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Purveyor of the London look for 180 years Venerable. Traditional. Historic. Rimmel? You have to be joking! More like cool, eclectic and cutting-edge! But, believe it or not, Rimmel is actually one of the world's oldest beauty brands, preparing to celebrate its 180th anniversary in 2014. The saying might be a cliché, but it's never been more appropriate: Rimmel London is well and truly 180 years YOUNG! “History,” Henry Ford famously said, “is bunk.” Which is just the kind of couldn't-care-less attitude you would associate with the Rimmel girl. Instead, however, she should be thanking her lucky stars that – way before anybody had heard of Eurostar – a French perfumer, Hyacinthe Mars Rimmel, arrived in London and, in 1834, set up shop on Albermarle Street. Monsieur Rimmel brought with him, not only the considerable savoir-faire he had acquired when training with Empress Josephine's own favourite perfumer, Pierre-François Lubin, but also his 14 year-old son, Eugene. Which is where things start to get exciting, because young Eugene, who joined the family firm in 1839, turned out to be a real whizz: an inventor, a pioneer and a marketing genius rolled into one – in short, a visionary who would stamp his name on the cosmetics industry and put London firmly on the beauty map. Among Eugene Rimmel's many innovations were mail order catalogues, scented fans for theatre-goers, and perfumed Valentine's cards – a hot new trend in Victorian England. At the ground-breaking Great Exhibition of 1851, held in London's Hyde Park, visitors went wild for his incredible fragrance fountain, which sent out jets of eau de cologne for ladies to perfume their handkerchiefs. The ingenious Eugene even caught the eye of Queen Victoria herself – a real trend-setter if ever there was one – and became her officially appointed perfumer. Not surprisingly, Rimmel's fame soon spread far and wide – right to the other side of the world, in fact: witness the first edition of the New Zealand Herald in 1863, which carried one of the company's ads. But the product for which Eugene Rimmel will forever be remembered is “Rimmel Water Cosmetique”, which came out around 1880. Never heard of it? Well, we bet you put some on only this morning… for what Rimmel had invented was probably the world's first non-toxic mascara. Even today, the cute little compact, complete with brush and mirror, looks amazingly modern, so you can imagine how totally revolutionary it was back then. After Eugene Rimmel's death in 1887, the company passed to his two sons. The next major landmark, as Europe emerged from World War II and demand for cosmetics grew once more, was the acquisition of Rimmel by advertising executives Robert and Rose Caplin. They recaptured something of Eugene Rimmel's original flair for marketing with the memorable slogan “Beauty wise, value wise, you can't buy better than Rimmel”, and also pioneered the first ever self-selection cosmetics counter. As well as establishing Rimmel's reputation for quality products at affordable prices, the clever Caplins anticipated the democratization of fashion and beauty that made London the style capital of the world in the Swinging Sixties. In the late 1990s, under the new ownership of Coty Inc., Rimmel set about reviving its true, trend-setting spirit. In a masterstroke of marketing of which Eugene Rimmel himself would surely have been proud, Rimmel made itself synonymous with London and its heady mix of youth, colour and energy, appropriating venerable (that word again!) British symbols, like the crown and the Union Jack, to support its subversive, streetwise image. The deal was sealed by the now legendary tagline: “Get the London look”. Another stroke of genius was the 2001 signing of Kate Moss as the global face of Rimmel London. Not only was Kate a true London girl herself, but she totally encapsulated all that London stood for – style, individuality, a devil-may-care attitude – as well, of course, as being fantastically beautiful. It was a stellar partnership, and one that is still going strong. In 2011, Rimmel London celebrated the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with the supermodel by launching her very own lipstick line: Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks. So successful were they that, in Spring 2013, they were joined by Kate's signature nail polishes: Salon Pro with Lycra® Nail Polish by Kate Moss. In 2010, Rimmel's gang of It-girls was joined by Georgia May Jagger, the model daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. British rock royalty doesn't come more blue-blooded than the gorgeous, gap-toothed Georgia May, who complements Rimmel's streetwise vibe with her own quirky take on London style. But it doesn't stop there. In its latest exciting initiative, Rimmel gets to the heart of London cool with a series of capsule collections created in collaboration with some of the London's edgiest talents, starting with Rita Ora. Widely admired for her sense of style, the über-cool singer-songwriter turns up the volume on Rimmel London with a limited-edition lip and nail collection, to be unveiled in Spring 2014. So, you see, Rimmel London is well set for another century or two, as it surfs the success of iconic products like Stay Matte Foundation, Moisture Renew Lipstick and 60 Seconds Nail Polish, as well as recent blockbuster launches, including infamous Scandaleyes Mascara and Apocalips Lip Lacquer. Cool, creative and cutting-edge, Rimmel is the London look.
RIMMEL LONDON TIMELINE
BEAUTY MADE IN LONDON, SETTING THE TRENDS FOR 180 YEARS 1834
French-born Hyacinthe Mars Rimmel established the House of Rimmel, an exclusive perfumery in the heart of London, which quickly became a go-to destination for innovative fragrances and cosmetics. He was joined in the business in 1839 by his son Eugene. 1842
Eugene Rimmel assumed sole management of the company. A keen entrepreneur, recently married to the daughter of a wealthy manufacturer of chemical products, he extended the reach of the business beyond London, and established a growing reputation for Rimmel products outside the United Kingdom, laying the foundations for international success. 1857
Eugene Rimmel became a British citizen. He was a member of the British Society of Arts, and won British perfumery its first international award. In 1861, he was appointed perfumer to the Court of Her Majesty Queen Victoria – an honour soon bestowed on him by many of the crowned heads of Europe, including the King and Queen of Spain, the King of Portugal and the Queen of Holland. Many of his creations were named after queens and princesses. 1864
Having won popular acclaim for the articles he wrote in women's magazines, Eugene Rimmel published his ground-breaking Book of Perfumes, cementing his reputation as a master of fragrance and cosmetics. Around this time, he invented Cosmetique Superfin, an innovative product to darken and enhance lashes, which was an early version of the legendary Rimmel Water Cosmetique, believed to be the world's first non-toxic mascara. 1887
In February 1887, Eugene Rimmel died at his London home at 67, The Strand. He was succeeded by his two sons, who continued to expand the business internationally, helped by the success of its star product, Rimmel Water Cosmetique. 1949
Rimmel was sold to advertising gurus Robert and Rose Caplin, who anticipated the democratization of fashion and beauty by repositioning the brand as value-for-money and introducing the first self-selection counter. 1970s – 1990s
Rimmel changed hands several times, from ITT in 1971, to Schering Plough in 1980, and Unilever in 1989. 1996
Coty Inc. acquired Rimmel and orchestrated a global relaunch of the brand with the slogan “Get the London look”. In 2001, London's very own supermodel Kate Moss was signed as the new face of Rimmel. 2008 – 2010
Rimmel expanded its gang of It-girls to include London-born model Lily Cole, singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis Bextor, Canadian model Coco Rocha, American actress Zooey Deschanel and musician Solange Knowles. In 2010, Rimmel announced the signing of Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, as the new face of Rimmel London. 2011
Rimmel London celebrated the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with Kate Moss by launching her signature lipstick collection, Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks, with a huge party at Battersea Power Station, during which Kate was joined by all Rimmel's ambassadors. 2014
180 years after Hyacinthe Mars Rimmel arrived in London, Rimmel remains the UK's number one cosmetics brand* and promotes the “London look” in over 75 countries worldwide. In a major new initiative, Rimmel revisits its London heritage with a limited-edition capsule collection created with one of the London's hottest talents, musician Rita Ora. * The UK's number one colour cosmetics brand based on sales data as reported by IRI for the period ending 13th July 2013.
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