ULTIMA II (cosmetics line) is an American-based

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

and

skin care Skin care is a range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. They can include nutrition, avoidance of excessive sun exposure, and appropriate use of emollients. Practices that enhance appea ...

brand owned by Revlon Inc. On June 16, 2022, its parent, Revlon, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

History

The "Ultima" name was originally coined by Bea Castle, the highest placed female executive working for

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brother ...

at the time, for a new moisturising cream - "ULTIMA, The Precious Cream". Following on from the success of the moisturiser,

founder

Charles Revson Charles Haskell Revson (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as a pioneering cosmetics industry executive who created the first pigment-based nail polish and founded and managed R ...

created the Charles Revson Inc. company in 1962 as the vehicle for his new top of the range line: Ultima II. Revson claimed it was his favorite and most personal line, and it was the only line to which he directly attached his name until the launch of

's "Charlie" perfume in 1973.

Growth

To promote the brand Charles Revson's private yacht was named Ultima II. To keep with tradition, present

owner Ronald Perelman named his yacht Ultima III. Ultima II was always intended to be an upmarket cosmetic line, as opposed to the core range

and youth range Natural Wonder, in a marketing strategy called "laddering" inspired by General Motors. Advertising targeted upper-class women and featured models clad in haute couture gowns. For a decade, Ultima II's slogan was "Dedicated to the woman who spends a lifetime living up to her potential." Ultima II's launch and advertising techniques were likely a response to the growing success of competitor Estée Lauder, who also aimed for an upmarket position in the cosmetic,

, and

fragrance An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently ...

industry. In 1971, Ultima II became the first

company to sign a model- Lauren Hutton - to an exclusive contract. The move gained enough attention to make Lauren the first

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

to grace the cover of

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

magazine. Ultima II went one step further, and signed photographer

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...

as her exclusive photographer. In 1975, Ultima II partnered with jeweller

Aldo Cipullo Aldo Cipullo (c.1942 – 1984) was an Italian-born American jewelry designer. Early life and education Cipullo was born in 1942 in Naples, Italy and grew up largely in Rome. His father owned a costume jewelry manufacturing business and so he ...

of Cartier to sell an authorized reproduction of the

Love bracelet (Cartier) The Love Bracelet (styled L⊝Ve, with the horizontal line inside the letter "O" alluding to the bracelet's locking mechanism) is a piece of jewelry designed in 1969 by Aldo Cipullo for Cartier SA. Early versions of the Love Bracelet featured go ...

, which he had designed six years earlier. In 1983, Ultima II hired a 21-year-old

Kevyn Aucoin Kevyn James Aucoin (; February 14, 1962 – May 7, 2002) was an American make-up artist, photographer and author. In the 1990s, Aucoin was wholly responsible for the "sculpted" look of many celebrities and top models, including Whitney Houston, ...

to produce a new line of make-up products - '' The New Nakeds '', making Kevyn the youngest ever Creative Director for a major

company. The New Nakeds collection was notable because it was the first time a major

company launched a collection with shades that were suitable for all races of

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

, and thus became highly popular. In 1989,

decided to expand distribution of Ultima II from prestige department stores into moderate ones like

JC Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...

and drugstores like CVS, taking on a more mass-market approach. When

made the decision to withdraw all of its department store counters, the brand's success soon began to decline. It was discontinued in North America in 2001. In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, a market specific range was produced by EPB (L'Europeenee des Produits de Beaute) a

subsidiary in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It was withdrawn from sale in

in 2008. However Ultima II is available in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

(specifically China/

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

), having moderate success with their Clear White and Extraordinaire ranges. There is now an ULTIMA II Beauty Institute in the SOGO Department Store in

. The current range includes: -Supreme Caviar DNA -Extraordinaire -Extraordinaire Supreme -Procollagen Extrema -CHR (Charles Haskel Revson's initials) -Hydra Botanic -Clear White Supreme -Vital Radiance (once launched as a standalone brand in the U.S.) -Full Moisture -Under-it-all - plus Colour Cosmetics including lipsticks & glosses, mascaras, foundations, powders, eye shadows & liners, cheek blushers

Spokesmodels

Lauren Hutton modelled exclusively for Ultima II in the 1960s and 1970s. She was the nation's first cosmetics model to hold an exclusive contract. Models

Cybill Shepherd Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born February 18, 1950) is an American actress and former model. Her film debut and breakthrough role came as Jacy Farrow in Peter Bogdanovich's coming-of-age drama ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971) alongside Jeff Bridges. ...

, Aurélie Claudel, Kim Alexis, Monique Chevalier and Jenny Brunt also represented the brand. American singer Ariana Grande is the current "

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

" of Ultima II in New York City.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultima II Revlon brands Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022