Charlie is a line of women's and men's fragrances produced by the American cosmetic and perfume house Revlon.
On June 16, 2022, its parent, Revlon, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [1]
Charlie, named after Charles Revson, [2] was released in 1973. [3] It was originally launched to compete with Estée, a fragrance released by Estée Lauder. [2] Ad campaigns for the scent featured models Shelley Hack, Charly Stember, and, notably, Naomi Sims, making Sims the first African American woman in history to be featured in a cosmetic company's advertising. [4] Television ads featured Shelley Hack and jingles sung by Bobby Short and Mel Tormé. Young, working women were set as the target audience, and the ads were said to represent the "new woman" of the era. [2] Hack and Stember wore pantsuits by Ralph Lauren and were the first women to wear pants in fragrance ads. The response proved to be profitable for Revlon, as Charlie became the world's top selling perfume within three years. [2] However, a later ad, showing a female model patting a male model on the backside, was controversial. While some praised the ad as being "playful" and representing "female self-sufficiency," others called it "sexist" and "in poor taste." [5] Subsequent advertising in later decades featured Lauren Hutton, Sharon Stone and Cindy Crawford, with jingles sung by Little Richard. [6] Oprah Winfrey dedicated a segment of her talk show in 2007 to discuss the impact of Charlie advertising featuring Hack as her guest. Winfrey stated that the ads inspired her. She wanted to be "confident and fabulous" like the "Charlie girl". Hack agreed, saying "It was a time when women were changing. Women looked at [the ad] and said 'I want to be like that.'" [7]
Charlie is classified as a floral-aldehyde fragrance. It is composed of citrus, bergamot, hyacinth, green leaf, tarragon, peach, and aldehyde top notes, cyclamen, carnation, orris root, lily of the valley, jasmine and rose middle notes, and sandalwood, musk, vanilla, oakmoss, and cedar base notes. [8]
Spin-off women's fragrances with the Charlie name included: [9] [10]
Some lines also included complementary bath and body products. Currently, Charlie Red is only in production in Australia and Italy and Spain. Charlie Blue, White, Gold, Silver, Secret, Real, Pink, Black, and Passion are only available in Italy, while Charlie Crystal Chic, Pink Sparkle, and Little Secrets are only sold in South Africa. [9] [11] Production of Charlie Red and Charlie White was discontinued in North America in 2011, leaving the original Charlie as the only fragrance still available in this market. [12] All Charlie fragrances are available in the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ]
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Perfumes can be defined as substances that emit and diffuse a pleasant and fragrant odor. They consist of manmade mixtures of aromatic chemicals and essential oils. The 1939 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, Leopold Ružička stated in 1945 that "right from the earliest days of scientific chemistry up to the present time, perfumes have substantially contributed to the development of organic chemistry as regards methods, systematic classification, and theory."
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it remains. Revlon was founded by brothers Charles and Joseph Revson, and chemist Charles Lachman. Revlon products are sold in 150 countries and the company has many global locations including Mexico City, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sydney, Singapore, and Tokyo.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is an American multinational cosmetics company, a manufacturer and marketer of makeup, skincare, perfume, and hair care products, based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is the second largest cosmetics company in the world after L'Oréal. The company owns a diverse portfolio of brands, including La Mer, Jo Malone London, Clinique and Tom Ford Beauty, among many more, distributed internationally through both digital commerce and retail channels.
Shelley Marie Hack is an American actress, model, producer, and political activist. She is best known as the face of Revlon's Charlie perfume from the mid-1970s until the early 1980s, and for her role as Tiffany Welles in the fourth season of Charlie's Angels (1979–80).
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Chypre is the name of a family of perfumes that are characterised by an accord composed of citrus top notes, a middle centered on cistus labdanum, and a mossy-animalic set of basenotes derived from oakmoss. Chypre perfumes fall into numerous classes according to their modifier notes, which include but are not limited to leather, florals, fruits, and amber.
Western cosmetics in the 1970s reflected the multiple roles ascribed to the modern woman. For the first time since 1900, make-up was chosen situationally, rather than in response to monolithic trends. The era's two primary visions were the feminist-influenced daytime "natural look" and the sexualized evening aesthetic presented by European designers and fashion photographers. In the periphery, punk and glam were also influential. The struggling cosmetics industry attempted to make a comeback, using new marketing and manufacturing practices.
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Celine Dion Parfums is a brand line of celebrity-endorsed perfumes by Canadian singer Celine Dion and Coty, with global retail sales of more than $850 million by March 2010. As of 2011, there have been 14 perfumes that have been released. A new fragrance called Signature, was released in September 2011.
ULTIMA II (cosmetics line) is an American-based cosmetics and skincare brand owned by Revlon Inc.
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Jo Malone London is a British multinational cosmetics company, perfume and scented candle brand, founded by Jo Malone in 1990. It has been owned since 1999 by Estée Lauder. The brand is known for its perfumes, candles, bath products, and room scents.
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