Fire and Ice: The Story of Charles Revson, the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire
Last updated October 31, 2026
Andrew Tobias tells the life story of Charles Revson, who started selling nail polish during the Depression and built Revlon into a major international cosmetics business over the following decades. Drawing on interviews with Revson's relatives, employees and competitors, Tobias portrays a perfectionist who was gifted at marketing and color and notoriously hard to work for. The book also describes the fierce rivalries of the beauty business, including his long competition with Estée Lauder and Helena Rubinstein.
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