Category: Beauty Companies
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Madam C. J. Walker
African American beauty entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker, originally named Sarah Breedlove, was born in 1867 in Delta, Louisiana, to sharecropper parents who had recently been freed from slavery. Walker experienced considerable hardship in the early years of her life. Orphaned at the age of seven and obliged to live with her older sister and …
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Vidal Sassoon
As a hairdresser, Vidal Sassoon promoted a belief that the structure of the cut should provide the style; this led to the development of his signature wash-and-go geometric cuts of the 1960s. Though all his cuts are visually distinct, he is most often associated with the 5-point cut, a short geometric cut with one point…
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Sally’s Beauty Supply
Founded in 1964 with one store in New Orleans, Sally’s Beauty Supply has grown to be the world’s largest retailer of professional beauty supplies. Specializing in well-known as well as hard to find products, Sally’s carries over 6,000 products for hair, skin, and nails and are available to retail customers and salon professionals in over…
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Helena Rubinstein
Helena Rubinstein, a female pioneer in the cosmetics industry, made her reputation based on face creams. Rubinstein’s glamorous public persona and her own natural complexion were her best advertising for women’s beauty routines. Like her rival, Elizabeth Arden, she became known as a groundbreaking cosmetics entrepreneur, philanthropist, and prominent international businesswoman. Early Years and Immigration…
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Revlon
Beginning as a producer of unique nail enamels, Charles Revson (1906–75) founded a mass production cosmetics firm that he built into an international corporation. Revson was known for his creativity and perfectionism. The Revlon Company modernized cosmetics advertising techniques, and was an early practitioner of the color story. Early Career Born in Boston, Revson was…
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QVC
QVC, Inc. is a television and Internet retailer with 1,150 products on offer each week. Merchandise categories include fashion, beauty, home furnishings, electronics, and toys and gifts. It is one of the largest multimedia retailers in the world, with net sales of $7.4 billion in 2007. QVC (Quality, Value, Convenience) was founded in 1986 by …
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Procter and Gamble
Procter and Gamble (P&G) is an American manufacturer of soaps and beauty products that was first established in the 19th century and is now a billion-dollar business. P&G has introduced a myriad of common household beauty products that range from Ivory Soap to Oil of Olay. In 1837, cousins William Procter and James Gamble founded…
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Max Factor
Max Factor is best known for his invention of specialty cosmetics used in the early American film and television industries. Beginning with foundation products, his innovations expanded into the mass market. Factor also developed the concept that makeup used should match a person’s coloring. Early Years Born Max Faktor in Lodz, Poland, he gained recognition…
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Mary Kay Cosmetics
Mary Kay Cosmetics is a direct sales company specializing in beauty products, especially skin care and makeup. The company, begun in Dallas, Texas in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash, is known for its conservative corporate culture and the pink Cadillacs that the company offers as rewards for top sellers. The company operates through a multilevel…
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Johnson Products
George Ellis Johnson, born in Richton, Mississippi in 1927, founded the Johnson Products Company in Chicago in 1954. Johnson had worked as a chemist for the Fuller cosmetics company for 10 years before starting his own business with 500 dollars in borrowed money. The company represented part of a larger trend of growth in the…