Founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963, Mary Kay Inc. develops and sells beauty products through a direct-selling network of Independent Beauty Consultants. The company’s mission of enriching women’s lives is built into its business model, which gives women around the world a way to build businesses on their own terms. Its Pink Changing Lives program has supported women and families globally through more than $230 million in monetary and in-kind donations since 1996.
Good Housekeeping Seal
Compliance program
Dermatologist-tested
Compliance program
Ophthalmologist-tested
Compliance program
The Avon CompanyFounded in 1886 as the California Perfume Company, The Avon Company makes beauty and personal-care products and built its name by selling them directly through a community of Avon Ambassadors. Its long-running Skin So Soft line remains an iconic bestseller, while the Anew brand reflects the company’s history of bringing research-driven skin care to a broad market. Avon also pioneered social selling and continues that model through digital storefronts, live shopping and community-based sales.BEL AIR, MD
Violets Are BlueAfter breast cancer treatment left Cynthia Besteman searching for safer beauty products, she founded Violets Are Blue in 2015 to make naturally derived skincare for the face and body. The company pairs its botanical formulations with a direct support mission: 10% of product purchases fund Beloved gift packages for women beginning chemotherapy at Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center in New York City. Its work has earned Best In Show from the Indie Beauty Expo and recognition from the Beauty Shortlist.
Zandra BeautyZandra Beauty grew from Zandra Cunningham’s kitchen-table lip-balm project into a Western New York maker of plant-based skincare, including its signature Big Balm and hair-and-body soufflés. Founded from Cunningham’s determination at age nine, the GMP-compliant company pairs gentle, cruelty-free formulations with a social mission: educating and empowering girls and women through entrepreneurship, STEAM programs and donations supporting girls’ education.BUFFALO, NY
AvonFounded in 1886 as the California Perfume Company, Avon develops and manufactures beauty products and has built an international business around direct, person-to-person selling through its Representatives. It offers contract manufacturing from automated sites in Poland and the Philippines, drawing on more than a century of beauty-industry experience.SUFFERN, NY