Charles Revson

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Charles Haskell Revson (born October 11, 1906 in Somerville , Massachusetts , † August 24, 1975 in New York City ) was an American cosmetics manufacturer who became world famous through the Revlon company he founded and directed . While initially mainly producing and selling nail polish , Revlon has grown into one of the world's largest cosmetics companies under his leadership. He was the father of Formula 1 racing driver Peter Revson .

life and work

Charles Revson was born in Somerville , Massachusetts in October 1906 and grew up in Manchester , New Hampshire , where he also went to school. His parents were Jews of Russian descent, his father Samuel Morris Revson emigrated to the United States to evade the Russian army, where he met his future wife, Jeanette Weiss Revson, who had immigrated with her parents as a child. After graduating from Manchester Central High School, he moved to New York City in 1923 and became a clothing seller for the Pickwick Dress Company . In 1930 he was fired from Pickwick and after a brief stint in Chicago as a salesman and his marriage to showgirl Ida Tompkins, he worked again in New York City, where he sold nail polish for the Elka company. He separated from Ida Tompkins in the same year and ended his employment with Elka in 1932 because he was refused promotion to national representative. Together with his brother Joseph and the chemist Charles Lachman, he founded their own nail polish company called Revlon . Lachmann contributed a recipe for a new type of nail polish, which, in contrast to what had been used until then, could be produced in different colors. The "l" in the company name, which should actually first be "Revlac", also came from him.

Although Revlon was founded during the United States' severe economic crisis, the Great Depression , the company was able to survive and grow. It benefited greatly from the fashion of perms , which was accompanied by the opening of numerous hairdressing salons (beauty salons), and the increasing awareness of women for make-up . Revlon focused entirely on this market while charging high prices for high quality products. In doing so, he expanded his range to include other products, especially lipstick . By 1941 he was almost a monopoly supplier of lipstick to around 100,000 beauty salons and his success increased when he began to supply colored lipsticks to suit different moods and weather conditions. Another successful campaign with the title “matching lips and fingertips”, in which he matched the colors of lipstick and nail polish for the first time, brought further success. At the end of World War II, Revlon was the second largest producer of make-up products after Estée Lauder .

Even in the 1950s, Revson cleverly used campaigns for the success of his company. Revlon started the successful “Fire and Ice” campaign in 1952, which was deliberately located on the border of sexual permissiveness and was thus juxtaposed with the staid and prudish morals of the Americans. Revson also recognized the possibilities of television advertising and in 1955 Revlon became the main sponsor of the popular quiz show "The $ 64,000 Question" (which had to be discontinued five years later due to a scandal over predetermined answers). The impact on cosmetics sales was enormous and Revlon's profits doubled in 1956.

In the 1960s, Revson expanded the product range to include skin care products , shampoos , hairspray , perfumes , lotions and even a range of grooming products for men. With the introduction of a particularly inexpensive perfume called "Charlie", he primarily addressed young customers and created one of the most successful products in cosmetics history. Revson bought the US Vitamin and Pharmaceuthicals Company for $ 67 million and completely rebuilt the portfolio. The company paid for itself in ten years and generated 27% of Revlon's total revenue.

Charles Revson died on August 24, 1975 in New York City, at the time his company had annual sales of $ 606 million and was one of the 200 largest companies in the United States. Revson was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale , New York.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Chapter II: Separating myth from Legend. ( Memento of the original from November 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Andrew Tobias: Fire and Ice. The Story of Charles Revson - the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire. ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.andrewtobias.com  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.andrewtobias.com
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Charles Revson In: Charles R. Geisst: Encyclopedia of American business history.
  3. ^ Charles Revson on findagrave.com.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Revson, Charles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Revson, Charles Haskell (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH October 11, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Somerville , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH August 24, 1975
Place of death New York City