1953 Chlorodent Ad: “No Halloween Mask Scares Off a Man as Much as Morning Mouth”

This Halloween advertisement for Chlorodent toothpaste ran in the October 26, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine:

Now Chlorodent isn’t around anymore, and probably for good reason: it was a chlorophyll-based product, which features a green tint that probably doesn’t whiten despite its antimicrobial properties. Still, even if you didn’t know Chlorodent was off the market, this advertisement probably wouldn’t make it past today’s editorial staff.

The Chlorodent ad department had a habit of marketing its products directly to women, specializing in condescending remarks like this one: “No Halloween mask scares off a man as much as ‘morning mouth.'” Capitalizing on women’s fear of being unable to impress a man, Chlorodent urges anyone with the dreaded morning mouth to use the product before her man kicks her to the curb for unpleasant halitosis. Men, however, don’t need to worry about their morning whiskey breath: that’s a sign of a true guy, after all.