“Our warranty is the only one of its kind-no other media recommendation or accolades program comes with a guarantee.” “The Seal is special because there’s nothing else like it in the world,” Good Housekeeping Editor-in-Chief Jane Francisco said, explaining that the core promises behind the emblem resonate profoundly with consumers. Conservative estimates put the number of products at 500,000, she said. Currently, nearly 1,800 products are Seal-holders, but, Jennings explained, it would be impossible to find an accurate number for how many products have held the Seal since it was first introduced. Since then, Good Housekeeping has developed four additional emblems for consumer products: The Green Good Housekeeping Emblem, The Good Housekeeping Innovation Emblem, The Good Housekeeping Humanitarian Seal and The Good Housekeeping Nutritionist Approved Emblem.Ĭountless products vie for the coveted Good Housekeeping distinctions every year, but only a small percentage make the cut. The Seal was the next step in the brand’s bond with readers, and it was unveiled in 1909 to signify that a product had passed the Institute’s exhaustive testing and delivered on the claims it promised. The magazine’s landmark 1905 publication of a “roll of honor for pure food products”-which was published before the formation of the Food & Drug Administration-presented a list of verified products which were distinguished with a star and written assurance. The positive public response spurred Good Housekeeping on and led to editorial efforts to expose corruption and misinformation in the food industry, which at the time was flooded with mislabeled, misleading and mishandled products. Product testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute has always been conducted using state-of-the-art lab equipment.
They embraced their mission even more deeply, publishing “an inflexible contract between the publisher and each subscriber” in every issue, pledging a money-back guarantee if any product mentioned in the magazine’s editorial or advertising failed to meet expectations. The editors quickly realized the impact of their work, how it was keeping consumers safe and helping them to make smart decisions. The findings were published in the magazine and were very popular with readers. In 1900, Good Housekeeping created the Experimentation Station to study and develop solutions to problems that came along with the glut of available “remedies” and new-fangled home equipment, including electric irons, gas range stoves and even a washing machine. Welcome to the #goodhousekeeping #kitchenofthefuture #poweredbymiele #meelah #liketequila #miele #ghsealstar #ghinstitute #smartkitchen #tech #innovation #smartappliances #thatsgoodhousekeeping #hearst #hearsttower #hereathearstĪ post shared by Laurie Jennings️ on at 7:11am PST So, where did the idea for the Seal come from? The Seal is a way to stand out among the competition, which might make the same claims but can’t prove them.” In fact, Good Housekeeping Institute Director Laurie Jennings said, for today’s consumers, the Seal is more significant than ever: “With the explosion of fake news and reviews, there are fewer trusted resources out there, and brands that have real science and an authentic story to tell want the trusted, proven validation of a third party like Good Housekeeping. “It’s important that we are always earning the trust that the public has in the Seal,” said Pat Haegele, senior vice president and group publishing director for Hearst Magazines Women’s Lifestyle Group, who has been a part of the Good Housekeeping team for more than two decades. Both then and now, that trust is peerless and priceless.
Since its introduction, the Seal has been a signal to consumers that a product can be trusted, having passed the rigorous testing of the Good Housekeeping Institute. Yet the Seal of 2019 and the Seal of 1909 have more in common than you may think.Ĭonsumer wellness and safety, integrity and constant evolution are what make the Seal as relevant today as 110 years ago, and people-everyone from Drew Barrymore to Jessica Alba, both who run companies that have been Seal-holders-have taken notice. When the first Good Housekeeping Seal was issued in 1909, the developers never could have imagined the slate of products that would carry it more than 100 years later, from cordless vacuums and makeup remover to blue-light filtering lenses and high-tech dishwashers.