It wouldn’t be surprising at all if your first beauty purchase ever was a jar of Pond’s cold cream. It’s an iconic beauty product that’s a staple in beauty rituals and occupies prime spot on our mothers’ vanity dresser. Pond’s cold cream is well known to ladies around the world. On the block for over 150 years, Pond’s conjures up images of women’s beauty regimen that’s been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. I can visualize my mom swiping off her makeup with Pond’s and reminding me to wash up properly as I sit and write this.
Initially created in a homemade lab, Pond’s was developed by Theron T. Pond in 1846 in the US. He positioned his Pond’s extract as a cure all for an array of different ailments, ranging from rheumatism to sore throats. If only it could be as easy now to solve a variety of complaints with one product as back then! In the early 1900s, advertising promises included beauty benefits for the complexion, which eventually became the produc’s main focus. Pond’s cold cream was launched in 1918 and instantly became a hit. Endorsers included actresses, heiresses, socialites, and some royalty. In the 1940s, the approach the campaign took on relied eavily on emotion, hitting marriage on the nail by conveying such messages like, “She’s engaged! She’s lovely! She uses Pond’s!” In retrospect, the idea seems so archaic as women’s lib has luckily been woven into our culture, but at that time, convincing women that Pond’s would help score a husband had significant effects. About a decade later, the ads concentrated on inner confidence stemming from looking and feeling lovely rather than confidence attained from finding a husband. Whew! Not to say that looking beautiful for a man is a negative, but it’s interesting to note how the tides had begun to turn and that looking beautiful for one’s self was just as, if not, more important.
The campaigns that followed veered more towards physical beauty and the introduction of the “7 Day Beauty Plan” recommended using cold cream twice — first to dig out impurities and again to cream in softness. Pond’s was affordable so they capitalized on that mere attribute — one didn’t have to shell out a fortune to look good, which still holds true to this day. Sometimes, I find that some of the simplest, basic products work best, getting more bang for the buck. Becoming and subsequently staying beautiful became a concern in the 1970s as Pond‘s was now depicted as a beauty cream that different international beauties and VIPs supported, including our very own Senator Loren Legarda.
Riding on the cleansing theme, the 1980s brought Pond’s deep cleansing ability to the forefront. The slogan often heard was: “Soap does not clean, Pond’s does.” In addition to the cleansing aspect, the dreaded “A” word — aging — was mentioned in their ads for the first time. A pioneer in the antiaging war, Pond’s has pumped a huge amount of both time and money to formulate products that address this massive concern. Pond’s was purchased by Unilever about 20 years ago and shortly afterwards, the Pond’s Institute was created as a platform to develop new products and flesh out complete lines for regimens which focus on antiaging and of late, whitening. Since then, Pond’s has grown to encompass state-of-the-art research and development and has established a presence in 58 countries. What a tremendous journey this little cold cream has undertaken!
Cutting-edge science at the Pond’s Institute
The Pond’s Institute in Trumbull, Connecticut opened its doors to welcome a privileged few to witness the rebirth of a classic on its premises. Just a 90-minute drive from New York City, the grounds that surround the Pond’s Institute are quiet and serene, giving not the slightest hint that million-dollar ideas and concepts are being churned out inside the building. Michael Cheney, the global skin program director, headed a panel of Pond’s international executives. Although the Philippine delegation had just arrived the night before and was slightly jet-lagged, the wealth of information that was put before us was modern and interesting enough to keep us alert and focused. Topics ranged from marketing to the science behind it all, and testing methods that had us truly fascinated.
Serious money is spent on consumer understanding in order for Pond’s to create innovative products. They want to know our concerns as users and the best way to address them. Pond’s researchers comb the latest technologies to see what’s applicable to the demands of women today. In fact, you can even write in and tell them what your major concerns are and I’m sure they’d look into it. All this research has propelled them to the forefront with their launches — they were the first to introduce alpha hydroxy acids and quite a number of other innovations. Heavy funding is needed to do this effectively so it’s comforting to know that money is being pumped in to realize and meet these demands.
Cheney hails from Spain but is based in Bangkok (Pond’s is very Asian — heavy as most of its strong markets are in the region). Pilar Calderon states, “Pond’s is experiencing an entire transformation, from brand positioning to packaging to formulations.í That’s a major overhaul! After test results prove that the products indeed work, Pond’s takes a more emotional approach rather than a functional one. Communication is key — as we all know women crave romance and romance is inextricably linked to beauty. The spot-on way to capture the hearts of consumers is to realize this romance and convey the products to emulate this desire.”
A portion of our fact-filled day was spent learning about the science behind the overhauled products and the introduction of some new ones. Wait until you see this makeover like no other! It was such a pleasure to be around such knowledgeable leaders in the field and to be able to interface with them and have all our questions answered.
While Pond’s is a major beauty outfit that employs thousands of people all over the globe, I felt that the private experience afforded to us behind the doors of the Institute was personal and intimate. It’s a real treat to see exciting happenings going on in a first-rate beauty brand.
What had us mesmerized were the machines and testing equipment that were so high-tech, we were floored at times. You wouldn’t expect to see the same technology used in Hollywood in the labs of a beauty brand, but the same 3D machine, the Cyberware rapid 3D digitizer, is used to completely examine all parts of the face. Used when comparing test results, this machine serves as a vehicle to measure how effective the products are, especially the antiaging ones. It can detect changes at all angles to grasp the precise percentage of impact the product has. One can see the fine lines and wrinkles lessen over time. We were all too chicken to be under the microscope of criticism so Dr. Stacy Hawkins demonstrated how it all works. Simply amazing!
In order to measure the effectiveness of the whitening line, the Pond’s R&D team uses a spectrophotometer that measures the color of the skin by color wavelengths to decipher whether or not the product is making any progress on the skin. The machine measures how much light reflects off your skin and can tell what is causing the skin color. I’m no techie, but this totally blew me away. We tested our skin before and after the application of the new Flawless White cream and even saw slight results after one application. What more when you use it consecutively for weeks at a time? Brilliant!
The skin analysis machine prints out a report recommending products once concerns are imputed in a special diagnostic device which will be available at some locations in the Philippines that sell Pond’s. You can’t get a better prescription elsewhere than from this machine.
The birth of the New Age Miracle Cream
The hottest product on Pond’s launch list is its spanking new Age Miracle cream, inspired by the promise of rekindled love and romance. Formulated with the awesome proven antiaging technology, it boasts to reveal younger skin in just a week’s time. While it does contain the same CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) complex as the old formulation, this version infuses alpha hydroxy acids, retinol, and retinol boosters to enhance the effects on the skin. I have been consistently using this cream for the past month and am thrilled with the results I have seen so far. More on the spruced-up product lines next time.
Jetting off to New York and a day trip to Connecticut to see the Institute was entirely well planned and completely thought-out. I couldn’t have imagined a more seamless and elegant experience that was so uniquely Pond’s as we were picked up from the Four Seasons Hotel, where we were billeted and whisked away for a breakfast nosh at the Carlyle Hotel before embarking on our Pond’s tour. Both hotels are classics in their own ways — the Four Seasons as a modern classic and the Carlyle a timeless classic, and they both relayed the theme of Pond’s rebirth of a classic theme, which was felt throughout the event. Wonderful meals at sleek NYC hotspots like Morimoto, Pastis and Sapa were thoroughly enjoyed while discussing Pond’s and other beauty secrets. Letting loose over drinks at the Waverly Inn were made extra special with a viewing of Sting and Trudie Styler, but the show stealer was a two-part deal which ensued the next day. First, a surprise facial done solely with Pond’s products performed by facialists at the Four Seasons spa was much appreciated and extremely relaxing. My facialist, accustomed to using only high-end brands, was impressed with the performance of Pond’s products as she walked me through the entire facial. I walked out of the spa feeling great and looking like a million bucks, especially coming off a long plane ride. It didn’t end there. A photo shoot was booked for us — a super fun activity, as we are usually the ones organizing shoots in our type of work rather than being in front of the camera. Makeup was done up by Lottie Stannard who has done work for Versace and Warner Brothers while our hair was teased by Arturo (a one-name-only type personality, such as Madonna and Cher) who has done hair for the likes of Shakira and Julia Roberts. I picked up some tips from these young hot shots that made us up with their skill. Dressed in Pond’s colors, pink or white, our photos were snapped up by photographer Julia Pogodina, a New York-based fashion and beauty photographer, originally from Russia, who made us feel totally at ease. I felt the awakening of my own rebirth and am psyched that I have the photo for posterity.