Marilyn Monroe and James Bond's makeup came from Palsgaard

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PALSGAARD

Supplier of cosmetics to Hollywood

Palsgaard A/S produces emulsifiers that are used in food, plastic packaging and in personal care products. The latter played a major role in a number of beauty products loved by some of Hollywood's biggest film stars, such as Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Sean Connery.

You can read more below about how creams, lotions and foundations produced at Palsgaard became a hit in Hollywood.

Anita d'Foged and the Hollywood connection

In 1946, Palsgaard's owner Herbert Schou entered into a collaboration with the cosmetologist Anita d'Foged to produce cosmetic products for her beauty salon in Copenhagen. Anita developed the ideas for the products, which were made at Palsgaard using the company's emulsifiers.

In 1949, she established Anita d'Foged Day Dew of Denmark, a large beauty salon with its own product line in Beverly Hills, which quickly became popular with the big Hollywood stars of the time such as Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, Heddy Lamar and Ingrid Bergman.

Palsgaard Castle Labs

Anita emphasized the Danish origin of the products, and the packaging proudly stated that they were Made and Packed at Palsgaard Castle Lab, Denmark.

The Anita of Denmark line was produced under the direction of Edmund Larsen and included cleansing cream, moisturizer, lotion, makeup cream, supplemented with various types of masks, powders, eyeshadows, eyeliner and mascara.

Read more in this article from JyllandsPosten from 1970.

Day Dew – Marilyn Monroe's favorite foundation

The most popular product in the Anita of Denmark line was without a doubt Day Dew, a foundation with a special ability to blend seamlessly with the skin and last all day. The Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe reportedly used Day Dew in Ivory medium.

Read more in this advertisement for Day Dew in Se og Hør from 1958. The original formula for Day Dew still exist in Palsgaard's archives.

Supplier to the James Bond Studios

In 1966, Herbert Schou announced that Palsgaard and Anita D'Foged had signed a contract to supply Day Dew make-up to the James Bond Studios. The product did not melt under bright studio lights or under water, making it ideal for film production.

Day Dew was used both by the Bond girls and by James Bond himself, in the form of Sean Connery. According to one story, Connery had become so fond of Day Dew that he contacted Palsgaard directly to request a fresh supply when he ran out just before filming and a TV appearance in Berlin. A car was immediately sent off from Palsgaard – after all, you don't say no to James Bond!

The end of an era

Anita d'Foged passed away in 1967, but Palsgaard continued to produce Anita of Denmark products for her company, now owned by the American Harley Woodmansee, until 1989, when the decision was made to focus on Palsgaard's food emulsifiers.

Day Dew and other products from the Anita of Denmark line are still produced in the USA today, though no longer using emulsifiers from Palsgaard.