Maybelline used the slogan “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” The line became the cosmetics brand’s signature advertising phrase and suggested that makeup could create a naturally beautiful appearance.
The slogan was introduced in 1991 and became especially recognizable through television commercials. Its memorable repeated structure made the brand name part of the punchline while leaving open whether a model’s appearance came from natural features or cosmetics.
Maybelline was founded in 1914 by Thomas Lyle Williams, who developed an early eye cosmetic after observing his sister apply petroleum jelly and coal dust to her eyelashes. The company’s name combined “Maybel,” his sister’s name, with “Vaseline.”
Maybelline later became part of L’Oréal. The slogan is sometimes confused with L’Oréal’s “Because You’re Worth It,” another major cosmetics line, but the two phrases belong to different brands.