Which entrepreneur founded Mary Kay Cosmetics in Dallas in 1963?

Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics in Dallas in 1963. She created the company after leaving a direct-sales career in which she felt women were repeatedly denied advancement opportunities. Her original plan was to write a book advising women in business, but the project evolved into a business plan for a cosmetics company.

Ash based the business on a skin-care formula she had purchased from a woman who sold products privately. After Ash's husband died in 1963, her son Ben Rogers Jr. invested $5,000 to help her begin the company. Mary Kay Cosmetics opened with a small Dallas storefront and nine saleswomen.

The company became known for in-home demonstrations and facials, where independent consultants introduced customers to the products. It later became famous for its pink branding, sales incentives, and large consultant network. A common mix-up is confusing Mary Kay Ash with other cosmetics founders such as Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, or Bobbi Brown; those women founded different beauty businesses.