Cosmetics: Kiss and Sell

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companies rushed out the "natural look" cosmetics, notably light lip gloss, moisturizers and subtle blushers. But what kind of fragrance would fit the liberated aura? Revson, in his last burst of creative inspiration, directed the development of a blend of floral and herbal scents that the p.r. people (and many users) avow has a "clean, fresh" aroma. As something of a last testament, Revson named the product after himself: "Charlie." Marketing it was mostly left to Bergerac. He chose ads that show Model Shelley Hack, 27, sauntering through life with a jaunty, devil-may-care stride—past Big Ben or the Arc de Triomphe. The campaign sold—and how! Charlie became the world's top-selling fragrance and catapulted Revlon from the minor leagues to the big time in the scent market.

Alas, in the mercurial cosmetics business, almost all products have short half-lives, and Charlie sales have started to decline. But before they did, Bergerac and Revlon were ready with both an explanation and a new product. The trend to liberation, Bergerac believes, masked a deep, underlying yearning: "You hear that women want to 'do their own thing,' but there are still quite a lot of women around who are romantic, women who like a lot of nice fluffy or lacy things. There are a lot of ladies who like to be kissed in the moonlight, strange as that may sound." And how did he know that, since, it is the kind of feeling unlikely to be turned up by a solemn market survey? Bergerac replies, with a delighted chuckle: "In this business you guess a lot."

Three years ago, even before Charlie was approaching its peak, Revlon came up with Jontue, a mixture of floral scents that smells rather like gardenia and that, by common consent, is a bit "sexier" than Charlie's jasmine. The Jontue ads feature models who wear filmy white gowns amid swirling, silvery mists, and the copy proclaims that, thanks to Jontue, they are "Sensual . . . yet with a touch of innocence." Result: Jontue has rocketed to No. 2 in world fragrance sales, right behind Charlie.

In the more visible paint-and-powdery side of the business, the kings of cosmetics are now promoting a new, new smoky look that reflects a hunger for mystery and allure. In part it is a response to a severely practical consideration: the popularity of discos. Under their garish lights, notes Aileen Mehle, who writes a newspaper gossip column as Suzy and is a Revlon director, a woman wearing natural-look makeup will simply vanish into the glare. Solution: highlight the eyes and lips with dark shades that will catch male eyes. What kind of fragrance goes with that? Opium, perhaps. It is a heavy, spicy perfume put out by Yves St. Laurent for $100 an ounce; Revlon has a lighter-scented version for about $9.50.

This ensemble suggests to Bergerac and his aides an exotic look and aura reminiscent of Gene Tierney in the 1940s movie The Shanghai Gesture. So they have put together ads picturing Model Lauren Hutton, now 35 and long Revlon's high-glamour symbol, wearing a veiled hat to tout the Veiled Reds lipstick shade—the one touched with midnight blue—in Revlon's high-priced Ultima II line. For its dark lipsticks and smoky eye shadow, the company also subsidizes department store promotions featuring 1940s costumes and even ceiling fans to suggest old movies