"Sheer" Hair Remover, 1928-1935

01

Artifact Overview

In the 1910s and 1920s, as new women's fashions revealed more of the legs and underarms, body hair removal rose in popularity. Commercial depilatory creams were advertised for the first time in 1915. Some of these creams contained harmful chemicals; Sheer Pharmacal Corporation manufactured Sheer depilatory cream, which included Mercurochrome, a now-banned antiseptic made with mercury.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Hair remover

Date Made

1928-1935

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in Your Place in Time

Object ID

93.0.25.55.1.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Metal
Plastic

Color

Yellow (Color)
Cream (Color)
Black (Color)
Orange (Color)
Silver (Color)
Brown

Inscriptions

on front of tube: Sheer / hair Remover