Allan Mottus, the pioneering WWD beauty editor turned industry consultant and book author, died July 15 at the age of 81 following a long illness.
Mottus was known, during his time at WWD and afterward as a go-to source for information on what’s happening in beauty. He first joined parent company, the-then Fairchild Publications, as a reporter in 1970, embarking on brief stints covering footwear and fur, respectively, before taking up his post as a beauty editor at WWD, where he surfaced the industry’s biggest stories through the 1970s.
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William P. Lauder, chair of the board of The Estée Lauder Cos., said of Mottus: “Allan was a deeply knowledgeable and passionate observer of the beauty industry who will be missed dearly. His decades-long relationships with so many executives at The Estée Lauder Companies was built on mutual respect and genuine love for what they did. He will be remembered for his sharp perspective and enduring commitment to our industry.”
Mottus is survived by his sister, Jane Mottus, who remembered him as “objective and not afraid to ask the hard questions to anyone he interviewed. He was a very creative person and a lateral thinker with a quirky sense of humor.”
During his time at WWD, Allan Mottus became an expert in particular about all things Revlon-related. He often met with Revlon founder Charles Revson to discuss business over afternoon tea, recalled Pete Born, who worked alongside Mottus and was formerly executive editor of beauty at WWD.
“He was, as far as I can recollect, the first person to cover the cosmetics industry as an actual business,” said Born, who had a tradition of his own with Mottus: grabbing Greek food at Eleni’s in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. “He was a total treasure.”
“As a reporter, when you wanted to know exactly what was behind the headlines, you turned to Allan,” said Faye Brookman, a former WWD beauty editor and current freelance reporter.
Following his tenure at WWD, Mottus founded a beauty trade publication in 1980 called The Informationist, where he continued to chart the news of the industry, and also became a consultant for beauty brands.
In the decades after, Mottus became an oft-quoted resource in beauty journalism, routinely cited in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Huffington Post, Beauty Independent and more to weigh in on the industry’s breakout news and themes.
In 2022, Mottus published a book, “Fashion Paranoia: Down & Up Beauty’s Rabbit Hole,” which offered a biographical account of his time as a beauty editor; his friendships with Revson and Estée Lauder, and other adventures.
In his free time, Mottus enjoyed poetry and painting, even once inviting Born and other friends to an art show on Fifth Avenue.
His book is still available on Amazon, retailing for $15.99 for a paperback copy. “It’s a good read; his personality shines through,” said Jane Mottus.
