Adrien Arpel started her career in department stores providing facials and applying makeup. When she created her own cosmetics company, she began with a skin care line. She popularized the concept of a, "makeover," matching licensed cosmetologists to…
In Paris, France, Albert Flamand developed a new technique in gilding, Fladium, that was used in all of his bracelet compacts. He designed unique pieces for high society. The utility combined with the fashionable design resulted in a signature…
The Allied Chemical Company founded by William Henry Nichols in Buffalo, New York. It was a successful until after World War II when the company began to simplify production and move its factory to Morristown, New Jersey. There it produced plastics,…
Julius Kahn founded AR-EX Cosmetics in Chicago, Illinois. AR-EX was well known for their hypoallergenic products. However, in 1952 there wwas a complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission arguing that AR-EX products falsely advertised the…
David H. McConnell was a traveling book salesman who gave free cosmetic samples with his book sales. When it became clear that customers were more interested in the beauty products, he recruited women to sell the beauty products door-to-door. Avon…
Harriet Hubbard Ayer established one of the first female-owned manufacturing companies before her death in 1903. After two changes in ownership, Harriet Hubbard Ayer's name was used to create a successful line of cosmetics. The brand expanded…
Josephine Baker, a famous singer, dancer and actress, developed a hair styling product, Bakerfix, in the 1930s. The product was marketed as a way to recreate Josephine Baker's iconic hair style. Advertising for Bakerfix is found during the 1930s, but…
Beauty Counselor began as a door-to-door cosmetic sales company in Grosse Point, Michigan. In 1939 the company registered its trademark. The main marketing strategy for the Beauty Counselor brand was to allow customers to try samples, in forms of…
Jean and Jane Ford founded Benefit cosmetics in San Francisco, California with a small boutique beauty studio. There, the sisters worked to create a recognizable brand and moved their products into department stores by the 1990s. Today Benefit…