Mary Kay

Mary Kay, Inc. is an American cosmetics company founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963. Mary Kay cosmetics are sold via direct sales through a force of two million Independent Beauty Consultants in more than 35 countries worldwide. Born in 1918, Mary Kay Ash worked in direct sales for a number of years. She achieved great success, but after the last man she trained was promoted above her and paid twice her salary, she resigned in frustration. She initially planned to write a book to help women in the direct sales industry overcome obstacles to success. Her work for the book led to the realization that what she was actually creating was a visionary business plan for a new company. With just $5,000, her extensive business knowledge and the help of her son Richard, Mary Kay launched her cosmetics company. Founded on the Golden Rule ("To treat others as one would like others to treat oneself"), and with principles placing faith first, family second and career third, the company would grow quickly to become one of the best-selling beauty brands in the United States, with an eye towards international expansion. Mary Kay Ash and the company have been praised and have received numerous awards for the opportunities provided to women. The company makes extensive use of praise and rewards to encourage high performance. Top sales directors of Mary Kay, Inc. were famously awarded the use of a Pink Cadillac by the company, starting in 1969. The make, model and color of the reward vehicle has changed over the years and with the expansion of the brand into international markets, but GM estimates they have produced over 100,000 cadillacs in the Mary Kay signature pink color for the company. Mary Kay Inc. remains a privately-held company with headquarters in Dallas, TX, and with production facilities in Dallas as well as China. The company was one of the first to adopt an anti-animal testing policy and to sign the PETA pledge back in 1989. Mary Kay Ash was noted for her charitable contributions, with an emphasis on ending cancer and to end domestic violence against women. A non-profit organization, The Mary Kay Foundation, was founded by the company in 1996 to further those missions. Mary Kay Ash passed away in 2001 at the age of 83, but continues to inspire and fascinate after her death. She authored three books in her lifetime, all of which became best-sellers, and she was interviewed for, or was the subject of, numerous television features that examined her life, including a 2006 documentary on the Biography channel for American television. The company remains in family hands with son Richard Rogers as the Executive Chairman today. The company is best known for is cosmetics and skin care lines, but perfumes and perfumed body care products for both men and women are an important part of the company's offering. Fragrances were first offered beginning in the 1980s. Designer Mary Kay has 92 perfumes in our fragrance base. The earliest edition was created in 1971 and the newest is from 2021. Mary Kay fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Claude Dir, Leandro Petit, Olivier Glotin, Natasha Côté, Steve DeMercado, Thierry Wasser, Etienne Bouckaert, Givaudan, Gino Percontino, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Hernan Fígoli, Caroline Sabas and Linda Song.