Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons¹¹

Eugène Rimmel

Perfumer, cosmetics manufacturer (1820-1887)

Eugène Rimmel (c. 1820–1887) was a French-born British perfumer 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.).²

From Wikipedia’s article on Eugène Rimmel (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 15, 1821, died Feb 25, 1887.¹

Companies

RimmelFounder¹⁰

Early life and education

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.

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 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 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.

From Wikipedia’s article on Eugène Rimmel (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur, perfumer, chemist, businessperson.⁴

Date not recordedFounded Rimmel³

Personal life

BornApr 15, 1821, Paris^{5 6}
DiedFeb 25, 1887, London⁷
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, France⁸

Awards

1872Knight of the Legion of Honour⁹

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataEugène Rimmel on Wikidata
2
WikipediaEugène Rimmel on Wikipedia
3
WikidataEugène Rimmel: Founded Rimmel, on Wikidata
4
WikidataEugène Rimmel: occupation, on Wikidata
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WikidataEugène Rimmel: place of birth, on Wikidata
6
Wikidataplace of birth, as reported by Archives de Paris
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WikidataEugène Rimmel: place of death, on Wikidata
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WikidataEugène Rimmel: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataEugène Rimmel: award, on Wikidata
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WikidataRimmel, Founder
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Wikimedia CommonsEugène Rimmel photo by Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain