To celebrate the Kiehl’s 170th Anniversary Collection, we did a throwback to their ads itself. The illustration is by Marisa Yuen.

1851 — the year of the Australian gold rush; discovery of the Yosemite Valley and when Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” sent his audience asail on a literary journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. The year was also the launch of Kiehl’s Pharmacy in New York City’s East Village that pioneered how men shop for grooming products even after 170 years. We prefer to sample before we purchase; online reviews can only be so informative. A product’s efficacy is held at a standard akin to the in-store experience when purchasing it. A skincare routine should be as rigorously tailored as a suit.

How game-changing a high-button stance can be — just like a facial cream that is perfectly suited to one’s needs.

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However, celebrating 170 years is no small feat. There are social-media addled millennials to impress and #SkinTok obsessed Gen Z-ers to captivate — consumers who hold the power to a brand’s cultural worth. Kiehl’s has stuck to doing what it does best with the Kiehl’s 170th Anniversary Collection regardless; focusing on what founding family member Irving Morse did impeccably — providing products that deliver results.

The Limited-Edition Commemorative Collection — a set of four brand bestsellers — now comes in chromatic white and gold packaging; effi cacious formulas held in beautiful glass bottles derived from eco-conscious sources. A millennial’s need for transparency, potency and hype — sorted. What about the thrill-seeking Gen Z-ers then?

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The Limited-Edition Heritage Collection taps into the old (an archive of 120 essence oils from the 1920s) and brings it into the now — bottles of scents to summon the heart’s desires. A little mumbo-jumbo but highly entertaining. Love-stricken fools can enhance attraction with the Love-Luring Essence Oil — a fl oral aroma of jasmine, rose and ylang-ylang. Those wishing to plunder fortunes can sprinkle drops of the Fortune-Seeking Essence Oil — containing citrus and white tea for freshness. Cast aside woes and tribulations, the Jinx-Removing Essence Oil envelops one in a sensual fragrance of vetiver and sandalwood.

A simple but delightful proposition, cheeky but useful even for the staidest of boomers.