Revlon
Revlon fragrance ad collection
Perfumes and fragrance ads by Revlon.
Revlon was founded by Charles Revson, his older brother Joseph Revson, and chemist Charles Lachman in 1932. Revlon's initial product was nail polish, they sold the first lipstick in 1940, and the first fragrance, Aquamarine, in 1976. Website
Revlon perfumes (left to right): Reflections, Pink Happiness, Charlie Silver, Fire & Ice
History of fragrance and perfumes by Revlon
Excerpt from an editorial by David DeNicolo, "The Face Makers".
The overarching question Revlon cofounder Charles Revson asked in his long career was this: What do women want? At every point in our turbulant social history, through the minefields of ever-changing sexual politics, he seemed to know the exact answer. And he made sure women got precisely that. Around the time of his 1950s Fire and Ice campaign, which advertised bright red nail polish and matching lipstick (a Revlon staple), women wanted permission to be seductive without the bad-girl taint. Shot by Richard Avedon, the ads featured sultry brunette model Dorian Leigh in a soigné silver sequined dress and operatic red cape, looking sexy and demure at the same time, accompanied by cheeky, slyly suggestive copy.
Permission granted.
Fire and Ice was said to herald "a new American beauty," but Revson's achievement was more complicated than that. He didn't dictate trends, but he was able to anticipate them with uncanny accuracy. He saw makeup as fashion, the colors and styles changing with the season, just like hemlines. More change meant more ideas, more products, and more sales.
Revlon's Fire & Ice campaign: Dorian Leigh (left, 1952), Jessica Biel (right, 2010)
Perhaps the most memorable example of Revson's perfect pitch was the 1973 launch of the fragrance Charlie, featuring the first fragrance ad to show a woman in pants. Charlie -- a man's name, and Revson's own, let it by noted -- made feminism feminine. And not scary. And fun. As Bobby Short sang in television ads for the scent later in the '70s, the Charlie girl was: "Kind of young, kind of now... Kind of free, kind of wow." Throughout the decades of his dominance, Revson always made sure his customers felt that frisson of excitement in their own beauty. He made sure they felt sexy, or smart, or young, or spirited. Or, in short, whatever they wanted to be.
Revlon's Charlie Perfume ads featuring Shelley Hack (1980s)
Revlon Perfumes
- 1935 - Jean Naté
- 1946 - Aquamarine
- 1955 - Intimate
- 1958 - That Man
- 1965 - Pub (Men; Long Lost Perfume)
- 1966 - Braggi (Men; Long Lost Perfume)
- 1970 - Moon Drops
- 1970 - Super Moon Drops
- 19xx - Cerissa
- 19xx - Seascapes (Men)
- 1973 - Charlie (IFF - Francis Camail)
- 1973 - Charlie Blue
- 1973 - Ciara
- 1975 - Chaz (Men)
- 1975 - Jontue / Fleurs de Jontue Iris de Fete; Fleurs de Jontue Lotus de Nuit; Fleurs de Jontue Rose De Mai
- 1978 - Enjoli
- 1980 - Scoundrel
- 1984 - Enjoli Midnight
- 1987 - Chaz Musk (Men)
- 1987 - Xi'a Xi'ang
- 1988 - Trouble
- 1989 - Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson
- 1990 - Unforgettable
- 1991 - Charlie Express
- 1992 - Downtown Girl
- 1992 - Wild Heart
- 1993 - Charlie Red
- 1994 - Head Over Heels (Eden Classics)
- 1994 - Ajee
- 1994 - Fire & Ice
- 1994 - Fire & Ice for Men
- 1995 - Ciara Femme Fatale
- 1995 - Charlie White
- 1995 - Charlie Gold
- 1995 - Lasting
- 1996 - Cherish
- 1996 - Fire & Ice Cool
- 1996 - Jontue Moonlight
- 1997 - She
- 1997 - Charlie Sunshine
- 1997 - Charlie White Musk (Steven Claisse)
- 1998 - Charlie Silver
- 1999 - Unforgettable Too
- 1999 - Fire & Ice Smoulder for Her
- 1999 - Fire & Ice Smoulder for Him
- 19xx - Landscapes (Men)
- 20xx - Reflections
- 2000 - Rouge de Revlon
- 2000 - Charlie Urban Energy
- 2001 - Skinlights
- 2001 - Absolutely Fabulous
- 2001 - Charlie Instinct / Charlie Insight
- 2002 - Energising
- 2003 - Divine
- 2003 - Love Her Madly / Rendezvous
- 2005 - Pink Happiness / Delicate Moments; Little Secrets
- 2005 - Whimsical
- 2006 - Flair (Annie Buzzantian)
- 2006 - True Blue (Men)
- 2010 - Bling Bling
- DeNicolo, David. "The Face Makers." Allure Mar. 2011: 226-231.