TV REVIEW : Uninspiring Introduction to ‘Beauty Queens’

There are no swimsuit competitions or crowns in “The Beauty Queens.” Instead, the three-part documentary series that begins on the Arts & Entertainment cable channel tonight demonstrates how three women--Helena Rubinstein, Elizabeth Arden and Estee Lauder--helped parlay the “war against ugliness” into what today is the $20-billion cosmetics business.

In the first installment (airing at 5 p.m. and again at 9 p.m.), viewers meet Rubinstein, a tempestuous entrepreneur who was already czarina of the international cosmetics world by the time Lauder was born. Portrayed as a would-be scientist who spent as much time in the laboratories as she did buying jewels, clothing and now-priceless artwork, Rubinstein started her business hawking face cream to British royalty and opened her first salon in London during the reign of Edward VII. By the time she died in 1965 at the age of 95, the Rubinstein name was on more than 1,000 products and her fortune reflected her royal status in the cosmetics arena.

A fascinating story? Perhaps, but not for TV. Endless photographs of her sharp profile and tight black chignon, and repeated, irritating snippets of Rubinstein being interviewed in French, indicate that this woman’s biography would best be left as a book. Producer/directors Eila Hershon and Roberto Guerra forget to mention that Rubinstein had competition in her field or that eventually her label faded away in the all-important U.S. cosmetics market. If she originally triumphed over obstacles, they aren’t explained here.

The high point of the hourlong program is that it shows that, despite its multibillion dollar research-and-development budget, the cosmetics industry keeps reinventing the wheel. Rubinstein was promoting the value of Vitamin A for youthful skin in the ‘40s; today it still makes headlines. She was urging women to stay out of the sun in the ‘20s; today the message is the same. When she invented waterproof, wand-style mascara in the ‘50s, who knew it would still need to be perfected in the 1990s?

As part of a trilogy of great women in the beauty world, Rubinstein’s story could have been remarkable. This version, unfortunately, isn’t.

The Arden profile will air Sept. 12 and the Lauder one Sept. 19.