# Better Living Through Chemistry -A question about the origin of that phrase

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 5, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507 "2001-10-05T03:12:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507/1 "2001-10-05T03:12:40Z")

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So, where did the classic phrase “Better living through chemistry” come from? It’s usually used in a typically ironic way these days, but I guess it was serious(ly stupid even for an ad slogan) once. So, is it one of DuPont’s old catchphrases, or what?

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507/2 "2001-10-05T03:37:25Z")

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Yep, DuPont.

Technically, the slogan was:

> [@](#):
>
> Better things for better living, through chemistry

[Howstuffworks - How Ad Slogans Work](http://www.howstuffworks.com/ad-slogan2.htm)

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**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507/3 "2001-10-05T04:01:06Z")

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Yeah, imagine how little chemistry has done for you. Especially all that pesky stuff like the industrial revolution, modern medicine, and virtually every product you’ve ever even thought about touching. I hate those. :rolleyes: Eye-ron-ee.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507/4 "2001-10-05T23:11:17Z")

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> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Trucido \*  
> \*\*Yeah, imagine how little chemistry has done for you. Especially all that pesky stuff like the industrial revolution, modern medicine, and virtually every product you’ve ever even thought about touching. I hate those. :rolleyes: Eye-ron-ee. \*\*

Hey, _I_ don’t use it ironically. That’s just the only way I’ve ever seen it used.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-living-through-chemistry-a-question-about-the-origin-of-that-phrase/85507/5 "2001-10-06T00:09:43Z")

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> [@](#):
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> The earliest and most widely imitated–“Better Things for Better Living … through Chemistry”–appeared in the fall of 1935 in DuPont’s first institutional magazine advertisements and the broadcast debut of the Cavalcade of America. The slogan originated in BBDO’s Madison Avenue offices, where DuPont account executive Maurice Collette and copywriter Les Pearl collated slogan suggestions solicited from agency staff. Collette put “better things for better living” at the top of a list of phrases sent to DuPont Company advertising director William A. Hart. Hart selected the first, adding the words “through chemistry.”

From [NYTimes article](http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bird-living.html).

1. One of the longer running taglines in corporate history.