05.29.07
|
Kryolan Professional Makeup marks 30 years of business in the US.
By Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor
Kryolan Professional Makeup, one of the oldest and largest independent makeup companies, recently celebrated 30 years of business in the United States. With more than 1,000 professional makeup products currently distributed to 80 different countries, Kryolan has come a long way since its humble start in a German factory three decades ago.
Founded in 1945 by Arnold Langer, a chemist and theater enthusiast, Kryolan’s initial production was a small line of cosmetic body care products that included skin crèmes, face lotions and toothpaste.
“Body care products were a scarcity at the end of World War II and Kryolan’s products were selling in high demand,” remarked Claudia Longo, Kryolan’s US CEO in San Francisco, CA. “With the reopening of theaters in Berlin after the end of the war, Kryolan’s focus switched from producing skin and body care products to producing make-up for the stage, quickly establishing itself as a company devoted to quality make-up used by theater professionals.” By the 1960’s, Kryolan became Germany’s (and most of the Western European countries’) top seller of make-up and special effects items for theater, film and television.
Wolfram Langer, the only son of Arnold Langer and his wife Waltraud, began working at Kryolan in the 1970’s and is currently the owner-manager of Kryolan GmbH, which is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Moving Forward
While the company’s present day focus remains within the professional make-up realm that’s not to say it isn’t creating new avenues for expansion. “Kryolan wants to stay true to its roots and keep the same high quality and ability to serve the professional make-up artist while at the same time focusing a little bit more on the health and beauty market,” said Ms. Longo. “For example, Kryolan’s DermaColor line is the Paramedical Line. The Camouflage System has been designed to correct skin disfigurations or discolorations whether they are accidental, dermatological, surgical or congenital in origin.”
The company is also introducing a new line of makeup formulated for complexion perfection on High Definition Television (HDTV) where even the smallest skin flaw is visible to viewers.
Kryolan has more than 1,000 products with a perennially huge selection of shades and colors. “Once a product has been developed, it will never be discontinued,” said Ms. Longo.
Kryolan’s products are manufactured in Germany and as such are approved not only by the FDA but also by European beauty standards. “Kryolan’s products have more pigmentation than most other makeup products which meaning you can use a little to cover a lot,” commented Ms. Longo. “Our products are manufactured with the utmost care in modern production facilities from ingredients of highest purity. Clinical test approvals are available (and) no tests conducted by us or on our behalf involve the use of animals.”
Kryolan’s product are sold in US boutiques and make-up stores, pharmacies and spas in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas and other cities. Prices average between $18 and $26.