Playtex

Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine hygiene products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex products. Playtex was the first to advertise undergarments on national television in 1955, written by Howard Shavelson at Ogilvy and Mather, and the first to show a woman wearing only a bra from the waist up in a commercial in 1977. They developed space suits for the Apollo program.

Playtex-branded tampons were introduced in the 1960s and became the primary competition to incumbent Tampax. Playtex invented the plastic tampon applicator in 1973. It was one of the tampon manufacturers that were sued for aggressively advertising over-absorbent tampons that led to toxic shock syndrome.

Playtex was acquired by Esmark in 1975, and then by Beatrice Foods in 1985. A year later, it was acquired for $1.25 billion, and its cosmetics brands were sold to Revlon. In 1988, Playtex split into Playtex Apparel Inc. and Playtex Products LLC. Playtex Apparel was sold to Sara Lee Corporation in 1991, and to Hanesbrands in 2007.

Abram Nathaniel Spanel founded the International Latex Corporation in Rochester, New York, in 1932 to produce latex products such as bathing caps, swimwear, and baby pants. ILC moved to Dover, Delaware, in 1939, making it the first large, non-agricultural business in the city.

ILC did not produce apparel for adults until the introduction of the Living Girdle in 1940, after patenting a method of manufacturing latex girdles that would not tear at the seams if they had a small tear or hole. The Living Girdle was advertised with images of mobility and comfort, such as women playing tennis or leaping while wearing it, though the solid rubber girdle was actually very uncomfortable.

During World War II, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese invasion of Malaysia cut off Allied manufacturers from their largest sources of latex. Supplies ran out and demand fell for consumer products, so ILC halted production; sales did not resume until 1946. The company almost went out of business during the war, so it created an industrial division to find government and military applications for latex. Playtex was founded in 1947 as one of four divisions into which ILC re-organized. Its name was a portmanteau of "play" and "latex", reflecting its focus on latex products. Playtex's marketing in the post-war era was influential in creating the shift from custom-tailored undergarments to manufactured sizes. For example, the company introduced large floor displays with fitting charts so that women could find the right size without a custom fitting.

In 1954, ILC was sold to Stanley Warner Corporation for $15 million($176 million in modern dollars). The following year, it was the first to advertise under-garments on network television. In 1962, the industrial division of Playtex was awarded a contract to develop space suits for the Apollo mission to the Moon, including a customized suit for Neil Armstrong. Playtex's industrial division was spun off in 1967, two years before the Moon landing that utilized its space suits; it eventually became ILC Dover.

Playtex created the consumer products subsidiary Playtex Products Inc. in 1960 which produced baby products, tampons, and other consumer goods. It introduced and patented the first plastic tampon applicator in 1973. By 1975, the five largest tampon manufacturers began competing with multimillion-dollar advertising budgets, and Playtex became the primary competitor to market-leader Tampax. Playtex introduced a scented tampon that was advertised with the slogan, "When you're wearing a tampon you don't worry about odor. But should you?" Planned Parenthood complained, so a warning label was added saying that some women may experience irritation from the chemicals. Playtex and other tampon manufacturers were sued for aggressively advertising and competing over absorbency, when some studies found that excessive absorbency leads to toxic shock syndrome. In 1985, a judge offered to reduce an $11 million verdict against Playtex if they would recall their super-plus tampons and admit that they were killing women.