THREE QUEENS AND A KING
FOUR MOGULS FROM THE EARLY YEARS WHO HAD WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD MORE THAN JUST A BRAND.
Byline: Chantal Tode
Before multinational conglomerates like Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal and Unilever stepped into the arena, the beauty industry was shaped by four people who themselves were larger than life: Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, Estee Lauder and Charles Revson. Each set out to build an empire in her or his own image and the impact of all four continues to be felt today.
Helena Rubinstein, who was famous for her jewelry and Modern Art collections, weighed in on a variety of topics in a 1963 article in WWD, just two years before she died. Here is some of what she said.
On beauty: “Good skin is very important. One does not care much about features anymore. Makeup + a woman should be beautiful in the morning without makeup + be clever with cosmetics.”
On wealth: “Taste, cleverness are everything + money is NOT so important. I used to pay $100 for a dress and have it copied. Oh, everyone thought I had spent so much money.”
On Charles Revson: “Oh, I could tell such stories, you could not print them. Revson? I don’t want to talk about That Man.”
In response, Revson, Revlon’s founder, launched a men’s cologne called That Man. A 1965 interview with Revson, gave a glimpse of the inner workings of the man credited with being the first to coordinate lipstick and nail polish shades, with such legendary names as Fire and Ice and Cherries in the Snow. He also had a reputation for not being shy about his feelings. “Only one man can run a business,” he said. “Everyone can say what he likes, but when it comes to the decision there has to be only one boss. Leadership is the hardest cloak to wear. When you cut through all the icing, success is based on how consistent you are. Sure, you are good today, but there are always the tomorrow’s.”
In 1966, Elizabeth Arden died at the age of 82, leaving behind an empire that made her one of the richest businesswomen of the 20th century. Here’s how it all began, as recapped in the obituary that ran in WWD:
“A career in nursing was her childhood dream in Canada. But health, beauty and beautiful people were her joy, so she headed for New York with a driving ambition and a mere $600.
“She fashioned the name she gave to her business from titles of two books; Alfred Tennyson’s ‘Enoch Arden,’ which she read while journeying from Canada, and ‘Elizabeth and her German Garden.’
“[Florence Nightingale Graham] chose the Elizabeth Arden pseudonym because it suited her ideal of a tall, serene, well-bred woman.”
After the deaths of Rubinstein and Arden, a WWD article in 1967 made it clear that the newest kid on the block, Estee Lauder, would have no difficulty taking over as beauty grande dame. “When the two great beauty queens were no more, Estee Lauder unquestionably felt the crown being placed on her blond head + and she blithely accepted all the responsibilities of first lady of the beauty world.”
A year later, the paper reported on Revson’s two-year-long remodeling of his new apartment, not so coincidentally the one Rubinstein lived in until she died: “When Charles Revson finally moves into the Park Avenue triplex apartment that once belonged to Helena Rubinstein, he will be able to turn on a gold-plated hot water faucet hidden under a hand-carved marble shell, and fill his shaped marble bathtub in two minutes flat. He doesn’t like to wait.
“At the end of his bath, he can save at least five minutes of toweling by standing under a special panel in the ceiling. At the touch of a switch it blows warm, dry air into the room.”
By 1969, the fierce competition among the first generation of beauty royalty — now narrowed to two archrivals — reached a fever pitch.
“It’s the second War of the Roses,” WWD reported that year. “Estee Lauder versus Charles Revson. Two of the biggest, most vigorous, most successful of the great houses of beauty. The retail community is giddy with admiration for two such exciting and imaginative business people. It’s been a long time (Elizabeth Arden versus Helena Rubinstein) since two beauty dynamos like Revson and Lauder have butted heads.
“All the world loves a sizzling rivalry. And apparently, Lauder and Revson love it, too. Both are millionaires. Both enjoy living well and on the grand scale. Both woo and are wooed by the [Beautiful People].”
Related Galleries
The First Years
In the Fifties, WWD’s coverage of beauty began in earnest with a section called “Toilet Goods.” Dominated by news of product introductions, personnel changes and sales results, it appeared every Friday, evolving into “The Beauty Part” in the Sixties and “The Beauty Report” in the Eighties.
During the formative years, several articles appeared on the practice of price promotions, which continue to be a controversial issue. In this excerpt from a 1954 article, the concerns of retailers and manufacturers appear strikingly similar to those of today.
“Buyers squawk about price promotions, but they are the first to scream for them. This is the paradox pointed out by toilet goods manufacturers in commenting on a roundup of buyers’ opinions on price promotions published in these pages during the past few weeks.
“The buyers’ squawk is about the multiplicity of these promotions, and most manufacturers concur with the complaint. One concedes that ‘no doubt, at times you can’t see the merchandise for the specials.’ But he goes on to say that ‘on the other hand, there never was a day when a store was not dependent on specials, although, because there are now so many, the buyer must balance them out, and say “no” to some.”‘