As a 51-year-old scrolling Instagram reels, Facebook posts and Youtube videos, the one thing I’m sure to stop and click on is a post or video that takes me back to my childhood—from clips of Saturday morning cartoons (Scooby-Doo where are you?!) to throwback photos of household necessities long gone (RIP cassette tapes, VCRs and phones with cords). And I’m not alone. In fact, according to a Google survey, 75 percent of Gen Xers (those of us born between 1965 and 1980) choose to watch YouTube videos that relate to nostalgia including past events, people from the past, old TV commercials and music from the past. And while the sights and sounds of my past can reel me right in, there is nothing like the smell, the texture, the packaging of old-school beauty products to really bring me back! So I did a deep dive to find some of the products I loved or that resonated from my youth. Turns out, many are still around, some with the same tried-and-true formulations, and some have been updated and upgraded—all are now lining my bathroom shelves! Keep scrolling for a walk down memory lane thanks to these nostalgic beauty products.
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7 nostalgic beauty products
Nostalgic beauty product: Herbal Essences Shampoo
Instantly recognizable by its green-liquid-filled clear bottle adorned by an illustration of an earthy girl with long, lush hair, Herbal Essences Shampoo has gone through some iterations since its heyday as Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo in the ‘70s. It’s been given a new name, new scents, new packaging. Of course, there was the ‘90s revamp with the commercial that had us all blushing:
While the shampoo is still widely available, it no longer has the same woody, pine scent, a fragrance so beloved that there are Facebook groups and Reddit chats dedicated to bringing it back. But the shampoo’s current fruity fragrances are just as memorable and the natural, good-for-your-hair ingredients (hemp, jojoba oil, eucalyptus and more) are still plentiful.
Nostalgic beauty product: Noxzema Classic Clean Original Deep Cleansing Cream
Sunburns and the medicinal smell of Noxzema Classic Clean Original Deep Cleansing Cream go hand-in-hand if you grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The cooling feel of the cream combined with its anti-inflammatory properties soothed the redness in no time. Opening a jar brings me right back to my grandmother lovingly rubbing the cream on my face, arms and back after a long day at the beach. Originally intended only to treat sunburns, the formula hasn’t changed, but as it turns out, the cream has other skin-enhancing benefits. Made with eucalyptus, soybean and linseed oils, it’s also a great way to clean the skin of dirt, oil and makeup without over-drying it.
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Nostalgic beauty product: Pond’s Cold Cream Cleanser & Makeup Remover
I always marveled at how plump and wrinkle-free my grandmother’s skin was–she would say, “I never spent a day in the sun!” But she also slathered Pond’s Cold Cream Cleanser & Makeup Remover (part moisturizer, part cleanser) on her face at the end of every one of those sunless days. Its anti-aging ingredients such as glycerin, mineral oil and petrolatum are at least partially responsible for making her skin look so supple. Plus, as a cleanser, it’s strong enough to remove waterproof mascara while infusing skin with vital hydration and that’s why it’s now a staple on my bathroom vanity.
Nostalgic beauty product: Vacation Orange Gelée
When it came to tanning in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Ban De Soleil’s Orange Gelée was a must-have! Who can forget the distinct beachy fragrance, the thick gel that felt like a cross between oil and cream and the infamous orange color…not to mention the catchy and sultrily-sung commercial jingle:
Back then, you’d be hard-pressed to call it a sunscreen—it was popular in a time when we didn’t know as much about the dangers of the sun as we do now. The brand was discontinued in 2019, but the Orange Gelée was in such demand that secondhand tubes were selling for up to $400 on eBay and a Change.org petition started by fans to bring back the poolside mainstay managed to garner 11,000 signatures! The great news? Sunscreen brand Vacation heard the pleas and decided to revamp the classic product. Enter: Vacation Orange Gelée. The formula has been elevated to today’s skincare standards using skin-loving oils like jojoba, sesame, sweet almond, saffron, bergamot and coconut, shea butter and vitamin E, and is sun-safe thanks to broad spectrum SPF 30 protection. And the scent, the texture and the packaging are almost identical to the original.
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Nostalgic beauty product: Neutrogena Original Amber Bar Fragrance-Free Facial Cleansing Bar
Unlike Gen Alpha, kids with full-on Sephora-bought skincare routines by the time they reach the age of 8, my first foray into skincare started with an attempt to fend off teenage acne. That meant sudsing up with the transparent amber bar that most of my friends in junior high had lining their sinks: Neutrogena Original Amber Bar Fragrance-Free Facial Cleansing Bar. This glycerin-rich bar, free from harsh detergents, dyes and hardeners, was designed to clean skin and remove excess oil without clogging pores. Not only is the soap still around, but now that my skin is once again super sensitive and prone to hormonal breakouts—dermatologists say it’s a great option.
Nostalgic beauty product: Liquimat Acne Treating Makeup
Deal of the Day
Chances are if you suffered from breakouts 30-40 years ago, your mother handed you a bottle of Liquimat Acne Treating Makeup after you refused to leave the house with pimples on your face—or was that just me? The medicated liquid foundation was perfect for those of us who had acne (but were sensitive to benzoyl peroxide) and wanted to conceal it while treating it. If you don’t recall the big square bottle, you may remember the slight sulfur smell—but who can forget how smooth it left our skin looking?! It’s still on shelves today and turns out it not only works well for acne, but thanks to ingredients like sulfur and kaolin clay, it’s also great for treating rosacea too. Best of all? It comes with a color-match formula to make sure it works on all skin tones!
Nostalgic beauty product: Jean Naté by Revlon After Bath Splash
We all had a mother, grandmother or cool older sister who bathed themselves in the unmistakable citrus-like scent of Jean Naté by Revlon After Bath Splash. Marketed as a body splash, the timeless classic featured notes of lavender, jasmine, rose, carnation, lily of the valley, cedar, tonka bean, musk, and sandalwood and was infused with a skin-replenishing vitamin E, vitamin A and aloe vera. While the fragrance isn’t one I care to spritz on, I couldn’t resist buying a bottle for those times when I just want to be transported back into my grandmother’s embrace.
For more nostalgic beauty trends, click through these stories:
Was Your Favorite Bath and Body Works Scent Discontinued? Here’s How to Find Them and Their Dupes
The Best Clinique Black Honey Dupes: 5 Affordable Options Similar To the Iconic Lipstick Shade
Ooh La La! From Sasson to Calvin Klein, These 8 Designer Jeans Brands Will Take You Back to the ’80s
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- beauty