These Iconic ’60s Beauty Products Were Once Bathroom Counter Staples

These days, there are countless beauty products to choose from for your everyday routine. A simple search online or on social media can divulge 10-step routines and just about any beauty product one could imagine. In the ’60s, things were fewer, but everyone seemed to have a bathroom counter full of products that promised bigger hair, brighter eyes, and fuller lips.

The ’60s were a huge decade for beauty. Hair got taller, lashes got darker, and drugstore products made it easier to try the looks women saw in magazines, commercials, and department stores. Some of these products had been around before the decade began, but the ’60s helped them gain popularity and make them part of everyday routines. Here are some of the beauty products that still bring back memories of the decade.

Dippity-Do setting gel

Dippity-Do dates back to 1965, when it began as a setting gel for classic roller curls. It made sense in a decade of carefully shaped hair, from smooth flips to curled sets that needed to stay put. The brand is now celebrating its 60th anniversary, and its Girls with Curls line nods to its original styling history. One of the newer products, Light Hold Gelée, is described by the brand as a tribute to the original Dippity-Do Setting Gel.

Aqua Net hairspray

David James/Warner Bros. Pictures/Everett Collection

If you remember the 1960s hair, you probably remember hairspray. Bouffants, beehives and teased styles needed serious hold, and Aqua Net became one of the products tied to that sprayed-in-place look. The brand was already known by the 1960s and later became even more famous during the big-hair years of the 1980s. But for many people, Aqua Net is still the elite hairspray brand.

Breck Shampoo

Breck had been around before the 1960s, but its famous Breck Girl ads became part of the beauty world of the decade. The campaign used soft, idealized portraits of women with shiny, healthy-looking hair. The Smithsonian’s Breck Girls Collection notes that the campaign began in the 1930s and became one of the company’s best-known advertising traditions.

Prell shampoo

Prell was introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1947, but it stayed familiar for decades. Many people remember the green shampoo, the tube or bottle, and those ads that made the product look rich and thick. The Smithsonian notes that Prell’s green liquid and unbreakable bottle were featured in memorable advertising. It is one of those products people remember visually almost as much as they remember using it.

Clairol hair color

Clairol helped change the way women talked about hair color. Its famous “Does she…or doesn’t she?” campaign began in 1956, but its influence carried strongly into the 1960s. The brand aimed to make at-home hair color look natural enough that no one would know for sure if it was colored.

CoverGirl “clean” makeup

CoverGirl was born in 1961, making it a true beauty name of the decade. The brand became known for affordable, accessible makeup and a fresh, clean look. CoverGirl helped sell the idea of makeup that looked pretty, polished, and easy to wear and is still a big name in the makeup game today.

Yardley and the “London Look”

English model, actress, and singer Twiggy holds a maple leaf while standing in the middle of King's Road in Chelsea, London, UK, 13th June 1966

Stan Meagher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Yardley of London leaned into the “London Look” in the mid-1960s, when British fashion and beauty were everywhere. The brand promoted pale, matte skin, big eyes and playful mod-style makeup. Its products had very 1960s names, including Sigh Shadow, Slicker Dolly Lipstick, and Pot O’Gloss. Yardley also used famous English models, including Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, to help sell that youthful London image.

Maybelline Ultra-Lash Mascara

The 1960s were all about eyes, and Maybelline’s Ultra-Lash fit right in. The mascara was introduced in 1963 and became part of Maybelline’s growing eye makeup lineup. With Twiggy-style lashes, heavy liner, and dramatic eye makeup becoming popular, mascara was no longer just a finishing touch.

Avon Skin So Soft

Avon’s Skin So Soft launched in 1961, starting with bath oil. Over time, it became one of the company’s most recognizable products. It also came with the Avon representative, which changed the game for beauty product shopping.

Noxzema

Noxzema was already a long-running skincare product by the 1960s, but its blue jar and cooling feel made it a bathroom-counter classic. The brand dates back to 1914, and the product was also visible in 1960s beauty advertising. If you used it, you probably remember that strong scent.

Which other beauty products do you remember using in the ’60s?