If you ever see a pink Cadillac rolling along the highway, take a good look and appreciate the moment. You’re probably driving alongside a Mary Kay Pink Cadillac, something iconic to the brand and exclusive only to those who’ve built a team, earned some amount, and really worked for it.
In recent years, the appearance of the car has changed to having a pearlescent tint, which makes the pink hue more discreet and that much more exciting to see under a certain light. The beauty of the car really represents the hustle it took to get it and that’s how the Mary Kay brand works: the hustle and benefits circles around the company and its independent beauty consultants, so everyone gives and takes. But for the brand as a whole, there’s so much beyond the car or the sales, it’s about the larger and deeper impact it makes on people’s lives, the environment, and the future of skincare.
Female powerhouse
It all started with Mary Kay Ash, the founder, who’s considered a great entrepreneur for all time. During the more conservative time of the ‘60s, she took it upon herself to establish a brand that would provide women with a home-based business option. With only some experience in direct sales, a life savings of $5,000, and five products, she began creating an empire starting with Beauty by Mary Kay.
Along with the dream to create a business model that prioritized women’s welfare and wellness in the real world, Mary Kay also dreamt of providing the best solutions for every woman’s needs in relation to beauty that would accommodate all skin types.
The brand officially began in 1963. By the next year, a full line of men’s skincare products was also available. From the five products it started with, the brand now has over 300, but ultimately, it has achieved what it set out to do: bring forth flexible opportunities for women and at the same time, deliver on the reliable products that can’t be matched. To date, there are more than 3.5 million Mary Kay independent beauty consultants all over the world.
Awards and recognition
The brand and Mary Kay herself have achieved so much over the years, and these accomplishments had been validated many times by awards and recognitions from different magazines, media in general, and other award-giving bodies. Many of which have even come after Mary Kay’s passing.
The business is recognized always for its sustainable and charitable approach. It was included in the first edition of “The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America” by Fortune magazine and a couple more times over the years after that. It was also featured by the same magazine in the National Business Hall of Fame in 1996.
Mary Kay, for all her pioneering and visionary business efforts aimed at women, is included in lists like “100 Greatest Women of 100 Years” by the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas and “25 Most Influential Business Leaders of the Last 25 Years” by PBS and the Wharton School of Business. She’s also the only woman to be featured on the book, Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time.
Golden rule philosophy
The foundation of female solidarity is largely the reason for the over 50-year success of the brand. It was built on the philosophy of the Golden Rule, which iterates that the best option is to always do what you want others to do unto you.
The brand stayed true to this through The Mary Kay Foundation. It grants funding for cancer research that affects women and for preventing violence against women. In 2008, it launched the Pink Changing Lives®, a global initiative to support and women and children worldwide.
In terms of giving back to its non-human resources, Mary Kay supports environmental-friendly causes like being cruelty-free and employing some corporate recycling programs. By this year, the brand is dedicated to planting a million trees and help along with reforestation efforts around the world. In these little ways, the brand creates a difference for a better world for future generations.
Skincare credibility
As for the brand’s products, there’s nothing to doubt. Mary Kay has over 1,300 patents for products and design and technological innovations. The brand spends much to research and perform tests that would ensure the highest quality of their products. They show commitment to this by partnering up with dermatologists, ophthalmologists, and other professionals all over the world.
In 2015, Mary Kay was recognized as the top 5 skincare brand by Euromonitor International. With over 50 years of success, millions of beauty consultants and millions more customers, there’s no question about Mary Kay’s credibility and their products’ reliability. With a business model built on compassion and sustainable development, it’s hard to imagine it ever going down.
