Revlon, one of the most iconic names in beauty, faced a seismic shift in 2022 when the company filed for bankruptcy due to overwhelming debt and operational challenges. But just two years later, under the leadership of CEO Michelle Peluso, the company is showing signs of recovery with an ambitious strategy to modernize its legacy brands while maintaining its historical appeal.
A legacy reinvigorated: Embracing brand heritage
Central to Revlon’s comeback is a strategic focus on revitalizing its core brands, including its flagship Revlon and Elizabeth Arden lines. While Revlon has always been associated with colorful cosmetics, the company has recognized the need to evolve its offerings to align with current beauty trends.
A critical element of this strategy is the emphasis on brand storytelling and innovation. Peluso has openly shared her commitment to modernizing iconic names without losing their essence.
According to Business of Fashion, Revlon is leaning into “bold glamour” with its new Glimmer, Shimmer, Shine collection, marking a clear shift back to its roots. This, along with Elizabeth Arden’s push into markets like China, signals a balanced approach of honoring heritage while adapting to modern consumer needs.
Financial stability as a cornerstone
While strategic brand revitalization is crucial, Revlon’s financial health remains the backbone of its recovery. One key metric in assessing this is Days Beyond Terms (DBT), a measure of how late a business pays its suppliers (past payment terms).
Over the past year, Revlon has shown consistency in keeping its DBT within manageable ranges, with occasional spikes that could be attributed to seasonal fluctuations.
For instance, between September 2024 and August 2025, Revlon’s DBT fluctuated between 5 and 16, staying mostly below industry averages. This is a positive sign, indicating that the company has been effective at managing its cash flow amidst the challenges.
The spikes in DBT—11 in April 2025 and 16 in May 2025 – are understandable in light of the company’s ongoing efforts to streamline its operations and strengthen its financial foundation. However, these should be watched closely to ensure they don’t become persistent.
Reinforcing supplier relationships through consistency
One of the standout features of Revlon’s financial strategy is its ability to manage supplier payments consistently. Despite facing a challenging economic climate, Revlon has largely avoided the pitfalls of delayed supplier payments that many of its competitors face.
Upon taking a closer look at Revlon’s payment behaviors, we could see that roughly 25% to 37% of Revlon’s supplier payments were 1-30 days late between January and August 2025. This was likely due to the seasonal pressures companies often face after the winter holidays, before returning to more stable levels later in the year.
What’s more notable is that the company has had a minimal portion (less than 1%) of its outstanding bills fall delinquent (91+ days late). This demonstrates a stable and proactive approach to managing cash flow and liabilities.
From a relationship-building perspective, these efforts are crucial. Maintaining trust with suppliers is essential for a company looking to recover and regain market share. Revlon’s ability to keep overdue payments under control, despite some fluctuations, signals positive steps forward.
Challenges and areas for improvement
While Revlon is making significant strides, some challenges still remain. The company’s recent struggles, particularly in its color cosmetics segment, have been exacerbated by competitive pricing pressures from newer, trend-driven beauty brands.
Revlon’s historical reliance on traditional beauty ideals is in direct competition with the rise of minimalistic beauty trends driven by Gen Z consumers.
As seen in its performance at Ulta Beauty, where Revlon has lost market share since late 2024, the brand’s legacy products have not kept pace with the rapid changes in the industry. To regain its footing, Revlon must accelerate innovation and improve responsiveness to trends so that its bold color cosmetics and skincare products will resonate with a new generation of consumers who are increasingly drawn to personalized and digitally native beauty experiences.
Additionally, the company’s restructuring efforts, which included a significant workforce reduction, will need to prove sustainable. Revlon’s success hinges on balancing the need for cost-cutting with the investments required for innovation and marketing to drive long-term growth.
Looking ahead
Revlon’s turnaround plan is built on a foundation of strategic brand revitalization, financial discipline, and operational consistency. As Peluso has pointed out, the journey to recovery requires both patience and agility.
The company is focused on modernizing its portfolio and realigning its operations with future consumer demand. But the next few years will be critical in determining whether it can regain its former market dominance.
As Revlon moves forward, it will need to not only rely on the nostalgia of its iconic products but also innovate and adapt at a faster pace than ever before. The company’s ability to manage supplier payments and cash flow effectively provides a strong foundation for the work ahead.
While the road may be challenging, the company’s commitment to financial health, modernized branding, and adapting to changing market conditions suggests a bright future, provided it maintains operational discipline and stays ahead of industry trends.
CosmeticsDesign reached out to Revlon with the opportunity to comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
