The History of Maybelline
Maybe She’s Born with It. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
Maybelline New York is one of the most recognizable brands globally and is available in over 90 countries worldwide. Their products can be found in almost every mass-market retailer in the United States. There virtually is not a supermarket, drug store, discount store, or cosmetic specialty shop that does not carry the Maybelline New York line.
The beginnings of Maybelline were simple. It was in Alslip, Illinois that T.L. Williams started his fledgling company in 1915 and named it for his sister Maybel. It’s was Maybel’s idea for T.L. to produce a product that would darken eyelashes and still be easy to use.
The first Maybelline product, Maybelline Cake Mascara, released in 1917 became popular and women soon started to ask for it by name. Maybelline Cake Mascara was the only product line until the 1930’s. It was then that the company expanded their operation to include eyebrow pencils and eye shadows.
Maybelline continued its cutting approach to cosmetics and in the 1960’s developed the first of the automatic mascara wands that applied mascara directly to the brush. This innovation in mascara was launched as Ultra Lash Mascara. This novel approach to an ancient custom of lash painting splashed Maybelline onto the pages of every magazine and on every television screen.
In 1967, Plough Inc. acquired Maybelline. Plough, Incorporated was founded by Abe Plough. The Memphis, Tennessee entrepreneur began his business at the age of sixteen after borrowing $125.00 from his father. In 1971, Plough Inc. merged with the Schering Company and became Schering-Plough. One of the brightest stars in the new Schering-Plough constellation continued to be Maybelline.
By 1969, Maybelline headquarters had been moved to Memphis, Tennessee. By the 1970s, Maybelline had once again seized control of the market with new products for the lips, nails and face.
It was in 1971 that Maybelline blew competition right out of the water with its introduction of Great Lash, the number one selling mascara in the entire marketplace. The phenomenal success of Great Lash continues to this day, crossing a store’s scanner every 1.5 seconds. The formula devised for Great Lash is a closely guarded secret of the company.
Maybelline built a state-of-the-art facility in North Little Rock, Arkansas and the 300,000 square foot plant employed over 300 people.
With the new headquarters in Memphis and the new plant in Little Rock established, Maybelline launched another winner with it Shine Free Oil Control Makeup. This line was made exclusively with a non-comedogenic formula. This line was intended for women with oily skin. The product helped skin look natural and fresh all day while keeping the oil under control.
Wasserstein Perella & Co acquired Maybelline in 1990 and one year later, the tagline slogan for Maybelline was born. The “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” is an iconic phrase in today’s cosmetic markets, branding and identifying the Maybelline line.
Maybelline continued to manufacture beauty products for women globally, amassing an enormous sector of the cosmetic industry for themselves until 1996. Another acquisition later, and L’Oreal and Maybelline were consolidated.
It was then that the Maybelline headquarters were moved to New York City. The partnership between the two giants allowed Maybelline the opportunity to become the leading expert in technologically advanced color products for women.
Maybelline earned the top spot for cosmetics in the world market by the year 2000. Since that time, Maybelline introduced Wet Shine Wet Look Lipcolor that added to their prestige and reputation in the global market.
The latest transformation of Maybelline occurred in 2004 when Maybelline became Maybelline New York. This has resulted in a new attitude and look for Maybelline continuing to herald the company as one of the world’s most noted authorities on color, fashion and cosmetics.
Today Maybelline employs over 2000 employees in a distribution and manufacturing facility that has grown to over one million square feet.
The Maybelline website offers step-by-step videos to help achieve the perfect look for each consumer. An active participant in New York’s Fashion week, they are the event’s official Makeup Sponsor. The site also has beauty consultants available and a complete description of their product lines and application secrets.
Try out the interactive Color Advisor, teaching you how to apply makeup and stage a rescue for makeup blunders. Check out their new products and see what appeals to you. It is quite an extensive education they provide for the consumers who continue to keep Maybelline on top of the heap in the cosmetic industry. There is also a beauty dictionary explaining the industry’s lingo and vocabulary.
Finding Maybelline Promotional Discounts & Coupon Codes
The official Maybelline.com website does not really provide coupons but it does give a listing of companies who sell their products online. Additionally, since Maybelline is sold in such a mass market, you can find coupons through the stores themselves, newspaper circulars, magazine ads, and almost every coupon outlet available. The coupons are generous and are for the more popular items manufactured by Maybelline. Print them out online or cut them out of the print media and you will be buying a quality product at a great price.
