‘The Young and the Restless’: Are Jabot Cosmetics Available to Purchase?
Sometimes the line between fact and fiction blurs. The Young and the Restless remains CBS’ top daytime drama for good reason. Aside from the interesting storylines and loveable (or love-to-hate them) characters, one thing Y&R created for fans is a believable company: Jabot Cosmetics. That said, are the products real and available to purchase, or is it all a part of TV magic?
The Abbott family business in a nutshell
The development of Jabot Cosmetics on The Young and the Restless began in the early 1980s through John Abbott (Jerry Douglas) who was married to Jill Foster (Jess Walton) at the time. When his son, Jack (Peter Bergman), had an affair with Jill, John fired Jack and filed for divorce. The settlement included Jill earning a portion of the Jabot company stake as well as a fancy position and paycheck.
Enter Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), who replaced Jack and helped create the Jabot Men’s Line. Brad eventually left from the pressure and Jack returned. By the early 1990s, John made the company public, selling stock shares. However, a longtime rival, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), who purchased enough stock to take control of the company.
That move caused a string of incidents including John’s heart attack, Jack’s firing (again), and Brad’s return (again), as well as Jack’s marriage to Victor’s ex-wife, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) to seek revenge. In exchange for Jack’s divorce, Victor agreed to give back company shares.
The deal didn’t go through and Victor maintained control but allowed Jack to work at Jabot. Victor eventually married Jack’s sister, Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson). Fast forward many rivalries, firings, and hirings, and even Victor’s assumed death in which Jack used to get Jabot back — until Victor re-emerged.
The company takeover did a back-and-forth for years with different members of the Abbott and Newman families having positions at different times. While the people may be in and out, one thing remains on Y&R: the success of Jabot’s products. Are they real?
Are Jabot products real?
Believe it or not, CBS Consumer Products and Sony Pictures Television came together for the June 2011 launch of real Jabot products which were manufactured by Fusion Brands.
Former executive producer and head writer, Maria Arena-Bell said in a statement at the time:
For the first time our fans can own a piece of the show, and at the same time, share in the storyline as it unfolds live on TV. The brand launch is going to be completely integrated to the show. The back story on how Jabot started and product development is going to be featured in Y&R story lines, and we are going to use actual Jabot products on-set with the same packaging as you will see in retail. Plus, viewers will soon see a new Jabot set as well!
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The products debuted at the 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards red carpet and launched on the Home Shopping Network with special guest host, Tracey Bregman (who plays Lauren Fenmore), who was listed as the spokesperson for the makeup. The products ranged in price from $15 to $40.
Are the products still available?
It’s been years since Jabot Cosmetics became available to the public. It seems as though the products were made in limited quantity with no intention of making more.
In a 2018 Facebook post, Jabot Cosmetics stated:
“Jabot Cosmetics were a high-end makeup line created in partnership with The Young and the Restless. They are no longer manufactured, but a very limited number are still available at clearance prices. Acquire a piece of Y&R History! The perfect gift for yourself or your favorite Young & Restless fan!”
Bregman remains the face of the line, even after it’s been discontinued. Maybe a resurgence will happen if enough Y&R fans demand as much.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
