

In the mid-1980s, Revlon lost ground to Estée Lauder, and Armour Pharmaceutical's haemophilia product "Factorate" infected many people worldwide with HIV and hepatitis C. These health-care operations helped sales figures surpass the $1 billion mark in 1977, bringing total sales to $1.7 billion in 1979. Other acquisitions included the Lewis-Howe Company, makers of Tums antacid in 1978. Revlon purchased Armour Pharmaceutical Company, a division of Armour and Company, from The Greyhound Corporation in 1977. marketer of hard contact lens solutions, was bought in 1976 and strengthened Revlon's share of the eye-care market. Revlon acquired Coburn Optical Industries, an Oklahoma-based ophthalmic and optical processing equipment and supplies manufacturer. Michel Bergerac, whom Revson had hired as President of the company, continued to expand the company holdings. Richard Avedon was signed on as the exclusive photographer for the brand. In 1973, model Lauren Hutton signed an exclusive modeling contract, agreeing to pose for Revlon's Ultima line for $400,000 for two years, and was portrayed on the cover of Newsweek. The company bought Elizabeth Arden in an $870 million deal in 2016. Revlon also owns the perfume brand Jean Nate. Shelley Hack appeared on Oprah in 2007 to talk about the power of Charlie advertisements. After the introduction of Charlie, Revlon's net sales figures were $506 million in 1973 and $606 million the following year. In 1973, Revlon introduced Charlie perfume, aimed at people under 30, promoted by model Shelley Hack, wearing trousers. In 1971 Flex shampoo and conditioner were introduced. In 1970, Revlon acquired the Mitchum line of deodorants. Later Revlon launched Braggi and Pub for men, and a line of wig maintenance products called Wig Wonder. In 1968, Revlon introduced Eterna27, the first cosmetic cream with an estrogen precursor called Progenitin (pregnenolone acetate), and fashion designer fragrance Norman Norell. advertising and models instead of adapting its advertisements and using Japanese models. By 1962, when Revlon debuted in Japan, there were subsidiaries in France, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, and Asia. The company began to market its products overseas at the end of the 1950s. Vitamin and Pharmaceutical Corporation made Revlon a leader in diabetes drugs. However, the 1967 acquisition of the U.S.

Evan Picone, a women's sportswear manufacturer with a price tag of $12 million in 1962, was sold back to one of the original partners four years later for $1 million. Other acquisitions, such as Ty-D-Bol, the maker of toilet cleansers, and a 27 percent interest in the Schick electric shaver company, were soon discarded. In 1957, Revlon acquired Knomark, a shoe-polish company, and sold its shoe-polish line Esquire Shoe Polish in 1969. JSTOR ( June 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification. On February 28, 1996, Revlon was listed on New York Stock Exchange as public limited company. This acquisition made it possible for Revlon to produce its own manicure and pedicure instruments, instead of buying them from outside supply sources. Expanding its capabilities, the company bought Graef & Schmidt, a cutlery manufacturer seized by the government in 1943 because of German business ties.

īy the end of World War II, Revlon was the number two cosmetics producer in the United States. During World War II, Revlon created makeup and related products for the United States Army, which was honored in 1944 with the Army-Navy "E" Award for Excellence.

By 1940, Revlon offered an entire manicure line, and added lipstick to the collection. In six years, the company became a multimillion-dollar organization. In 1937, Revlon started selling the polishes in department stores and pharmacies. Using pigments instead of dyes, Revlon developed a variety of new shades of nail enamel. They started with a single product, a new type of nail enamel - the three founders pooled their resources and developed a unique manufacturing process. Revlon was founded in New York City on Main the midst of the Great Depression, by Jewish American brothers Charles Revson and Joseph Revson along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name. History Founding and Charles Revson control (1932–1975)
