Fragrance house

Revlon

Founded in New York in 1932 by brothers Charles and Joseph Revson and chemist Charles Lachman, Revlon began with a nail enamel whose pigment-based formula offered opaque coverage and a wider range of fashion shades. In 1939, it expanded into lipstick and promoted coordinated lips-and-fingertips colors. Charles Revson shaped the brand’s creative identity through fashion-led color development, evocative names, large-scale advertising, celebrity and model partnerships, and Richard Avedon photography. The 1950s Fire and Ice campaign linked Revlon lipstick and nail color with Vogue, model Dorian Leigh, and Avedon’s photography. Revlon’s advertising history also included Naomi Sims, identified as the first African American model featured in a beauty-company advertisement. The brand entered fragrance by the early 1960s and launched Charlie in 1973. Charlie was described as an instant global success, personifying the independent woman of the 1970s and becoming the best-selling fragrance worldwide at the time. Revlon acquired Elizabeth Arden in 2016. After filing for Chapter 11 protection in June 2022, its 2023 reorganization transferred control to former lenders, including Glendon Capital Management, King Street Capital Management, Angelo Gordon & Co., and Oak Hill Advisors. Its stated identity emphasizes liberated beauty, individuality, inclusion, innovation, and living fully and freely with purpose.