Maybelline Great Last: Tried and True

Makeup has played a role in the art of beauty through the ages of time. From the Ancient Greeks to today’s Goth, our society has depended on makeup for its cultural art, identity and independence. Mascara is the most important facet of makeup: “Mascara is a cosmetic applied to the eyelashes to make the lashes thicker, longer, and darker [and] is one of the most ancient cosmetics known” (Mascara 1). Through the packaging of its mascara, a cake mascara which was the first commercial mascara, Maybelline Cosmetics was born and went on to become America’s top selling drug store cosmetic. In the year 2000 Maybelline became the number-one cosmetic brand in the United States, and today Maybelline is the number-one cosmetic brand globally (Maybelline 1).


Maybelline mascara has stood the test of time and will continue to be number-one. The remarkable history of Maybelline was preceded by the magnificent history of makeup in general, and the world would not be the same without it. The ancient Greek women used makeup to enhance their beauty. Their makeup was made from a variety of materials such as seaweed, flowers, crushed mulberries and they used soot to line their eyes (Pendergast 150). Just as they believed that a drawing of an eye on the wall would protect them, “the Egyptians [also] believed that outlining their … eyes would help them carry the protection of the gods with them.” Cleopatra outlined her eyes in black kohl. Kohl is made from galena, a mineral lead, which was found near the Nile River (42). From the banks of the Nile River to the coal mines in America, people have been using minerals as makeup.


This led to a time “in 1915 [when] an American named T. L. Williams noticed that his sister Mabel colored her lashes with a petroleum jelly called Vaseline, mixed with coal dust for color. He began to package and sell the product, calling it Maybelline” (829). In 1932 Maybelline distributed a ten cent package of mascara to drugstores, which expanded their distribution from mail order to retail nationwide (Maybelline 1). In the 1960’s Maybelline launched its Ultra Lash Mascara, which was a waterproof formula and was the first mascara that was applied directly from the brush in the tube.


In 1971 Maybelline introduced Great Lash, a water based mascara. Great Lash made history. Maybelline Great Lash mascara is “still the number-one best-selling mascara in the marketplace, crossing a drugstore scanner every 1.5 seconds. Its winning formula is closely guarded and its hip appeal is undeniable. A makeup artist’s staple, this mascara is always in plain sight backstage at fashion shows” (2). Presently, you can find on the shelves of drugstores everywhere, not only mascaras that are waterproof but some that lengthen, some that curl, some that add volume, some that separate while others condition. Additional mascara formulas claim to do a combination of these things. Although Maybelline Mascara is the top selling brand, there are competitors.


Many brands of mascara try to imitate the success of Maybelline. Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Cover Girl is one of Maybelline’s competitors. Reported by Andrea Nagel of Women’s Wear Dailey, Cover Girl’s top executives admit they are “committed to mascara ... [and] being the number-two player,… second place is good enough, … with the number-one slot largely out of reach – Maybelline” (8). Another top competitor is Revlon, with its Age-Defying makeup. Revlon is one of the leading cosmetics companies, but Revlon is bound by its sales in the United States to keep it strong, and Revlon has intense competition (Revlon 6). Revlon’s major competitors include Maybelline and Cover Girl. Maybeline and Cover Girl, “because of there [sic] sheer size and resources may increase there [sic] retail display space and take away share of Revlon’s products due to superior marketing strategies” (8).


Today, Maybelline products are carried in more than 90 countries worldwide and are recognized as the foundation of the cosmetics industry. Last year women spent more than $400 Million dollars on mascara alone (Maybelline 2). Even though women love to have beautiful eyelashes, sometimes it comes at a price higher than just money, such as eye infections. Mascara is known to grow bacteria. Because of its moist environment in which bacteria can thrive, a tube of mascara should be thrown out after about three months and it is not a good idea to share mascara with others. Contrary to popular belief, mascara does not have bat dung as an ingredient. In the conducted research, no credible evidence was found to show that bat dung is an ingredient of mascara. Mascara is made from pigments, natural and artificial, such as carbon and iron oxides. In the United States coal and tar pigments in eye makeup have been prohibited. Mascara is also made from oils and waxes (Mascara 1). With new pigments, mascara has a vivid future:


Some mascaras on the market today boast all-natural ingredients,
and their recipes vary little from products that might have been made at home 100 years ago. One development that may affect mascara
manufacturing in the future, however, is the development of new pigments. Researchers in the plastics industry have developed bold, vivid pigments that have recently been introduced to lipsticks. Plastic- derived pigments may be of interest to mascara manufacturers as well.(2)


The future looks brilliant for Maybelline. Maybelline recently incorporated into its advertising the mobile element. Maybelline wanted “to foster more direct relationships with their customers” wrights Jeff Hasen in iMedia Conniction, “eMarketer predicts mobile marketing will be a $16 billion [dollar] industry by 2011”. In 2005 Maybelline made a deal with HipCricket and its Short Message Service. Maybelline ran a campaign for customers to enter and win a free lipstick by texting. When customers texted, Maybelline captured their mobile phone details, then users were emailed the Maybelline website. This campaign led to 31,000 respondents (2). Maybelline is the leader in the mobile advertising market, the cosmetics industry and is in the number-one slot as the best selling mascara.


Maybelline has stood the test of time and will continue to be number-one. Through its history, fierce competition and innovative advertising, Maybelline Mascara has remained on top. Makeup will always play a role in our lives, be it for vanity, entertainment, culture or business. Now, everyone can have a stunning face and dazzling lashes thanks to the cosmetics industry. Next time a gorgeous women walks by with ultra great lashes understand that there is a secret hidden in her beauty. Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.


Works Cited
Hasen, Jeff. "Maybelline gets 88% opt-in with mobile play." IMedia Connection: Interactive Marketing News, Features, Podcasts and Video. 19 Dec. 2007. 07 Mar. 2009: 2. .
"Mascara." How Products are Made. The Gale Group, Inc, 2002. Answers.com 07 Mar. 2009:1-2.
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"Maybelline New York: Our History." MAYBELLINE. L'Oreal USA, Inc, 2009. 05 Mar. 2009: 1-2.
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Nagel, Andrea. "Volume Is Key for New Cover Girl Mascara." Women's Wear Daily 31 Aug. 2007: 8-8.
Pendergast, Sara, and Tom Pendergast. Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 2004: 42-829.
Revlon, Inc. Company Profile. Rep. New York: Datamonitor USA, 2008: 6-8.