Eugène Rimmel (1820–1887) was a French-born British perfumer and businessman, responsible for manufacturing and marketing some of the earliest commercially made

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

, through his company House of Rimmel, (now a division of Coty Inc.).

Early life and career

Rimmel was born in France, he moved with his family to London when his father accepted an invitation to manage a perfumery on Bond Street. Rimmel was

apprenticed Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to his father. In 1834, he opened his own perfumery, the House of Rimmel. In the same year father and son produced their first cosmetic products. By the age of 24, Eugène Rimmel had become an immensely talented perfumer and cosmetics innovator. Considered by many beauty historians as a trail-blazer of the beauty and healthcare industries, Rimmel contributed greatly to the concept of hygiene and bathing. He was also among the first to develop scented

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s, mouth rinses and his signature "Toilet Vinegar". His most innovative invention may well be the first commercial

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mascara Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara product has vari ...

, which became so popular that "rimmel" is to this day the word for "mascara" in several languages including French, Italian, Portuguese, Persian, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic. Rimmel was also considered an exceptional

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and produced detailed

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catalogues and advertising programmes with English theatres.

Publication

In 1865, he published ''The Book of Perfume'', which appeared in 1870 in a French translation (''Le Livre des Parfums'') with a preface by

Alphonse Karr Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (24 November 1808 – 29 September 1890) was a French critic, journalist, and novelist. Life Karr was born in Paris to German pianist and composer Henri Karr (1784–1842), and after being educated at the C ...

.Bodleian Library online catalogue
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Later life

Rimmel was so successful that he was granted ten Royal Warrants from heads of state all over Europe, including

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, for his perfumes and fragranced products. With the headline "The Prince of Perfumers", ''

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'' printed Rimmel's obituary on 15 March 1887. It stated that he was one of the founders of the French Hospital and Dispensary in London, and a constant advocate of its claims to the support of the public. Rimmel married a woman from Seurre, eastern France, Elisabeth Letroublon with whom he had three children, Jules, Henry and Herminie. The sons assumed control of the beauty company at Rimmel's death in 1887, though they delegated the management of the company, which passed out of Rimmel family hands. After many difficulties Rimmel's cosmetics brand is now owned by Coty Inc.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rimmel, Eugene 1820 births 1887 deaths British cosmetics businesspeople Businesspeople from London French cosmetics businesspeople French emigrants to England History of cosmetics Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom 19th-century French businesspeople 19th-century English businesspeople