Max Factor is a popular line of cosmetics company from Procter & Gamble. It was founded
in 1909 as Max Factor & Company, by Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician from Zduńska
Wola, Poland. In its early days, it specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for
US$500 million, Max Factor & Company was owned by several generations of the family, becoming
an international company during that time. Procter & Gamble purchased the company in
1991, and it remains a popular brand.
History After immigrating to the United States in
1904 Max Factor moved his family and business to Los Angeles, California, seeing an opportunity
to provide made-to-order wigs and theatrical make-up to the growing film industry. Besides
selling his own make-up products he soon became the West Coast distributor of both Leichner
and Minor, two leading theatrical make-up manufacturers.
In the early years of movie-making, greasepaint in stick form, although the accepted make-up
for use on the stage, could not be applied thinly enough, nor where did colors work satisfactorily
on the screen. Factor began experimenting with various compounds in an effort to develop
a suitable make-up for the new film medium. By 1914 he had perfected his first cosmetic
product. With this major achievement to his credit, Max Factor became the authority on
cosmetics in filmmaking. Soon movie stars were eager to sample his "flexible greasepaint".
In the early years of the business Factor personally applied his products to actors
and actresses. He developed a reputation for being able to customize makeup to present
actors and actresses in the best possible light on screen. Among his most notable clients
were Ben Turpin, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert,
Bette Davis, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Judy Garland. As a result virtually all
of the major movie actresses were regular customers of the Max Factor beauty salon,
located near Hollywood Boulevard. In 1918 Max Factor completed development of
his "Color Harmony" range of face powder which, due to its wide range of shades, allowed him
to customize and provide more consistent make-up for each individual actor or actress. He created
many appearances for these actresses, such as Clara Bow's heart-shaped/pierrot lips.
Years later, he exaggerated Joan Crawford's naturally full lips to distinguish her from
the many would-be stars copying the Clara Bow look he created. He also created shades
specifically for them: Platinum, Special Medium, Dark and Light Egyptian. For Rudolph Valentino
he created makeup which complemented his complexion, and masked the darkness of his skin on screen.
In 1920 Max Factor gave in to his son Frank’s suggestion and officially began referring
to his products as "make-up" based on the verb phrase "to make up". Until then the term
"cosmetics" had been used; the term "make-up" was considered vulgar, to be used only by
people in the theater or of dubious reputation and not something to be used in polite society.
In 1922 while on holiday in Europe with his wife, Factor visited the headquarters of Leichner
in Germany. He was by then the biggest retailer of their theatrical stick greasepaint, yet
he was snubbed and kept waiting at reception. Upset at this treatment he left and immediately
cabled his sons to begin selling his own brand of greasepaint. Until then Factor had been
making his own greasepaint for use on his clients, but had made no attempt to market
it while he was representing other brands. Now he concentrated on his own products, which
he offered in a collapsible tube, instead of in the stick form used by other producers.
His tube greasepaint was not only more hygienic but also could be applied more thinly and
evenly. Soon Max Factor's version was the leading brand.
By the 1920s his sons Davis and Frank were heavily involved in the business, with Davis
the general manager and Frank assisting his father in the development of new products.
In 1925 the company received its biggest order to date when it had to complete a rush order
to supply 600 gallons of light olive makeup to the set of the movie Ben-Hur to ensure
that the skin color of the extras used in filming undertaken in America would match
that of the darker skinned Italian extras in the scenes filmed in Italy.
In 1926 for the film Mare Nostrum Max and Frank Factor developed the first waterproof
theatrical make-up. By the 1920s Max Factor was becoming known
outside of the film community, which led to the company in the early 1930s developing
an in-house public relations department. National distribution
While Max Factor was perfectly happy for the company to remain a specialized supplier of
products to the film community, his children were convinced that they could grow the company
into a much larger enterprise. National distribution began in 1927 when Sales Builders, an established
distribution company, obtained the rights to advertise, distribute and sell Factor’s
products. Due to his strong connection with the film
community Max Factor was able to use celebrity endorsements in advertising its products.
In return for a nominal payment of US$1 to the actress the advertising would also promote
the star’s latest film. Development of Panchromatic
The introduction of sound-on-film led to the replacement of the old noisy carbon lights
with tungsten lights, which were much hotter and created a softer light. At the same time
the orthochromatic film, which until that time had been used by the industry, was replaced
by super-sensitive faster Panchromatic film which noticeably darkened skin colors. These
developments required six months of intensive development to create make-up compatible with
the new environment. Because they had been designed for black and white film the existing
products were unsuitable for everyday use. This new Panchromatic make-up was trademarked
in October 1929. Development of Pan-Cake
The development of Technicolor film required the company to develop a new line of products
as its existing Panchromatic make-up left a slight sheen on the skin which reflected
surrounding colors. As a result of how bad they looked in color many actors and actresses
refused to appear in color films. Because Max Factor was recovering from being hit by
a delivery van at the time, Frank Factor took the lead in the two years it took to develop
a suitable make-up, initially called the "T-D" and then renamed the "Pan-Cake" series. It
was sold in a solid cake form and applied with a damp sponge which offered the advantage
of concealing skin imperfections under a transparent matte finish. Its first appearance was in
the film Vogues of 1938. It was an immediate hit and its advantages
led to women stealing it from the film sets and using it privately. Its only disadvantage
for everyday use was that it could not be used at night as it made the skin too dark
under all except under the powerful lights used in film studios. While Max Factor wanted
to reserve the product for film use, Frank Factor was open to the commercial possibilities
and began developing lighter shades. At the time the company was only able to produce
enough to meet studio demand, which delayed commercial release until production could
be increased. The company used the release of Vogues of 1938 in August 1937 and five
months later The Goldwyn Follies, the second film to use the make-up, to commercially release
Pan-Cake to the public, backed by a color-based national advertising campaign. It immediately
became the fastest and largest selling single make-up item to date, as well as the standard
make-up used in all Technicolor films. Beauty micrometer
In the 1930s, Factor helped to develop a mask-like device to measure the contours of subjects'
faces. He called it the "Beauty Micrometer". Its purpose was to detect even barely-visible
structural flaws, that might be magnified and more-noticeable on camera. A technician
could then apply makeup to mask the problem. Max Factor's death
After Max Factor's death in 1938, Frank Factor took the name Max Factor, Jr., and expanded
the still private cosmetics firm, along with members of the immediate family including
Sidney Factor, Louis Factor, Davis Factor and Max Firestein.
In 1939 Max Factor, Jr., began development of a smear-proof lipstick which would also
both be non-irritating and not change color. A kissing machine was constructed to test
the formula’s resistance to fading. The result was released in 1940 as "Tru-Color"
in six shades of red. During World War II Max Factor developed make-up
shades for use by the US Marine Corps in camouflaging faces.
In 1947 after 26 months of development by Max Factor, Jr., the company released "Pan-Stik",
a cream make-up supplied in stick form and designed to take advantage of the latest changes
in studio lighting and film stock. This product was quick to apply as well as non-greasy.
It was released to the public in 1948 and was immediately commercially successful.
In 1951 the company expanded their range to offer a range of male shampoo, aftershave
lotion, deodorant and shaving foams. The introduction of color television lead
the company to develop Max Factor Color TV Make-up, which became the standard for use
in color television. In 1955 the company released "Electrique",
its first fragrance and three years later "Primitif".
In 1956 Max Factor inc. purchased Sales Builders, which had until that time handled all of their
national sales and distribution. This led to a complete reorganization of the company’s
American markets, advertising, sales and distribution division.
By the 1960s, Max Factor, Jr., Max Firestein, and grandsons Donald Factor, Alfred Jay Firestein
and Chester Lee Firestein were still involved. Under his leadership, in 1965 Max Factor,
Jr., established "Geminesse", a line of makeup, skincare and perfume products that were sold
only by uniformed clerks in department stores. The packaging and products were different;
many of the containers were designed to resemble Greek sculptures.
The early 1960s saw the company become a public company and list its Class A stock on the
New York Stock Exchange. This period also saw the third generation of the Factor family,
Barbara Factor, Davis Jr. Factor, Donald Factor, Alfred Firestein, and Chester Firestein rising
to senior positions within the company. His place of work is now a museum located in downtown
Hollywood. Merger with Norton Simon
By the early 1970s Sidney Factor had retired from the board, and Barbara Factor, Donald
Factor and Davis Jr. Factor from the third generation had also left the company to pursue
other interests. As a result there was decreasing family involvement. Davis Factor was still
board chairman while Alfred Jay Firestein was president and CEO when in 1973 the company
agreed to merge with Norton Simon. This event was marred weeks later by the sudden death
of Alfred Jay Firestein at the age of 48. Chester Firestein succeeded him as president
of the company, only to resign three years later in 1976, to devote his time to his personal
interests; he was replaced by a non-family member. His departure, together with that
of Max Factor, Jr., in the same year, meant that there were now no members of Max Factor's
immediate family working for the company. During Chester Firestein’s time in charge
the company expanded overseas and launched many new products including Musk For Men,
UltaLucent Waterproof make-up and, in 1975, the successful Halston line of fragrances,
which quickly became the second best-selling designer fragrance in the world, trailing
Chanel No. 5. It was under Norton Simon that Max Factor
launched "Maxi", a line of makeup aimed at a younger, more savvy consumer. Maxi sold
products aimed at adolescent tastes, such as lip gloss, color rubs and "mood" lipsticks.
Maxi was priced to compete with market leaders Bonne Bell and CoverGirl. Neither Maxi, Geminesse,
nor Max Factor were able to lift the company's declining profits and market share.
In 1983 Norton Simon was taken over by Esmark, by which time no one in the Factor family
was involved in the company’s day-to-day operations. A year later Esmark merged with
Beatrice Foods, which lumped Max Factor into their Playtex beauty division and moved the
Max Factor headquarters from Los Angeles to Stamford, Connecticut. In 1986, Ronald Perelman
of Revlon bought the Playtex beauty division for $500 million. In 1991, Revlon sold Max
Factor to Procter & Gamble for $1.5 billion. As of 2011, Procter & Gamble still owns the
Max Factor brand. By the first quarter of 2010, Procter & Gamble
had discontinued Max Factor in the United States, instead focusing its marketing efforts
on the more successful CoverGirl cosmetics line. Max Factor will continue to be marketed
overseas. Max Factor is also exclusively available through Drugstore.com in the United States.
Innovations Max Factor is credited with many cosmetic
innovations, among which are: 1914: Released the first cosmetic made specifically
for motion pictures, a thinner greasepaint made in 12 shades. It was in cream form and
packaged in jars, as opposed to the thicker stick greasepaints used for theater.
1917: Released "Supreme Liquid Whitener" which provided the means of obtaining an alabaster
smoothness on the neck, shoulder, arms and hands.
1918: Released "Color Harmony", a range of face powder which due to its wide range of
shades allowed the customizing of consistent make-up for an individual actor or actress.
1925: Released "Max Factor's Supreme Nail Polish," a metal pot of beige-colored powder
that was sprinkled on the nails and buffed with a chamois buffer, to give nails shine
and some tint. 1927: Released "Society Nail Tint," a small
porcelain pot containing rose colored cream. Applied to the nail and buffed, it gave a
natural rose color. "Society Nail White" was also released. This was a tube of chalky white
liquid that was applied under nail tips and left to dry. The end result resembled the
modern French manicure. 1928: Developed cosmetics specifically for
use in black-and-white films. Max Sr. was awarded an Oscar award for this innovation.
1930: Invented Lip Gloss. 1932: Developed a line of "Television Make-up,"
specifically to meet the needs of television. 1934: Released Liquid Nail Enamel, forerunner
of today's nail polishes. 1935: Opened the unique Max Factor Make-up
Salon in Los Angeles. 1937: Released "Pan-Cake", forerunner of modern
cake makeup, originally developed for color films.
1940: Released "Tru-Color" lipstick, the first smear-proof lipstick.
1948: Released "Pan-Stik" makeup. 1954: Released "Erace", the original concealer,
and developed a line of cosmetics specifically for color television's needs.
1971: Released the first "waterproof" make-up. 1980: Japanese subsidiary acquired an antioxidant
derived from sake wine, called Pitera. Subsequently launched Max Factor Success Key with Pitera,
which would later be renamed SK-II. 1988: Launched the world's first clear colorless
mascara 2000: Launched the first 12 hour long-lasting
non-transfer lip color, "Lipfinity" lipstick 2008: Launched "False Lash Effect mascara"
References
Basten, Fred E.. Max Factor: The Man Who Changed the Faces of the World. New York: Arcade Publishing.
ISBN 978-1-55970-875-3. Further reading
Kent, Jacqueline C.. Business Builders in Cosmetics. Minneapolis: Oliver Press. ISBN 1-881508-82-X.
External links Max Factor Website
Max Factor at the Fashion Model Directory Max Factor Museum
Max Factor Makeup Artist Jan Thomas - video interview
Former Max Factor Creative Director Jasun Martz