From the New York Times article on Listerine:
The [stink] lab is kept between 91 and 98.6 degrees
Fahrenheit to resemble a real human mouth where bacteria can flourish. Linger
inside, and the smell can stay on one’s clothes for hours.
“At this point, I don’t consider it gross anymore,” said
Tara Fourre, Listerine’s principal scientist, who has worked at the lab for
more than a decade. “But when I go home, my family thinks it’s gross because
they can smell it on me.”
…
Early ads suggested customers apply Listerine to their scalp
to clear up dandruff, or to put the antiseptic in their “cuts, scratches and
small wounds.”
…
If Listerine has more recently localized its uses, so, too,
has it widened its audience. No longer do its ads try to scare women into buying
mouthwash, lest their bad breath ward off potential suitors (“always a
bridesmaid” was a popular early ad slogan) or even their families (“It makes
you unpopular with your own children”).
And some vintage ads, because there is a treasure trove of
awful here:
Um...
