What happened to Noxzema?

Admit it! You used Noxzema. Right up there with Prell, Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific, Breck, Sea Breeze and Jean Naté. And while I'm at it, remember COLD CREAM?? Some are still around, some not. But Noxzema seemed like it would be around for ages--that wake-you-up tingly cleansed feeling that never over-dried and left you feeling like you were doing something good for your skin (if not your 6 a.m. psyche).

So, what ever happened to "greaseless, medicated" (whatever that meant) Noxzema?

It's going down the drain because Procter didn't love it enough.

At least that's what beauty-industry consultant Suzanne Grayson thought and recently told Advertising Age. Ms. Grayson, who was Procter's and Noxell's (Noxzema's former owner) consultant for Noxzema, still feels some affection and nostalgia for the brand that she and other marketers say was "pigeonholed, underleveraged, and never defined."

But, the main idea in the Ad Age article is that Procter and Gamble saw threats in other brands that have the 'talent' and 'performance' to deserve "fierce consumer loyalty". Noxzema is simply too basic; it just doesn't have the power-house ingredients to compete with what other brands have been offering for skin care. And it applies all the more to the present, with hundreds of brands now infusing their products with anti-agers, antioxidants, and sun protection.

Even so, some analysts believe there's still chance for Noxzema to be revived, if it falls on the hands of "an owner who focuses on it." After all, the Ad Age article states, it still has "a lot of pent-up love by consumers now in their 40s and 50s;" (that's me!!!) perhaps most especially for Noxzema The Original Deep Cleansing Cream, the classic cleanser that has been around for decades.

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