Eugène Rimmel (1820–1887) was a French-born British

perfumer A perfumer is an expert on creating perfume compositions, sometimes referred to affectionately as a ''nose'' (French: ''nez'') due to their fine sense of smell and skill in producing olfactory compositions. The perfumer is effectively an artist wh ...

and businessman, responsible for manufacturing and marketing some of the earliest commercially made cosmetics, through his company House of Rimmel, (now a division of

Coty Inc. Coty Inc. is an American-French multinational beauty company founded in 1904 by François Coty. With its subsidiaries, it develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes fragrances, cosmetics, skin care, nail care, and both professional and reta ...

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 Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

. Rimmel was apprenticed 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 Cosmetic may refer to: *Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning *Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body *Cosmetic, a t ...

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 Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

industries, Rimmel contributed greatly to the concept of hygiene and bathing. He was also among the first to develop scented pomades, mouth rinses and his signature "Toilet Vinegar". His most innovative invention may well be the first commercial non-toxic mascara, 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 marketer and produced detailed mail order 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.Bodleian Library online catalogue
/ref>

Later life

Rimmel was so successful that he was granted ten

Royal Warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

s from heads of state all over Europe, including Queen Victoria, for his perfumes and fragranced products. With the headline "The Prince of Perfumers", '' The New York Times'' 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 Seurre () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. This commune lies at the crossroad of routes to Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Dole, Beaune, and Louhans. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department Th ...

, 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

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