Harvey Alstodt Dies at 83
Harvey Alstodt, who helped sell millions of bottles of nail color and other beauty products during more than 20 years at Del Laboratories, passed away on June 3 after a long illness. He was 83 years old.
Alstodt joined Del Laboratories in 1985 from Foster Grant. At that time, Del was a fledgling company best known in beauty for its Sally Hansen nail polish.
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As executive vice president of sales for cosmetics, Alstodt helped Sally Hansen claw its way into a market dominated by Revlon.
“He helped the little company Del Labs build market share up there with the big guys,” recalled Steve Lubin, a former vice president and beauty executive with Walgreens. Under his watch, Sally Hansen grew to the leading nail brand with more than an 80 percent market share.
Del Laboratories was acquired by Coty in 2007.
After sitting out the industry and overcoming health issues for a few years, Alstodt started MBA Beauty for “master in beauty,” he told WWD. One of the first collections was called Confetti nail color which launched at CVS. He also founded Diversified Beauty Products, which marketed the Dr. Marvey nail treatment.
Alstodt is remembered as having a “street fighter” mentality, but mostly he’s recalled for his mentorship and relationship building.
A knack for nurturing relationships is remembered by many contacted by WWD. “He had a loyal cadre who benefited from his tutelage, said Christine Keihm, who held several marketing roles at Del Labs. “Relationships with retailers, consumers, colleagues and not the least of all, his beloved family, were important to him.”
He had a competitive edge that helped Del gain shelf space against established brands. “Under Harvey, Del was a sales driven company that built distribution,” said Karen Combest, president of the Louisville Ladies, a sales and consulting company, and former vice president of sales at Del Laboratories. “At the end of the day, he challenged everyone to make them better and stronger. Today everything I know was either from direct business lessons or key learnings expanded from what he taught me.”
Judy Wray, who held top beauty roles at Eckerd and Rite Aid agreed, “He could be tough in business but above all, he was always kind.”
Alstodt is survived by his wife Melody, two sons and their families.
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