Update: Mary Kay ranks at #18 on our latest report Top 20 Global Beauty Companies 2021.

Mary Kay is #19 on this year's list of Top Global Beauty Companies.

Below is a look at the company's 2020 highlights, recent acquisitions, best-selling brands, and latest innovations.

Beauty Sales

$3 billion (est.) 

Key Personnel

• David Holl, president and chief executive officer
• Sheryl Adkins-Green, chief marketing officer
• KK Chua, president, Asia Pacific
• Tara Eustace, president, Europe
• Deborah Gibbins, chief financial officer
• Lucy Gildea, PhD, senior vice president, chief scientific officer
• Nathan Moore, president, North America
• Jose Smeke, president, Latin America
• Richard Rogers, executive chairman
• Ryan Rogers, board of directors and chief investment officer
• Keith Learn, vice president of procurement and supplier development

Major Products

Skin care, color cosmetics, body care, sun care and fragrance marketed under the Mary Kay and TimeWise brand names.

New Products

• Mary Kay TimeWise Miracle Set 3D, Timewise Luminous 3D Foundation
• Mary Kay Hydrogel Eye Patches, White Tea & Citrus Satin Body Whipped Shea Créme
• Foil Eye Shadow Duo, Lash Love Fanorama mascara
• Bio-Cellulose Mask, Live Fearlessly EDP

Comments

On the anniversary year of the founding of her beauty company 55 years ago, astute businesswoman and philanthropist Mary Kay Ash was named an honoree in USA Today’s Woman of the Century USA Today 100, a list of female icons in entertainment, politics, civil rights, sports, arts, science and business who “made the largest impact on American society in the last century.” The list was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and women’s right to vote in the United States.

An avid supporter of women’s rights, Ash based her beauty company on three goals: offer rewarding opportunities for women, manufacture irresistible products and make the world a better place. Her dream launched what became a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. The direct seller is also committed to scientific research and advanced manufacturing in regard to cutting-edge beauty products. In addition, the founder’s dream continues with a vibrant philanthropic arm: Through the Mary Kay Foundation, the company has awarded more than $78 million to cancer research and domestic violence shelters.

In 2019, the Mary Kay brand earned more than 20 awards and recognitions from various sources, ranging from Forbes “Best Midsize Employers for 2019” to 10 Most Reputable CEOS in the World (David Hall, Mary Kay CEO), to Black Eenterprise Magazine’s “2019 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” (Sheryl Adkins-Green, chief marketing officer).

2020 Highlights

In February, the long-time leader in global female empowerment, named Monique Coleman as the brand’s first-ever Pink Changing Lives Honoree, in large part to stand up for under-represented teens. Pink Changing Lives—Mary Kay’s global commitment to celebrate the individuals and organizations that improve women’s and girls’ lives around the world—has supported more than three million women and their families by partnering with over 2,000 organizations and donating over $15 million.

Coleman first appeared in Disney’s High School Musical, and became an advocate for improving the social and economic well-being of young people, most notably being appointed the first United Nations Youth Champion in 2010.

Mary Kay has taken an increasingly strong stand on sustainability. In March, they announced they’d joined the Sustainable Packaging Initiative for Cosmetics (SPICE) along with 17 current member organizations including Hermes, Chanel, Coty, Estée Lauder, and others, to guide sustainable packaging policies, drive packaging innovation, and to meet consumer’s expectations on understanding the environmental performance of products.

The company’s Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing/R&D Center in Lewisville, TX, which functions as a Zero Waste to Landfill facility and was awarded the coveted LEED Silver certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Mary Kay China office in Shanghai received LEED Gold certification for its green building leadership and excellence in sustainability.

In April, in response to Covid-19, Mary Kay Inc. contributed nearly $10 million in monetary donations, product donations, and distribution support in the countries where it operates and communities in critical need around the world. Like others on our Top 20 list, Mary Kay donated hundreds of thousands of units of hand sanitizer to first responders, domestic violence shelters, and businesses, in their case, in Texas.

In May, the “by women, for women” company presented scientific skin care research during the 2020 Skin of Color Society Symposium Virtual Program. Dr. Cristi Gomez, director, product safety & environmental toxicology, revealed new research on the science behind LumiVie, an intensive serum by Mary Kay that “brightens, energizes and moisturizes skin.” Mary Kay holds more than 1,500 patents for products, technologies and packaging designs in its global portfolio. In 2018, the company announced the opening of a more than $100 million state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facility in Lewisville, Texas.

Looking Ahead

Dr. Lucy Gildea, chief scientific officer at Mary Kay, said: “In 2020, Mary Kay Research & Development will continue to share the latest groundbreaking discoveries with the scientific community at large.”

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