Meet 9 millionaires who created empires in the world of cosmetics

The best way to have the product that suits your needs is to create it yourself. That kind of mindset is probably what inspired some women to create many of the cosmetics we use today. All they had when they put these ideas into practice was a practical need and a healthy dose of imagination.

And the results were, in addition to products that make life easier for today’s girls and make them more beautiful, a few million dollars in their accounts.

Incrível.club was interested in the stories of women who gained worldwide recognition with their work and gave others the chance to be even more beautiful.

Korean Toni Ko made her first million selling eye pencils at affordable prices. Just two years after moving to the US, she discovered the beauty industry and started working in the family business.

Over time, his interest in the art of makeup grew, and later it completely turned into a profitable business. In 1999, aged 25, Toni took the risk and launched the NYX Cosmetics brand, professional products at competitive prices. One year after opening its first store in Los Angeles, the chain’s revenue exceeded 4 million dollars. The striking pigments and impeccable quality made the brand a leader in its segment.

Toni Ko was one of the first to promote her brand on social media and video platforms. In 2014, she sold NYX Company to L’Oréal. Afterwards, she launched a line of sunglasses and walked away from the beauty industry. Today, the company remains one of the most prestigious.

The first cosmetic created by the American Josephine Esther Mentzer took her “stage name”, Estée Lauder, and she created it when she was only 6 years old. Thanks to the knowledge of a pharmacist uncle, the girl invented the first 4 skin cream formulas, which are still being produced today.

The beginning, like every successful case of entrepreneurship, was difficult. Estée, together with her husband, acquired an establishment that was transformed into a cosmetics laboratory. At night, the couple prepared the creams and the next day sold them. In 1946, they founded the now renowned company Estée Lauder Cosmetics Inc.

The cosmetics line consisted of just 4 patented products, prepackaged in a turquoise box, but which quickly became a hit with consumers. Estée offered women a scarlet lipstick in a metal tube, turquoise eyeshadows and was the first to suggest using pressed powder in the same tone as their skin.

It also implemented a concept that is still adopted by companies in different segments as a market strategy: free gifts with purchase. The brand started by distributing a compact powder to everyone who purchased its products.

Only at the age of 87 did the entrepreneur finally make the decision to retire. In addition, she figured for a long time as the only woman on the magazine’s list. Team among the 20 most influential business geniuses in the 20th century.

Huda Kattan, an American of Iraqi descent, grew up in Massachusetts, USA. Before becoming famous, she worked for a long time in the financial market and dreamed of becoming a makeup artist. Upon leaving her job and already involved in the world of beauty and cosmetics (she had studied Makeup in Los Angeles), Huda did not find support in the United States: her works were considered vulgar and her products excessively flashy. After studying the market, she moved to Dubai, where she discovered a consumer public much more interested in her profile, Arab women.

In 2013, Huda launched her brand, Huda Beauty, offering the world the legendary false eyelashes that have become Kim Kardashian’s calling card.

With Kardashian using her products, Huda gained notoriety in the coveted US market very quickly. He brought back the trend of wide, dark eyebrows, long eyelashes and full lips. Along with his sister, he has also launched a cosmetics line. Popularity came with her YouTube channel and an Instagram account, in which her main topics are makeup tutorials. Today, Huda is a successful executive, a respected personality and an exemplary mother.

Bobbi Brown started her career being recognized as a talented makeup artist. But, a few years later, she went further, launching a line of cosmetics for make-up. Born into a Jewish family in Chicago, before becoming successful, she studied Theater Makeup in Boston. Once graduated, she went to try life in New York.

It took Bobbi 7 years to stand out in the New York market, one of the most competitive in the world. But already in the 80s, shortly after arriving in the city, she was successful with a make-up style that, with the help of bright palettes, conveyed a natural style by emphasizing facial features, instead of coloring them.

So she came up with the idea to create her own line of cosmetics that can be used by both professionals and ordinary women. In 1991, the Bobbi Brown Essentials brand released 10 shades of lipstick. Only the first day, 100 thousand women bought the coveted cosmetic.

Bobbi gave women what they lacked: soft shades for makeup nude🇧🇷 The successful start inspired her to complement the line with other makeup products. After 4 years, the brand became the property of the aforementioned Estée Lauder, subject to preservation of the original concept. After 25 years as head of the company, Bobbi stepped down. The businesswoman has written several makeup books and has focused on new projects.

Mary Kay Ash, whose real name was Mary Kathlyn Wagner, was born in Texas (USA) and worked for a household products company. When she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a co-worker she had trained, Mary decided to start a cosmetics company.

The company’s first office was installed in an old furniture store. The team consisted of 11 people, including its founder, her 12-year-old son, and 9 advisors. In 1964, Mary Kay launched its men’s cosmetics line and in 1969 began building its own factory, today one of the largest in the world.

The Benefit brand was founded in 1976 by twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford. At that time, the two had already managed to establish themselves as models. Their appetite for perfection led them to leave New York City and move to San Francisco. There, they opened their first beauty salon with cosmetics. For the sisters, it was very easy to catch the attention of shoppers, not only because Benefit cosmetics were characterized by their beautiful shades and colors, but also because the salon was like a candy store.

Even the packaging of Benefit cosmetics was designed in a 50’s style, something that could not go unnoticed by women.

In 1999, everyone already knew the cosmetics brand, which stood out for its bright packaging. And a woman who was really interested in fashion and was aware of the latest releases had to have a product from the twin sisters’ brand. Today, Benefit is one of the best lines of cosmetics for make-up.

Anita Roddick was born in a small coastal town in southern England. After finishing school, she taught English and took courses in different countries. In one of them, she met her future husband, who inspired her to create her own cosmetics brand.

The story of The Body Shop began like this, in 1976, when the idea of ​​creating cosmetics for Anita and her daughters ended up leading to the opening of the store itself.

The company’s first building was next to a funeral home. To hide the mold on the walls, Anita painted them dark green. Inside, she added tree branches and provided cosmetic concoctions in proofing bottles.

Less than two years later, she was already expanding the business beyond the confines of England. At that time, in the mid-1980s, the world was beginning to be more concerned about ecological issues and the brand’s natural cosmetics gained enormous appeal. The Body Shop assortment is over 1,000 different items.

In addition to the cosmetics business, Anita has actively supported many campaigns focused on protecting human rights and conserving the environment. In 2006, she transferred the brand to French L’Oréal. The sale of the brand (which, after all, was a recognition of its success) was the company’s peak. A year after the transfer of control, Anita died. More than 40 years have passed since the opening of her first store, but the model she invented is popular to this day.

Nina Ricci’s real name was Maria Adélaïde Nielli. She was born in 1883 into a family of shoemakers in the Italian city of Naples. After the death of the father, the family was practically left without a livelihood. This became, for young Maria, then 12 years old, a milestone on her long road to success. She got a job at a sewing workshop, where she made hats. At age 20, she hired seamstresses to make clothes from her own designs.

In 1920, Nina ran one of the most important fashion houses of the time. Later, together with her son, she created her own brand. Only 40 people attended her first collection presentation, but that didn’t stop Nina from becoming a prominent player in the fashion business.

In her work, Nina worked on the floral theme, not only in clothes, but also in perfumes. In 1946, his first fragrance, Premier Jour, was launched. Since then, 73 years have passed. The company has released 85 fragrances and won the hearts of many women.

Nina Ricci died in 1970, but the company remains popular. Suffice it to mention the famous Nina fragrance, whose bottle is shaped like a red apple.

Rowena Bird is one of the authors of the legendary recipe for bath bombs – a kind of effervescent soap with fresh ingredients and adding essential oils and other products to baths. Before becoming the brains behind Lush, Rowena already had a connection to the world of beauty. Together with close people, in April 1995, she launched her first product made from raw materials and essential oils.

Among the highlights of the British brand are attention-grabbing packaging, innovative names and, of course, aromas that the British loved. It was so successful that the company opened a few stores in England and, not long after,…