Earth Day was born in 1970 as a call to action. Despite the gravity of its mission, the anti-pollution movement was quickly co-opted as a marketing opportunity. One dry shampoo offered a modest proposal, setting its sights on the smog, smoke, and dust sullying your hair, not the air. The product name, Mini-Mist, fit its scope. Apparently, it’s the little things. —Linda Wells

Image: the Advertising Archives