From: anne@tobaccodocuments.org
Date: Tue, 01/15/08
Posting Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Why Menthols?
Date of Document: April 1970 (estimated)
Length: 5 pages
Bates No. 00486171/6175
URL of this Posting: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/
00486171-6175.html
Document Images: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/hto13c00
The writer of this 1970 paper from the Lorillard collection muses
about why menthol cigarettes are so popular among women and African
Americans. The author theorizes that African Americans believe that
they have an "almost genetic" body odor that must be covered up, and
that menthol serves this purpose, similar to the use of peppermint
breath mints. He also comments on why women prefer menthol brands,
linking it to their fastidiousness and desire to cover up their
"halitosis light."
Quotes
> Phenomenon Number One: Women. Suffice to say at this point that
> women make up a great percentage of smokers within the menthol
> category. A new interpretation as to why this is so appears later.
> Phenomenon Number Two: Negroes. One study reports: 49% of the Negro
> population smokes as opposed to 46% of the White population. Of
> this 49%, 13%'smokes menthol cigarettes. Said another way, more
> than 25% of the Negroes who smoke, smoke menthols.
>
> Another study, which has been heard about, but not seen, says that
> 30% of the people who smoke KOOL cigarettes are Negroes. This can
> be explained. By sociology. Mixed with a little bit of myth.
>
> Negroes, as the story goes, are said to be possessed by an almost
> genetic body odor. Now whether or not this is real is irrelevant.
> More importantly, Negroes recognize the existence of this "myth." A
> nd they realize that "Whitey" does, too. Now what does this have to
> do with menthol cigarettes? Here's the theory. Negroes smoke
> menthols to make their breath feel fresh. To mask this real/
> mythical odor. Let's examine this theory a little. First, let's
> examine the taste sensation of menthol. Isn't it really analogous
> to the taste sensation of peppermints? (In this regard, peppermint
> supposedly is the largest-selling flavor in Harlem, and Mason
> Mints, a chocolate-covered peppermint-candy bar, sell as if they
> were being endorsed by Adam Clayton Powell.) But back to the taste
> sensation. Isn't the cool sensation of menthol in the mouth also
> analagous to the cool sensation of toothpaste, another breath
> purifier? And finally, doesn't the tingle of mentholated smoke bear
> resemblance to the tingle produced by mouth- wash, the breath-
> purifier extraordinaire? You have to agree that this is so: that
> the taste sensation of menthol is not unlike the taste sensation of
> popular breath-fresheners. This "breath theory" is probably
> beginning to sound a little more interesting to you now. But wait.
> It gets even more interesting when you examine the female factor of
> the menthol market in this "halitosis light." Historically, women
> have been more meticulous than men. More concerned about their
> appearance. About their person. And about the way they "smell."
> Women spend a great deal of money on cologne, perfume, toilet
> water, etc., so they can be fragrant, female and seductive. The
> idea of a menthol cigarette, a "breath-freshening cigarette" if you
> will, plays to this female fastidiousness. And so the breath theory
> goes a long way toward explaining why women represent such a big
> statistic in the menthol cigarette market...
----------------------
Company
Lorillard
Author
Unknown
Recipient
Unknown
Region
United States
Named Organization
*R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Cigarette manufacturer (Camel,
Winston, Doral brands))
Cigarette manufacturer (Camel, Winston, Doral brands)
Litigation
Thom/Produced
Named Person
Powell, A.C.
Type
REPT, OTHER REPORT
Subject
Menthol
marketing
Target/ethnic (targeting ethnic markets)
Target/Low-Income (Target Groups)
Target/Women (Target Groups)
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