History of Lux soap

Lux soap first produced in United Kingdom in 1899. It was produced by British company name
Lever Brothers. Lever Brothers was founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother
James. They using glycerin and vegetable oil such as palm oil to manufacture soap called
“Sunlight Soap.” The flaked version of soap called Lux soap. Glycerin was a lucrative byproduct
of the soap making process, and by the end of 1886, Lever brothers also had a glycerin factory.

Lever opened their small office in New York in 1895. The company started selling Sunlight
and Lifebuoy but did not doing well until 1916. Lux soap was first launched in United States in
1916. The Lux trademark was registered in United States in 1900.

Lux soap was launched in India in 1929. The soap's very first advertisement featured actress Leela
Chitnis as its brand ambassador. It was popularly known as 'the beauty soap of film stars.'

From 1930s right through 1970s, Lux soap colors and packaging were altered several times
to reflect fashion trends. In 1958 five colors were made up the range: pink, white, blue, green and
yellow. In 1990s, Lux launching its own range of shower gels, liquid soaps and moisturising bars.
Today, Lux soap is sold in 100 countries and sales achieved 1.0 billion euros in 2005 alone.
History of Lux soup.

Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps,
shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight
Flakes” laundry soap in 1899.

In 1924, it became the first mass market toilet soap in the world. It is noted as a brand that
pioneered female celebrity endorsements.

As of 2005, Lux revenue is at 1.0 billion euros, with market shares spread out to more than
100 countries across the globe.

Today, Lux is the market leader in several countries

including Pakistan, Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa[1]

Developed by Unilever, Lux (soap) is now headquartered in Singapore.

Origins and history [edit]

Lux Print ads - Early 20s

The brand was founded by the Lever Brothers (today known as Unilever) in 1899. The name
changed from “Sunlight Flakes” to “Lux” in 1900, a Latin word for “light” and suggestive of
“luxury.”

Lux toilet soap was launched in the United States in 1925 and in the United Kingdom in 1928.
Subsequently, Lux soap has been marketed in several forms, including handwash, shower
gel and cream bath soap.

Since the 1930s, more than 400 of the world’s most famous female celebrities have been
associated with Lux. Reema Khan, Sarah Jessica Parker andAishwarya Rai are some
actresses featured in Lux advertising campaigns.

Lux Early Beginnings

Early beginnings [edit]

Lux’s early advertising campaigns aimed to educate users about its credentials as a laundry
product and appeared in magazines such as Ladies Home Journal. By the early 1920s, it was
a hugely successful brand and in 1924, the Lever Brothers conducted a contest that led them
to a very interesting finding: women were using Lux as toilet soap.
Lux Building beauty soap credentials

Building beauty soap credentials [edit]

Introduced in the US in 1924, Lux became the world’s first mass market toilet soap with the
tagline “made as fine as French Soap”. In the first 2 years of launch, Lux concentrated on
building its beauty soap credentials. Advertisements offered consumers “a beauty soap made
in the French method” at an affordable price, with the promise of smooth skin.

Made with fine-texture, rich in fragrance, and manufactured using a method created in
France, the first Lux toilet soap was sold for 10 cents apiece.

Lux Dainty Girls Win Out

Lux 9 out of 10 stars use Lux

1928–1940: 9 out of 10 stars [edit]

This era saw key launches of LUX in the UK, India, Argentina and Thailand. The brand
concentrated on building its association with the increasingly popular movie world, focusing
more on movie stars and their roles rather than on the product. In 1929, advertising featured
26 of the biggest female stars of the day, creating a huge impact among the movie-loving
target audience. This was followed by Hollywood Directors talking about the importance of
smooth and youthful skin. This pioneered the trend of celebrity product endorsements.
In 1931, Lux launched a campaign with older stars, “I am over 31”. The series of print ads had
stars talking about preserving youthful skin. Lux also launched campaigns featuring interviews
with Stars and Close Ups of Stars, bringing to life the ‘9 out of 10’ idea

Lux Romancing the consumer,Deanna Durbin

40s & 50s: Romancing the consumer [edit]

Using movie star as role models, Lux’s strategy was to build relevance by looking at beauty
through the consumer’s eyes. While still retaining the star element, the focus shifted to the
consumer and the role of the brand in her life.

Advertising commercials showed ordinary looking women with direct references to stars, such
as Deanna Durbin.

Lux Romancing the brand

60s: Romancing the brand [edit]

The 60’s saw a shift in advertising to product stories and the romanticizing of brand through
its “sensorial & emotional” dimensions. This was the era of ‘the film star feeling’ and the
‘Golden Lux’, featuring stars such as Sandra Dee, Diana Rigg and Samantha Eggar.

The bathing ritual, the ‘fantasy’ element that has been the imagery of Lux, was created in this
era. The brand also moved forward with launching LUX in the Middle East, entering a more
conservative market.

70s: Dimensionalizing beauty [edit]

Reflecting the shift in beauty trends in the 70s, the Lux stars stepped down from their
pedestals and were portrayed as multi-faceted women with natural, wholesome beauty that
the ordinary consumer could relate and aspire to. The executions were more of ‘a day in the
life’ of the stars with focus on their ‘natural beauty’. Stars included Brigitte Bardot and Natalie
Wood.

80s: Owning the category space [edit]

Establishing itself as THE beauty soap for stars and beautiful women, the 80s emphasized
the importance of skin care – the first step to beauty. LUX was launched in China at this
time. Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and Cheryl Ladd were some famous celebrities used
during this time.

In India actresses Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Madhuri Dixit, endorsed Lux soap.

90s – Early 2000s: Advanced skin benefits [edit]

In the 90s, Lux moved from generic beauty benefits to focus on specific benefits and
transformation. More emphasis on functionality and variant associations with different skin
types as well as mention of ingredients. The communication was far more regional specific
and localized, using stars like Malu Mader and Debora Bloch.

This period launched product brand extensions Shower Cream and Gels and Lux Super Rich
Shampoo in Japan and China.

2000s: Beyond movie stars [edit]

In early 2000, the focus shifted from specific skin benefits to a stronger emotional space. The
brand provided the link between the aspirational role models and real life with the campaign,
‘Lux brings out the star in you’. The benefit was now more than just beauty, it was also about
the confidence that comes from beautiful skin.

In 2005, Lux encouraged women to celebrate and indulge their femininity with the “Play with
Beauty” philosophy, with stars like Aishwarya Rai. The brand also connected with consumers
to take a more ‘active’ stance on beauty.

From 2008, building off the brand’s root strengths, focus has shifted to beauty (vs. femininity),
appealing to consumers’ fantasies and aspirations. Lux believes that ‘beauty is a female
instinct that shouldn’t be denied’ and showcases the pleasure that every woman enjoys from
using her beauty, encapsulating that idea in a simple phrase: Declare your beauty.

Today, LUX products are manufactured at 71 locations with more than 2000 suppliers and
associates providing the raw materials. It has key markets in Pakistan, Brazil, USA, China,
Bangladesh and South Africa, and is a market leader in India (for soap bars), Pakistan, Brazil,
Saudi Arabia (for soap bars), Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.

Case study of Lux

Lux toilet soap was introduced in 1925 as bathroom soap. The name Lux was chosen for its play on the word luxury. Lux has
been marketed in several forms, including bar and flake and liquid (hand wash, shower gel and cream bath soap). Lux soap
was launched in India in 1929. It was branded in India as the beauty soap of film stars.
Lux has been a favourite with generations of users for the experience of sensuous luxurious bathing. Since its launch in
India, Lux has offered a range of soaps in different colours and fragrances.
Lux is truly an international brand that believes in beauty and has always celebrated it. Beauty according to Lux is glamorous,
sophisticated and luxurious. Lux believes in a woman taking pleasure in herself. Lux does not hold a mirror up to its
consumers, it shows the way and it tells stories about the consumer realizing their most beautiful ideal self. It recognizes that
wanting to look and feel beautiful is one of the most fundamental human motivations.
Lux believes that beauty should not be hidden. Lux knows better than any other brand about the beauty of a woman. It knows
that when a woman feels beautiful she looks beautiful.
The personal wash is a highly penetrated market. Consumption lags even in South Asian countries like Indonesia. The
market has been stagnant over the last four years and the low entry barriers have led to intense competition between
national and local brands.
Lux is the largest personal wash brand in the country with a market share of 17%. Three in every five Indian consumers use
Lux during the course of the year. This strong association with the consumers has led to Lux becoming one of the most
trusted brands in the country. No soap brand can claim to be more aspirational for the Indian consumer than Lux – the
beauty soap of film stars. The last three years have seen Lux continue to grow far ahead of the market. A key initiative has
been the launch of Mini Lux – strategically priced to bring it within the reach of 300 million rural consumers. The introduction
of new perfume and in gradient variants addressing the new benefit segment has been the growth driver.
Lux has beauty offerings in two of the four market segments – popular and premium — spanning the needs of varied
consumers. Lux toilet soap in the popular segment has in the past four years offered its consumers a variety of nourishing
ingredients – rose extracts, almond oil, milk cream, fruit extracts and honey which are known to harbour the secrets of
incredibly flawless skin.
At the upper end of the market is the premium range which continues to offer specialized skin care to its consumers in the
form of International Lux – a range of moisturizing deep cleaning, and sunscreen soaps. Keeping in tune with the changing
times it has launched Lux body wash which offers superior bathing pleasure.
After the overwhelming success of the Har Star Lucky Star, promotion to mark the completion, of 75 years in India, Lux
brings to its consumers three unique offers – the Lux Celebration Range.
This range is a set of three exclusive variants – Aromatic Glow, Chocolate Seduction and Lux white Spa body wash
containing exotic ingredients never seen in the Indian market before.
Chocolate Seduction
Rich with cocoa cream and strawberry vitamins, this special offering from Lux nourishes the skin and leaves it looking very
attractive. The chocolate smell and colour is highly enticing and the name Chocolate Seduction builds on this attribute of the
soap.
Aromatic Glow
Containing Lotus extracts and aromatic oils, this special offering from Lux has a beautiful fragrance and makes the skin glow.
This range is being specially offered at the same price as other Lux variants.
Down the ages every leading film star has been a Lux Star. Right from its first Indian star Leela Chitnis, Lux has featured the
likes of Madhubala, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma, Aishwarya and now Kareena, who have all endorsed the goodness of Lux. It is
probably the only brand that has the endorsement of nearly 50 Indian film stars. Even Shah Rukh Khan has endorsed Lux
saying “Aaj mein aapko batenwala hoon meri khubsuratein ka raaz – Lux.”
Across India, the four new variants of lux, in a special 75th year commemorative celebration packs, are endorsed by dream
girl Hema Malini, beautiful Juhi Chawla, stylish Kareena and sensuous Sridevi. They all come together in the new Lux ad
with the first Indian male star Shah Rukh Khan.
At this historic moment, stars are celebrating along with the consumers as they will get to be a part of the action with the Har
Star Lucky Star promotional activity. This will probably go down in history as the only promotional activity where every
consumer is a winner.

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