At the turn of the 19th — 20th centuries, interest in Eastern cultures grew in society. Bouffants a la Nippon, that is, ‘Japanese style’, which resembled geisha hairdos, became fashionable. One needed thick and long hair for that. As pre-revolutionary advertising assured, cosmetic care products were supposed to help to achieve such effect. They were also used by men because of the fashion for all kinds of beards, whiskers, and thick mustaches.

At the end of the 19th century, there was a boom in chemical discoveries, and almost every year a new cosmetic product appeared, which became another breakthrough in the market. One of such ‘fashionable’ hair care products was ‘Peruin’. It was produced by Mr. Peto, his name, as well as the recipe of the product, has not been preserved. Peto received gold medals at reputable international exhibitions, including The World Exhibition in Paris and Brussels. ‘Peruin’ became famous not so much for its effect, but aggressive advertising in newspapers and magazines:

The product was produced in glass bottles with the inscription ‘Peruin’ or ‘Peruin-Peto’ and sold for 1 ruble 75 kopecks. It was so popular that dishonest sellers produced their own ‘peruins’ — counterfeits. To protect the product, Peto factories attached miniature gold chips and a certificate to the neck of the bottles.

These pendants were minted on the model of a real award gold medal of the Paris exhibition. Moreover, they were released repeatedly and, possibly, in different stamping workshops: the demand for a remedy for baldness was great, the chips often ran low, and they had to be minted every time. The forms were cut out anew, and despite the skill of the carvers, the stamps were noticeably different from each other. There are four varieties on the front side of the medal and three on the backside. But all these differences are insignificant and do not violate the overall design.