Martin Elliot Revson, co-founder of the Revlon cosmetics empire, died peacefully on May 26th. He was 105. Martin would have been 106 on June 15th. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Martin was the youngest of three sons born to Jeanette (Weiss) and Samuel Revson. Samuel immigrated to America after escaping his homeland of Riga Latvia to avoid conscription into the Czarist army. Growing up with very modest means, Martin considered himself a fair student and the athlete in the family. He played hockey in school, swam long-distance, snow skied until he was 80, took up tennis at 60, and played golf well into his 90s. “I always loved the game of golf,” he said. “My dream was to become either a golf pro or a writer.” Believing that the latter would be more lucrative, Martin enrolled in a creative writing course at The New School in New York City. But after a while, he felt he just didn’t have it in him to become a great writer. Still, it was his love of the written word that helped change the landscape of cosmetic advertising forever. As head of worldwide marketing for Revlon, Martin contributed to and supervised all advertising campaigns. Dissatisfied with the conventional way that cosmetic ads were depicted at the time, he and his older brother Charles set out to create something new and exciting. Each ad would tell an alluring story, bringing glamour and drama to the forefront. The print campaign for Fire and Ice was named ‘ad of the year’ by Advertising Age.
In a 1950 interview with Business Week Magazine, Martin was quoted as saying: “The reason women buy cosmetics is because they buy hope. In other words, most women lead lives of dullness, quiet desperation, and I think cosmetics are a wonderful escape from it. So we try to bring it to them that way…we try to give them that escape.” Hence the expression, “Hope in a jar.” In 1955, Revlon took a major leap in advertising by sponsoring The $64,000 Question. A television quiz show that shot to #1 its first season. The products featured on Tuesday night’s live broadcast practically flew off the shelves on Wednesday.
When asked to sum up—what made Revlon?— Martin said, “Number 1, quality. If we found that a product wasn’t right, we’d return it from shipping or pull it from the shelf. Number 2, drama and glamour in our ads and promotions. And number 3, The $64,000 Question.” After leaving Revlon, Martin bought Maradel; a company that manufactured pharmaceuticals and beauty aids which he renamed Del Laboratories. Some of their best known products were Hard As Nails by Sally Hansen, Orajel teething solution, within the Commerce Drugs line, and La Crosse beauty implements. During his later years, Martin divided his time between homes in Palm Beach, Florida and Pine Plains, New York. Up to the very end he was still engaged in business matters, maintained an active social calendar, loved to read the latest books, and watched golf tournaments on television. When asked what he thought the greatest invention was in the last one hundred years, he simply replied: “TV.” Martin had four children with his first wife, former singer and child stage actress, Julie Phelps Revson. Tragically, their younger son, Douglas Revson, was killed in 1967 during a rainy Formula 3 race in Denmark, and their firstborn, champion racing driver, Peter Revson, was killed in 1974, when his car’s front suspension failed during a Formula 1 practice session in South Africa.
He is survived by his beloved and adoring wife, Eugenia Nicholas Revson; his eldest daughter, Julie Revson, his youngest child, Jennifer Revson; stepson, Paul Revson; grandsons Jason Sheldon and Matthew Cox; great-grandson, Henry Cox; nephews Michael and Frank Graessle, Jr., and John and Charles Revson, Jr.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 11 AM, from his residence, 1061 Rte. 83 Pine Plains, NY 12567.
