This set of bar charts measure the relative importance of two major appeals that were used to advertise appearance-oriented products at the time: health and beauty/sex appeal, which either compete or complete each other. Behind the phrase "appearance products", we mainly include cosmetics, clothing, culture, automobile and hygienic products. The measurements were made from our usual samples of the Shenbao (January 3, 1924; January 5, 1934; February 1, 1941; January 1, 1949). Jan 7 1914 was deliberately excluded since none of these products were represented in this issue. In each sample, we have recorded the occurrences of each appeal: health only (green), beauty/sex only (red), or a combination of the two appeals in the same advertisement (blue).

The figures show that the "beauty" appeal remains predominant during the entire period (average of 4 occurrences, reaching a peak in 1949 (7 occurrences, while the "health" appeal occured only one or two times per issue). After a period of equal stagnation (one occurrences per issue for each appeal in 1924), the beauty and health appeals dramatically emerged in parallel in 1934 (5 occurrences for each one). In 1941, it fell to 3 occurrences, while the purely health appeal temporarily disappeared. Yet this was balanced by the combination of the health/beauty appeal (3 occurrences in 1941).

The four following charts examine more closely to which products each appeal was specifically applied to. Before 1941, cosmetics were equally advertised as either "health" or "beauty" products, first mixed  in the same advertisements (1924), then as separate appeals (1934). After 1941, cosmetics were exclusively advertised as "beauty" products. This confirms the cosmetics' gradual process of specialization and separation from medical products. Advertisements for hygienic products were more complex: they alternatively used health (1934) and beauty appeal (1934-1941), or a combination of them (1949). Less frequent than hygienic goods or cosmetics, other products prove difficult to trace on the long-term: culture/productivity, clothing and automobile appear to be systematically associated with social distinction.