The founding women of the beauty industry
By Leslie Peck / Photos from the public records of the Library of Congress
Late 19th century
• Martha Matilda Harper (1857-1950)
Harper is known as the founder of retail franchising. In 1888, she opened the first “Harper Method Hair Parlour,” which she grew into more than 500 stores worldwide. She grew up in Canada, where she began working as a house servant at the age of seven. After 22 years of working as a servant, she immigrated to Rochester, N.Y., and continued the same type of work for three more years. Inspired by women activists such as Susan B. Anthony, Harper developed her own line of natural hair care products and was a marketing powerhouse. She prioritized one-on-one consultations and customer satisfaction. Harper only employed women who were also former servants. She grew her franchise business by offering hundreds of women affordable financing to own part of the franchise.
20th Century
• Annie Turnbo Malone (1869-1957)
In the early 1900s, Malone founded Poro College in St. Louis, which was the first cosmetology school, beauty product factory and cultural hub for Black women. The school not only offered training in hair care and products but also business and entrepreneurship. Malone’s vision created education and job opportunities while fostering community for thousands of women. She was one of the first African-American female millionaires in the United States.
• Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919)
Walker made a name for herself by developing a line of African-American hair care products after losing her own hair from a scalp condition. She started in the industry working for Annie Malone and then went on to produce her own products. Walker gave lecture-demonstrations nationwide, creating Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories, where her goods were manufactured and her “Walker Agents” were trained in sales. She is known for being America’s first self-made female millionaire, a leader in the Harlem Renaissance in New York City and a generous philanthropist.
• Helena Rubinstein (1872-1965)
In 1902, Rubinstein, a Polish immigrant, opened the first beauty salon in Melbourne, Australia and went on to open salons in London, Paris and New York City. She helped establish the modern-day aesthetician profession, introduced science into the cosmetics industry and launched her own luxury skincare brand. In 1917, her products were available for wholesale and spanned four continents. Rubinstein grew her international empire as well as her keen business skills. She and Elizabeth Arden were rivals throughout the boom of the cosmetics industry right up until both of their deaths. Rubinstein was a huge patron and collector of the arts and spearheaded several philanthropic endeavors. Her luxury cosmetics are still sold today.
• Elizabeth Arden (1881-1966)
Born in Canada as Florence Nightingale Graham, she later moved to the United States as a young adult to join her brother in Manhattan. She worked for a pharmaceutical company, where she studied and learned about the chemistry of skincare and makeup. She later had a brief business partnership with a woman named Elizabeth and is said to have used that name, along with Arden, inspired by a poem, to create her iconic company name. The first “Red Door” salon opened in 1910 and became a household name in the beauty industry. Arden made wearing makeup acceptable and created a ladylike vision for American women. She expanded her stores, introduced coordinating lip, eye and face makeup and opened the first-ever day spa. Arden built one of the largest cosmetics empires, which still exists today and is now owned by Revlon.
21st Century
• Estée Lauder (1908-2004)
Lauder created a global cosmetics empire and introduced the “free gift with purchase” as well as samples to promote products.
• Mary Kay Ash (1918-2001)
Ash is the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics and revolutionized the industry through independent direct-selling business owners.
• Eunice Johnson (1916-2010)
Johnson began Fashion Fair Cosmetics, which offered high-end shades for richer skin tones that no other line carried at the time.
• Anita Roddick (1942-2007)
Roddick led the industry with cruelty-free testing and sustainable ingredients when she opened The Body Shop in 1976.
