Although the pricing is higher than the standard Walgreens private-label facial lotion by a dollar an ounce, the Apothecary line is still a lower-priced alternative to Kiehl's, L'Occitane, Burt's Bees, La Fleur Organique, and a host of other trendy, natural skin product lines.

The Walgreens Apothecary product packaging is designed to be in line with higher-end competitors while alluding to Walgreens' rich past, with simple classic containers featuring primarily old typewriter-like fonts and an "old" Walgreens logo, with an apothecary's pestle and mortar that recall the brand's origins. Perhaps unbeknown to younger consumers today, the Walgreens company and brand are steeped in American history and Americana.

The ubiquitous drugstore chain of today began in 1901 as a 50-by-20-foot neighborhood drugstore in Chicago's South Side run by Charles R. Walgreen, Sr., who bought the pharmacy he worked at as a teenager after becoming a pharmacist himself. Even at the turn of the 20th century, competition was fierce, with no shortage of drugstores for consumers to choose from. Full of new ideas about product merchandising and customer service, Walgreen added a wide array of wares to sell (including pots and pans for 15 cents each) and created apothecary drugs—compound prescriptions handmade by Walgreen himself. By 1919, Walgreen owned 20 stores.

During the Great Depression, Walgreen expanded his valued, private-label line of sundries, including Po-Do talcum powder and Peau-Doux golf balls, which contributed to successful sales growth amid an economic wasteland. Walgreen, and the Walgreens store, became well known throughout Chicago reputedly because of his keen sense of friendly, personalized customer service.

Today's Walgreens Apothecary line pays homage to its innovative heritage and even features product copy that speaks directly to the consumer with the founder's signature beneath it. While the packaging certainly can't be called "pretty," its simplicity is appropriate for the value aspect of the brand and has the added bonus that it won't alienate men from using the products as well.

As Lauren DeSanto, an industry analyst at Chicago's Morningstar Inc., recently told Crain's Chicago Business, "Walgreens is stepping up its game in beauty care, as are more retailers." She added, "Retailers are trying to hit the higher end…. And if these products can be positioned as more wholesome, it seems more [customers] will go for it."

Under its new CEO, Jeff Rein, the company expects to have 7,000 stores by 2010. A replica of the first Walgreens drugstore is displayed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Perhaps in 100 years the exhibit will contain the Apothecary products.

Alycia de Mesa is a brand identity consultant and writer with over 10 years experience from Fortune 100 to start-up companies. She is author of Before The Brand, the definitive brand identity handbook, published by McGraw-Hill (under the name Alycia Perry).