Cleero Shampoo
date: label: date made
content: ca 1924-1938
name: label: maker
content: Van Ess Laboratories
notes: label: Description
content: Van Ess Laboratories of Chicago, Ill., introduced Cleero Shampoo in 1924, although their advertising claimed it had been in use privately and in Europe for 20 years. Cleero was a no-rinse shampoo. The company promoted the idea that soap and water were bad for the hair. Cleero did not produce the usual alkaline (soapy) lather, but "snow-white foam" instead. When the shampoo was done working, it would turn grey and the user could simply towel it off. The process was repeated until the foam no longer turned grey.
label: Description
content: Suspecting dishonesty in advertising, the American Medical Association analyzed the Cleero formula in 1924. They found it to be ordinary cocoanut [coconut] oil based soap.
label: Description
content: The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
label: Description
content: to shampoo without rinsing
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
topic: label: web subject
content: Hair Care Products
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
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content: Beauty and Hygiene Products: Hair Care and Enhancement
label: See more items in
content: Beauty and Health
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content: Hair Care Products
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mary E. and Joseph F. Melfi, Jr., Tupper's Drug Store, Summerville, South Carolina
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1980.0698.110
label: accession number
content: 1980.0698
label: catalog number
content: 1980.0698.110
objectType: label: Object Name
content: hair care product
label: Object Name
content: shampoo
label: Other Terms
content: Cosmetics; Patent Medicines; Drugs; Liquid
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (packaging material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (container material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (container material)
label: Measurements
content: overall, box: 5 1/4 in x 2 1/8 in x 2 1/8 in; 13.335 cm x 5.3975 cm x 5.3975 cm