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Most heads of multibillion-dollar skincare brands might not be chuffed to admit that the company used to – very possibly – prescribe opium to children.
After all, Kiehl’s is an iconic beauty brand best known for its products that radiate blooming health, like its yellow Crème de Corps moisturiser, which mountaineers once took with them to Mount Everest.
Most iconic products - like, pictured, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, Estee Lauder’s Youth Dew, and Chanel No 5 - have a “hero’s journey” embedded into their marketing, say Associate Professor Tom van Laer.
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But Kiehl’s global brand president Leonardo Chavez, answering questions over email about the company’s 170th anniversary – for which it released four of its hero products with commemorative packaging on Monday – doesn’t hesitate to address its “Paregoric” medicine from the 1800s that included 1.82 grams of opium.