Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics on Sept. 13, 1963, with her life savings of $5,000 and the support of her 20-year-old son, Richard Rogers. Today, Mary Kay is one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics in the world, generating wholesale sales of $2.6 billion in 2008. Led by President and CEO David Holl and the company’s global executive team, Mary Kay’s 5,000 employees worldwide continue to fulfill Mary Kay Ash’s mission of enriching women's lives. Mary Kay’s son and company co-founder, Richard Rogers, continues to serve as executive chairman.

Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 markets worldwide, and the company’s global independent sales force exceeds 2 million. To learn more about starting a Mary Kay business, or to find a Mary Kay beauty consultant in your area, go to www.marykay.com. For more information on direct selling, log on to the Direct Selling Association’s Web site at www.dsa.org.

Mary Kay produces more than 200 premium products in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Dallas, Texas, and Hangzhou, China. All products sold in the United States are manufactured in the Dallas facility or by third-party suppliers who manufacture products to Mary Kay’s strict, premium-quality standards. In a typical year, Mary Kay spends millions of dollars and conducts more than 300,000 tests to ensure that Mary Kay® products meet the highest standards of quality, safety and performance. To learn more about quality standards in the cosmetics industry, visit the Personal Care Products Council’s Web site at www.personalcarecouncil.org.