Charles of the Ritz

About Charles of the Ritz:

Charles of the Ritz is a popular cosmetics brand and has contributed significantly in the sphere of perfume fragrances. In the initial days, the Charles of the Ritz launched a very impressive line of perfumed fragrance.

It was in 1916, renowned hairdresser Charles Jundt took charge over the Manhattan beauty salon of the New York City Ritz hotel.

In 1919, he founded his own cosmetics company. In 1926, he initiated the marketing of beauty products under the trade name of "Charles of the Ritz". In 1927, perfume was introduced as the main product in the product line. So popular was its demand, that the launches became frequent in those days.

Charles of the Ritz-milestones:

• Ritz acquired 80% of the house of Yves Saint Laurent brand in 1963.
• Ritz introduced an entire product line comprising of skincare and makeup under the name of Yves Saint Laurent Beaute brand.
• Ritz merged with the Lanvin group in 1964. From that time, the company acquired the name of Lanvin-Charles of the Ritz.
• It was in 1969 that the legendary makeup artist Way Bandy joined as a makeup director of Charles of the Ritz.
• The winning product line of body splashes and fragrance became extremely popular and successful in the formative years.
• The company also took over other cosmetic companies; one example is Alexandra de Markoff.
• From the fashionable salons into upper-end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, the company extended its distribution rights.

Decline of Charles of the Ritz:

In the later years, due to tough competition in the fragrance market, Charles of the Ritz lost out the spark it stood for. Charles of the Ritz became a part of Revlon in 1987. Due to lack of consumer recognition, the company faced an untimely end in 2002. However, one of the former Ritz fragrances, Enjoli, is still available in the beauty stores and market under the Revlon name.



More Cosmetics Companies...