Max Factor invented Hollywood makeup — P&G killed it for CoverGirl

Max Factor founded his company in Los Angeles in 1909 and became Hollywood's most trusted makeup artist. He invented the first cream-based 'flexible greasepaint' for film, coined the term 'make-up', created Pan-Cake foundation for Technicolor movies, and developed waterproof makeup, smear-proof lipstick, and the first concealer. At its peak Max Factor dressed the faces of Hollywood royalty — Jean Harlow, Mae West, Bette Davis, Judy Garland — and was synonymous with screen glamour.

The Max Factor family sold the company to Norton Simon for $500 million in 1973. Over the next 18 years the brand passed through a chain of corporate owners — Esmark, Beatrice Foods, Revlon — each move taking it further from its Hollywood roots. In 1986 the headquarters was moved from Los Angeles to Stamford, Connecticut, severing the last physical connection to the film industry that built the brand.

In 1991 Procter & Gamble bought Max Factor for $1.5 billion. P&G already owned CoverGirl, the mass-market cosmetics leader, and the two brands competed for the same shelf space. Max Factor was positioned as slightly more premium but had been losing relevance since the 1970s. P&G had limited incentive to invest in both, and CoverGirl was the stronger performer with broader appeal.

In the first quarter of 2010 P&G discontinued Max Factor in the United States. The decision was purely strategic — P&G chose to concentrate its marketing budget on CoverGirl rather than continue supporting a fading heritage brand. Max Factor continued to be sold overseas (Europe, Asia), and Coty later relaunched the name globally, but the brand that had created Hollywood makeup was effectively dead in its home market. A 101-year legacy of film-industry innovation ended because the parent company preferred a younger sibling.