John A. Cella, 76; Chemist Helped Develop Skin Care Products
John A. Cella, 76, a chemist who guided development of the skin care lines Visible Difference and Millennium for Elizabeth Arden, died June 8 in San Diego of kidney failure.
A native of Chicago, Cella earned his bachelor’s degree at DePaul University there and his doctorate at the University of Notre Dame.
He spent most of his life in the Midwest, until his 1986 retirement from Elizabeth Arden, when he moved to San Diego and became a consultant to various cosmetics companies.
Cella first worked as a medical chemist for Armour & Co. and in 1953 moved to G.D. Searle & Co., where he helped develop Aldactone, a diuretic now used to treat congestive heart failure. At Searle, he also led development of a method to make Enovid, the first oral contraceptive. He went on to serve as assistant to the president at Julian Laboratories, a division of Smith, Kline & French, and then spent 10 years as a vice president at the Alberto Culver Co.
Joining Elizabeth Arden in 1973, Cella brought the science of chemistry to cosmetics. Providing the scientific foundation, he formulated the skin care products Visible Difference and Millennium to make skin smoother and younger-looking. He also created Lip Fix, to make lipstick longer-lasting, formulated sun care products and Chloe perfume, and invented computers to analyze skin types.
