Fragrance house

Charles of the Ritz

In 1910, Charles H. Ritz opened a barber shop and women’s hairdressing parlour inside New York’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. His employee Charles Jundt acquired the women’s hairdressing business in 1919 and adopted the Charles of the Ritz name for beauty products in 1926. The early identity joined salon services with face powder, skincare, hair products, makeup, and individually blended powder and rouge. Charles of the Ritz incorporated in 1928 and introduced a complete cosmetics line through retail outlets and its salons. After its 1936 sale to Benjamin E. Levy, Richard B. Salomon took day-to-day leadership and later became sole owner when the company went public in 1961. The company entered France in 1955 and opened a Paris salon and shop the following year. In the 1960s, it secured worldwide rights to Yves Saint Laurent perfumes and cosmetics, merged with Lanvin, and acquired a controlling interest in the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house. Following further ownership changes, Revlon discontinued the Charles of the Ritz line in 2002. Fragrance was added in 1927 with perfumes named A, B, and C; Jean Naté followed in 1935 as an enduring company product.