Rimmel London

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British mass-market cosmetics brand known for accessible makeup, mascaras, and London-inspired style.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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Overview

Rimmel, commonly marketed as Rimmel London, is a British cosmetics brand with roots in a London beauty house established in 1834 by Eugène Rimmel, a French-born British cosmetics entrepreneur. The brand developed during a period when commercial perfumery and decorative cosmetics were becoming more visible in urban life, and its early activities extended beyond color cosmetics to products such as pomades and mouth rinses. The Rimmel name subsequently became associated with accessible beauty products and with the wider popularization of eye makeup. Rimmel is now positioned as a mass-market, fashion-oriented cosmetics label rather than as a luxury beauty house. Its products are distributed through high-street retailers, pharmacies, supermarkets, and other mass channels across a broad international footprint. The range has included mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, foundation, concealer, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish, and related complexion and color products. Mascara remains central to the brand's identity, with product families such as ScandalEyes helping connect Rimmel with dramatic eye makeup, while Stay Matte complexion products and collaborations with public figures have supported its broader makeup portfolio. The brand's communication has consistently emphasized London as a source of attitude, fashion, experimentation, and individuality. Its long-running motto, "Get the London Look," provided a concise expression of that positioning. Rimmel has used a succession of internationally recognizable spokesmodels and ambassadors, including Kate Moss, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lily Cole, Ayumi Hamasaki, Holly Willoughby, Jerry Hall, Georgia May Jagger, Coco Rocha, Zooey Deschanel, Solange Knowles, Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah, Tom Daley, and Maya Jama. It has also created or promoted makeup collaborations with figures such as Rita Ora. Rimmel's marketing history illustrates both the value and the risks of celebrity-led beauty advertising. The brand has sought to combine editorial fashion imagery with affordable products intended for everyday consumers, but some advertising featuring Kate Moss and Georgia May Jagger was prohibited by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority after the regulator concluded that the use of false eyelashes made the results shown in the advertising misleading. Rimmel has also increasingly used ambassador appointments to communicate inclusivity, activism, and broader participation in beauty culture, including its appointment of Adwoa Aboah as a global activist and Tom Daley as its first male ambassador. Rimmel is owned by Coty Inc., a global beauty company whose portfolio includes mass, prestige, and professional beauty brands. Rimmel therefore operates as a consumer-facing brand within a larger international beauty group rather than as an independently listed company. The brand remains active and internationally distributed, although the exact assortment, retail availability, ambassadors, and local marketing programs vary by country and over time.

History

Rimmel’s history began in London in 1834, when Eugène Rimmel entered the perfumery business established by his father. Rimmel developed expertise in fragrances and cosmetics and later operated a prominent London retail presence. The early business belonged to a period in which beauty products were moving from artisanal preparations toward branded, packaged consumer goods. Rimmel’s reputation was built partly on making cosmetic products more usable and commercially available, while its heritage was also associated with efforts to avoid dangerous traditional ingredients. After Eugène Rimmel’s death in 1887, his sons continued the business. Over subsequent decades the company broadened beyond fragrance into decorative cosmetics, including eye, lip, face and nail products. Mascara became especially important to the brand’s identity and international recognition. The business changed hands several times after the Second World War, reflecting the consolidation of the cosmetics industry and the increasing importance of mass retail. Coty acquired Rimmel in 1996. Under Coty, Rimmel developed into a globally distributed, affordable color-cosmetics brand rather than a stand-alone traditional perfumery. Its packaging, advertising and product launches increasingly emphasized fashion, youth culture and London’s street-level energy. The phrase “Get the London Look” became a central communications platform, linking accessible makeup with a recognizable British capital aesthetic. The brand’s ambassador strategy reinforced this transformation. Kate Moss became a long-term face of Rimmel from 2001, and later campaigns used figures including Georgia May Jagger, Zooey Deschanel and Cara Delevingne. These partnerships helped Rimmel compete for attention in a crowded mass-market category while maintaining a connection to fashion imagery. During the 2010s Rimmel invested heavily in digital media, mobile marketing, online video, social platforms and London Fashion Week content. It experimented with influencer participation and campaigns addressing identity and online behavior, including #EdgeYourLook and #IWILLNOTBEDELETED. The brand also faced regulatory criticism when a mascara advertisement was banned in 2017 for overstating the apparent effect of the product. More recent activity has focused on inclusion, creator culture, clean-beauty messaging and real-life use. The Kind & Free line was supported through TikTok creator formats, while the Thrill Seeker Pitch Black mascara launch used London outdoor media and Snapchat augmented reality. In 2024 Rimmel presented a substantial identity refresh centered on “Live YOUR London Look,” a more participatory and less prescriptive interpretation of its London heritage. Rimmel therefore combines an unusually long cosmetics history with a contemporary mass-market strategy based on affordability, trend responsiveness and self-expression.

2024
Global brand refresh
[5]Inside Rimmel London’s largest rebrand in 190 yearscosmeticsbusiness.com
Rimmel introduced a refreshed identity and the “Live YOUR London Look” positioning, emphasizing lived beauty and personal expression.
2023
Thrill Seeker mascara AR launch
[4]Rimmel London uses AR to promote new mascaraadweek.com
Rimmel used Snapchat augmented reality and Tower Bridge imagery to promote Thrill Seeker Pitch Black mascara.
2017
#EdgeYourLook identity campaign
[3]Rimmel London launches new brand identity with digital campaignmarketingdive.com
The brand introduced a digital identity built around influencer participation and a double-L face-framing gesture.
2011
London Fashion Week digital partnership
[7]London Fashion Week digital partnershipthedrum.com
Rimmel sponsored Glam Media’s London Fashion Week coverage with video, interactive advertising and makeup tutorials.
2001
Kate Moss partnership begins
[1]A brief history of Rimmeltheguardian.com
Kate Moss became a long-term Rimmel ambassador and a prominent expression of the brand’s London fashion positioning.
1996
Acquired by Coty
[1]A brief history of Rimmeltheguardian.com
Coty acquired Rimmel, bringing the brand into its international beauty portfolio.
1887
Family succession
[1]A brief history of Rimmeltheguardian.com
Following Eugène Rimmel’s death, his two sons continued the business.
1834
Rimmel founded in London
[1]A brief history of Rimmeltheguardian.com
Eugène Rimmel entered the London perfumery and cosmetics business, establishing the heritage that underpins the modern brand.

Products and positioning

Affordable, London-inspired, trend-led makeup for experimentation, self-expression and everyday wear.

Color cosmetics
Eye makeup
Rimmel’s eye portfolio includes mascaras, eyeliners and eyeshadows. Mascara has been particularly central to the brand’s heritage, with products designed around volume, length, definition and dramatic everyday looks.
Color cosmetics
Face makeup
Face products include foundation, concealer, powder, blush and bronzer. The range is positioned for accessible complexion customization, from coverage and matching to contouring and color.
Color cosmetics
Lip makeup
Lip offerings include lipstick, lip gloss and related color products. They support the brand’s trend-led approach by combining wearable shades with seasonal and fashion-influenced color stories.
Makeup range
Kind & Free
Kind & Free is a Rimmel range promoted around clean-beauty ideas, individuality and broader representation. Its launch communications used TikTok creators, tutorials and community participation.
Mascara · 2023
Thrill Seeker Pitch Black Mascara
Thrill Seeker Pitch Black is a volumizing mascara promoted through a London-focused digital and outdoor campaign, including a Snapchat augmented-reality experience using Tower Bridge.

Controversies

2017
Cara Delevingne mascara advertisement banned
A Rimmel mascara advertisement featuring Cara Delevingne was banned after the advertising regulator concluded that the presentation exaggerated the product’s cosmetic effect.
Source

2024Live YOUR London Look
Global
The global brand refresh reframed London style as personal, diverse and lived rather than a single prescribed look. Ambassadors, creators and social content formed part of the rollout.
Outcome. Modernized the brand platform while retaining London as its central cultural asset.
Source
2023Thrill Seeker London takeover
United Kingdom
A digital and out-of-home launch campaign used London locations, social video and a Snapchat AR experience in which Tower Bridge became part of the mascara demonstration.
Outcome. Connected a product launch with Gen Z-oriented interactive media and recognizable London imagery.
Source
2018#IWILLNOTBEDELETED
Global
Rimmel addressed beauty-related cyberbullying and encouraged people to resist online pressure to delete or conceal images of themselves.
Outcome. Positioned the brand around confidence and digital self-expression beyond product promotion.
Source
2017#EdgeYourLook
Global
A digital brand-identity campaign used ambassadors, influencers and a face-framing double-L gesture to invite consumers to create and share their own looks.
Outcome. Shifted communication toward participatory social content and identity expression.
Source
2011London Fashion Week with Glam Media
United Kingdom
Rimmel sponsored online London Fashion Week coverage, including backstage interviews, fashion video and tutorials showing consumers how to recreate runway-inspired looks.
Outcome. Extended the London Look proposition into fashion-event publishing and interactive content.
Source
2001Kate Moss and Get the London Look
Global
Rimmel used Kate Moss as a central ambassador for its London-centered brand platform. The work connected affordable makeup with a witty, edgy and streetwise interpretation of London fashion.
Outcome. Helped establish a durable celebrity-led expression of Rimmel’s London heritage.
Source
Kind & Free TikTok campaign
Global
Rimmel used a branded hashtag challenge, creator videos, tutorials and paid TikTok placements to build awareness and purchase intent for Kind & Free.
Outcome. Used community participation and creator amplification to support a new product-range launch.
Source

Brand decisions

2024
Global identity refreshStrategy
Background
Coty sought to update Rimmel’s heritage for Gen Z and millennial audiences while retaining its London association.
Action taken
Rimmel introduced updated branding and the “Live YOUR London Look” positioning, centered on lived beauty, inclusion and self-expression.
Aftermath
The brand presented itself as more flexible and personal while continuing to compete in affordable color cosmetics.
Source
2017
Shift toward participatory digital identityStrategy
Background
Younger beauty consumers increasingly discovered products through social media and creator communities rather than traditional advertising alone.
Action taken
Rimmel launched #EdgeYourLook with influencers, ambassadors, digital film and a repeatable double-L gesture.
Aftermath
The brand increasingly used social participation and creator content as part of its identity system.
Source
1996
Coty acquisitionM&A
Background
Rimmel had developed from a historic London perfumery into an international cosmetics brand, while the beauty industry was consolidating around larger groups.
Action taken
Coty acquired Rimmel and incorporated it into its global beauty portfolio.
Aftermath
Rimmel continued as a Coty-owned mass-market color-cosmetics brand.
Source

Recent events

2024
Rimmel London unveils major brand evolution[5]Inside Rimmel London’s largest rebrand in 190 yearscosmeticsbusiness.com
Campaign
The brand introduced a refreshed visual identity and the “Live YOUR London Look” positioning, presenting makeup as part of real-life self-expression and a more inclusive view of beauty.
2023
Rimmel London uses augmented reality to promote Thrill Seeker mascara[4]Rimmel London uses AR to promote new mascaraadweek.com
Product launch · Campaign
A London activation allowed Snapchat users to point their cameras at Tower Bridge and experience an augmented-reality transformation linked to the Thrill Seeker Pitch Black mascara launch.
2023
Maya Jama appointed global ambassador[12]英国广告监管机构禁止芮谜使用假睫毛的广告en.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Leadership change
Rimmel announced television and media personality Maya Jama as its global ambassador.
2022
Tom Daley becomes Rimmel's first male ambassador[12]英国广告监管机构禁止芮谜使用假睫毛的广告en.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Leadership change
Rimmel appointed British diver and public figure Tom Daley as its first male ambassador.
2021
Adwoa Aboah appointed global activist and campaign face[12]英国广告监管机构禁止芮谜使用假睫毛的广告en.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Leadership change
Rimmel announced Adwoa Aboah as its global activist and as a face of major beauty campaigns, linking the brand's communication to activism and representation.
2018
Rimmel tackles beauty cyberbullying with #IWILLNOTBEDELETED[8]#IWILLNOTBEDELETEDthedrum.com
Campaign
The global purpose campaign addressed online beauty abuse and encouraged people to resist pressure to remove or hide images of themselves.
2017
Rimmel London launches new brand identity with #EdgeYourLook[3]Rimmel London launches new brand identity with digital campaignmarketingdive.com
Campaign
The digital identity campaign used ambassadors, influencers, a film and a recognizable double-L hand gesture to promote participation and self-expression.
2016
Cara Delevingne becomes a face of Rimmel[12]英国广告监管机构禁止芮谜使用假睫毛的广告en.wikipedia.org
Leadership change · Campaign
Rimmel named model and public figure Cara Delevingne as one of the faces associated with the brand.
2013
Rimmel launches a makeup collaboration with Rita Ora[12]英国广告监管机构禁止芮谜使用假睫毛的广告en.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Campaign
Rimmel announced a collaboration with British singer Rita Ora for makeup collections, extending its established use of entertainment and fashion personalities in product marketing.
2011
Rimmel London and Glam Media partner for London Fashion Week marketing campaign[7]London Fashion Week digital partnershipthedrum.com
Campaign
Rimmel sponsored Glam.co.uk’s London Fashion Week coverage with interactive advertising, backstage video and tutorials designed to help audiences recreate runway looks.

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