Continuous Improvement Coordinator

Revlon's renaissance: how an 87-year-old icon is reclaiming its crown. Muslim October 7, 2026 7 minutes read In the fast-paced, digital-first landscape of modern beauty, legacy brands often face a perilous paradox: how to honor the heritage that built them while shedding the "dusty" reputation that threatens their survival. For Revlon, the 87-year-old cosmetic titan, the challenge was twofold. It needed to reintroduce itself to a generation of beauty enthusiasts who grew up on Instagram and TikTok, while simultaneously reassuring the loyal base that had stood by the brand through decades of changing trends. "We needed to reintroduce ourselves not just to the next generation of consumers, but we had to reintroduce ourselves to our existing ones," said Dana Medema, Revlon's president of North America, during a panel at the 2026 Advertising Week conference. "We had been quiet, and in this industry, silence is not an option." A legacy in flux: the path to "Be Unforgettable" Revlon's attempt at a modern revival centers on its new "Revlon Be Unforgettable" campaign, unveiled in April. By tapping musician and actress Teyana Taylor and country music star Megan Moroney, the brand is making a concerted effort to bridge the gap between different demographics and musical genres. The campaign serves as a deliberate nod to the iconic advertising of the 1980s and 90s, which propelled the brand to global ubiquity. Back then, the brand's messaging was defined by the faces of cultural titans like Cindy Crawford and Oprah Winfrey. However, the 21st-century iteration of Revlon recognizes that the "beauty standards" of the 90s require a radical pivot. Evolving the brand voice. One of the most significant changes in the new campaign is the removal of the patriarchal, authoritative male voiceover that defined mid-century beauty advertising. Jessica Henrichs, CEO of DonerColle Partners - the agency behind the creative shift - noted the necessity of this change. "We wanted to bring women of substance to the table, women who were more than just beautiful," Henrichs said. "Some of the original ads had a male voiceover, and I think we can all see now that was probably not the best call." In the current spots, Taylor and Moroney serve as their own narrators, speaking directly to the consumer with autonomy and agency. Furthermore, the brand has streamlined its messaging to fit the modern, fragmented attention economy. The original, long-form tagline - "The most unforgettable women in the world wear Revlon" - was deemed too cumbersome for the era of six-second social media spots. Consequently, it has been sharpened to a punchy, declarative: "Revlon: Be unforgettable." Chronology: from 1939 to the present day. To understand the current pivot, one must look at the arc of Revlon's history, which has seen peaks of industry-defining innovation and valleys of existential financial struggle. * 1939: Revlon is founded, eventually creating cultural staples like the Fire & Ice lipstick, which revolutionized color cosmetics. * 1980s-1990s: The "Golden Age" of Revlon advertising. Using high-profile supermodels and cultural icons, the brand defines the aesthetic of the era. * 2010s: As beauty becomes a hyper-competitive, digitally native category, Revlon faces increasing pressure from "disruptor" brands that utilize influencer marketing and direct-to-consumer models. * 2022: Facing mounting debt and supply chain disruptions, Revlon Inc. files for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. * 2023: The brand emerges from bankruptcy as a private entity under new ownership, marking a clean slate for its corporate structure. * 2024: Michelle Peluso is appointed CEO, tasked with stabilizing the brand and leading its long-term modernization efforts. * 2026: The "Revlon Be Unforgettable" campaign launches, signaling a shift in marketing strategy and target consumer focus. Supporting data: the competitive landscape. The beauty market in 2026 is vastly different from the one Revlon dominated in the 20th century. Today, the "drugstore" aisle is no longer the primary battleground for trendsetting. Instead, brands are fighting for shelf space in the minds of consumers who are heavily influenced by digital communities. Revlon is not alone in its quest to revitalize its image through celebrity partnerships. The strategy has become a playbook for legacy brands attempting to remain relevant in a saturated market: * Maybelline: In 2025, the brand tapped pop superstar Miley Cyrus to reinvent its classic "Maybe it's Maybelline" messaging, successfully updating its brand identity for Gen Z. * Bath & Body Works: The retailer partnered with actress Hilary Duff in July to launch a new, fruit-forward body-care line, successfully leveraging millennial nostalgia to drive interest in new product categories. For Revlon, the financial imperative is clear: prove that a heritage brand can maintain its "color expert" status while competing with the high-octane growth of indie brands. Official perspectives: balancing heritage and innovation. Despite the push for modernization, Revlon's leadership is adamant that they are not looking to erase their history. Instead, they aim to frame it as a competitive advantage. "Heritage means you have history," Medema noted. "There's nothing wrong with being a heritage brand. There's something wrong with standing still, but you have a really rich history. It's about going back into those archives, not being afraid to pull out things from the past, and saying, 'Hey, that's still relevant today.'" Redefining the consumer. In a departure from traditional marketing, which often segments consumers by rigid generational labels (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X), Revlon is shifting toward a psychographic approach. Medema describes their core target as "e-glam" - a demographic defined not by age, but by their approach to beauty. "We are experts in color. We have 72 shades of Super Lustrous [lipstick]," Medema explained. "But we're probably not for the woman who is trying to be involved in the category to the very, very extreme. We call our target 'e-glam.' And guess what? You can find efficient glam across ages, from the 20s all the way up to the 60s." Implications for the future of beauty. The implications of Revlon's strategy are significant for the broader industry. By focusing on "efficient glam," the brand is acknowledging that a large portion of the population is interested in high-quality, reliable color products that fit into a fast-paced lifestyle, rather than the "maximalist" beauty trends that often dominate social media algorithms. The "efficient glam" Shift. This shift toward efficiency suggests that Revlon is positioning itself as the "reliable expert" in a market that has become increasingly cluttered with niche products. If the "e-glam" consumer is indeed a bridge between the 20-something looking for a staple lipstick and the 60-something looking for a trusted formula, then Revlon's archival wealth could be its greatest asset. The power of narrative. Furthermore, the decision to have ambassadors narrate their own stories represents a broader shift in advertising. The era of the "top-down" brand voice is effectively over. Consumers now demand authenticity, and by allowing Teyana Taylor and Megan Moroney to speak for themselves, Revlon is signaling that it understands the value of personal brand equity in an influencer-led economy. Looking ahead. As Revlon continues to operate as a privately held company under the leadership of Michelle Peluso, the "Be Unforgettable" campaign will serve as a bellwether for the brand's long-term health. If the company can maintain its historical authority in color while executing a modern, multi-generational marketing strategy, it may very well prove that an 87-year-old icon can indeed be as relevant in the digital age as it was in the era of the print magazine. Revlon's path forward is not merely about selling lipstick; it is about proving that a heritage brand can evolve into a nimble, responsive, and - most importantly - unforgettable participant in the future of global beauty. Subscriber

US lawmakers demand answers from Revlon over FDA manufacturing findings. THE WHAT? Nine members of the US Congress have written to Revlon Group Holdings CEO Michelle Peluso seeking answers following an FDA warning over testing and quality-control deficiencies at the company's Oxford, North Carolina manufacturing facility. THE DETAILS The congressional letter, led by Representative Yvette D. Clarke, follows a June FDA warning letter that identified significant Current Good Manufacturing Practice violations involving Revlon's OTC drug manufacturing. The FDA said Revlon had not demonstrated adequate testing of incoming talc for asbestos and identified deficiencies in its specifications and quality controls, including microbiological standards for yeast and mould. The agency requested testing of affected talc or finished products, a risk assessment and a remediation plan. The lawmakers raised particular concerns about potential exposure among Black women and girls, citing their significant participation in the US beauty and personal care market. THE WHY? The congressional intervention increases regulatory and political scrutiny of Revlon's manufacturing and ingredient-testing controls, highlighting the importance of supplier verification, contaminant testing and robust quality systems for cosmetics companies manufacturing OTC beauty and personal care products in the US.