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Makeup Giant Maybelline Founded By Teen Boy After Seeing His Sister Make Mascara From Coal
A well-known international company had humble origins
Makeup is big business. As recently as 2019, the cosmetic industry in the United States alone raked in more than $49 billion. A widely-recognized leader in this is Maybelline, a New York-based company with a wide array of products. Despite the enormity of their operation today, they had humble beginnings, as their founder got the idea to open the business from when he was a teen-aged boy watching his sister make homemade mascara out of coal dust.
Maybelline was founded in 1915 in Chicago by Thomas Lyle Williams. Over the years, the company has produced numerous beauty, personal care, and fragrance products. A subsidiary of L’Oreal since 1996, Maybelline boasts annual revenue of more than $146 million and has in excess of 4,100 employees. They make more than 200 products that are sold in more than 129 countries worldwide. This international giant of commerce is quite successful but had to grow quite a bit to get where it is today compared to when Williams first hatched the idea.
Williams was born in Kentucky in 1896. He married young, just 16 when he exchanged vows with Bennie Gibbs. Although the pair had a son, the union was annulled shortly thereafter…
