positions at the prestige end of the market and was relying primarily on sales in drug, grocery and syndicated stores like Woolworths and Kress which had customers that were very price sensitive.