Revlon

Revlon was founded in New York in 1932 by brothers Charles and Joseph Revson with chemist Charles Lachman, initially as a maker of nail enamels in a wider range of opaque shades than the market then offered. The company moved into lipstick, makeup, and fragrance through the 1940s and 1950s, becoming one of the defining American mass-market beauty houses of the twentieth century. Its perfume catalogue has run from early successes such as Intimate (1955) and Charlie (1973) — one of the first widely advertised fragrances marketed to professional women — through licensed celebrity launches in the 2000s. Today fragrance is a small part of a business dominated by colour cosmetics and hair, and most active scents are tied to long-running pillars or licensing deals. Revlon emerged from Chapter 11 reorganisation in 2023 under new ownership led by funds advised by MacAndrews & Forbes and creditors.