The beautiful draw of Allure magazine

NEW YORK — Linda Wells takes beauty seriously. It’s the key to Allure magazine, which Wells has led as editor in chief since the magazine launched 15 years ago.

Until then, beauty was barely covered in glossy magazines and when it was, it was to guide women to the best lipstick shade to complement that season’s top fashion color. But Wells (and publisher Conde Nast) thought there was an appetite for more, considering most women want to know about looking their best and most women know that looking their best takes more than a new lipstick shade.

The first issue explored animal testing and silicone breast implants -- in addition to the latest color cosmetics trends.

“We gave beauty the kind of seriousness and analysis it had never had before,” Wells says.

She was soon asked to appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to debate Naomi Wolf, author of “The Beauty Myth.” Wells says she took a position that feminism didn’t have to be a repudiation of beauty. There’s room in the world for smart women who also like to look good, she says.

“Allure magazine effected a sea change in the beauty media 15 years ago. It was a totally original concept to give such in-depth, monthly coverage devoted to beauty,” says Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estee Lauder Cos.

He adds: “The content is fresh, newsy, bold, helpful and, most of all, well reported and researched. It is also a sexy, vibrant-looking book that puts the power in the hands of the consumer to make informed buying decisions.”

Some of the big milestones to push the industry along since 1991 were the introduction of Retin-A and Botox treatments.

When Retin-A received FDA approval, it opened the floodgates for beauty products, Wells says.

“Suddenly beauty focused on real science. There were creams that did something more, something real. Women had a willingness to spend time and money on beauty. They wanted to read about it. The timing was really fortunate for us. The whole tempo [of the industry] sped up and we had something to report on,” she says.

“Beauty was topical. There was the changing age of the population. We’re not a magazine for baby boomers but for women in their 20s interested in preventive measures. We became a resource. Women wanted unbiased comparisons, and that’s still what we’re doing.”

Allure has its own stable of cosmetic chemists who conduct independent tests to substantiate -- or put into doubt -- some of the public-relations claims that sound both exciting and absurd.

Wells says she’s happy to see the industry moving away from some invasive procedures to lotions and creams, which, generally, have comparatively little risk. She’s a booster of antioxidants, vitamins and supplements, even adding a brown, vitamin-filled concoction to her water during this interview.

She also has her eye on UltraShape, which uses an ultrasound machine for body contouring, as a potential boon to the beauty industry. It’s an example of the extreme moving mainstream, she says.

The popularity of beauty products with sun protection factor is applauded by Wells, who happens to have porcelain skin. She doesn’t care if vanity instead of health concerns fuel the SPF trend -- the important thing is they’re wearing sunblock.

“We get to people through their vanity. No one is worried about sun damage -- there are too many positive associations with tan skin -- so the industry figured out a way to make better fake tans. They’re not perfect but they’re getting there,” Wells says.

“We realize people want to look good. They want long thick hair, a thin body and tan skin. We [at Allure] don’t debate the morality of it all, but we find a way within the cultural values to help people better themselves.”

She acknowledges even with access to every new product under the sun, her own look changes very slowly. “My range is A to B. I don’t change my look much but I can appreciate someone who does. If something is really ugly, we don’t write about it, or if we identify a trend we won’t say you should wear it.”

But she is on a bit of a personal crusade to get women to put on fragrance and a little lipstick before they leave the house. “Beauty is in some ways a courtesy. People have to see you and smell you. ‘Casual Friday’ isn’t ‘Don’t-take-a-shower Friday,’ and getting dressed for someone’s dinner party is a way of showing respect,” she says.

That said, you might catch her without makeup or perfume at her son’s predawn hockey practice. She does promise that her hair and teeth will be brushed, though.