Donna Marcella Borghese (1911-2002) was a manufacturer of cosmetics.

History

Marcella Fazi was born in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

in 1911. In 1937 she became the second wife of the widowed nobleman Paolo Borghese, Duke of Bomarzo and Prince of Sant’ Angelo e San Polo, and acquired the title of Princess. She gave birth to twin boys, Francesco and Livio, the same year. She also had two daughters, Rosanna and Anita Mauritzi, from a previous marriage. She had two grandchildren from her first marriage, Sylvia and Valentina. From her second marriage she had five grandchildren; Scipione, Ilaria and Lorenzo from Francesco's side and from Livio's side, Luca and Matteo. The fashion-conscious princess had toiletries, including makeup, made specifically for her using the natural ingredients found around the

Villa Borghese Villa Borghese or Villa Borghese Pinciana ('Borghese family{{!Borghese villa on the Pincian Hill') is the villa built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio (and, after his death, finished by his assistant Giovanni Vasanzio), developing sketches by Scip ...

in Rome, where the family lived. She wanted to create a line of lipsticks in a wider variety of shades than what was available at the time, and once

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

gave the cosmetics his blessing, pushed forward with the idea. Princess Marcella Borghese died in 2002 in her home in

Montreux, Switzerland Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...

. She was 90 years old, and was buried in the family crypt at the

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, Major papal basilica as well ...

in Rome.

Business

In 1956, Borghese met cosmetics magnate,

Charles Revson Charles Haskell Revson (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as a pioneering cosmetics industry executive who created the first pigment-based nail polish and founded and managed R ...

, the founder of

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...

. The two struck up a lifelong friendship, as he helped her to create her cosmetics line, which Revlon then licensed under the Princess Marcella Borghese brand name. One of Princess Marcella Borghese's first collections included brightly colored lipsticks and nail colors to match the vivid colors of her fashion designer friend,

Emilio Pucci Don Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento (; 20 November 1914 – 29 November 1992) was an Italian aristocrat, fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colors. Early l ...

's knitwear. Her Montecatini Cosmetic line, named after her favorite spa (and an ancient town in Tuscany), used the purported healing properties of the Terme di Montecatini mud and the mineral waters. The Princess was one of the first people to create a skincare line which was based on the natural therapies of a spa. In 1992 Revlon sold the Borghese brand to Halston Borghese International Limited, a new company set up in New York by four Saudi investors (all brothers) to buy and hold Revlon’s Halston and Princess Marcella Borghese divisions.Nigel Groom, ''The New Perfume Handbook'', 2nd edn (London: Blackie Academic & Professional, 1997), p. 150 . Borghese remained involved in the line named after her until her death. Today, the company is known as simply Borghese and is based in New York City. It has been run by CEO

Georgette Mosbacher Georgette Mosbacher (née Paulsin; January 16, 1947) is an American business executive, entrepreneur, political activist who served as the United States Ambassador to Poland from 2018 to 2021. She is the chairman of the Green Beret Foundation ad ...

since 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borghese, Princess Marcella 1911 births 2002 deaths People from Umbria Cosmetics people History of cosmetics

Marcella Marcella is a Roman cognomen and Italian given name, the feminine version of Marcello (Mark in English). Marcella means warlike, martial, and strong. It could also mean 'young warrior'. The origin of the name Marcella is Latin. Marcella may refer ...

Cosmetics companies of the United States Revlon brands