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The Start of Something Beautiful
The year the Statue of Liberty is dedicated. David H. McConnell, a travelling book salesperson, offers free Rose Extract perfume samples to customers. When the samples become more popular than the books, he opens up the first direct selling beauty company and hires the first Avon Ambassador, Mrs. P.F.E. Albee.
As a Garden Grows
The first fragrance set, the “Little Dot Perfume Set,” features five single-note floral fragrances: White Rose, Heliotrope, Violet, Hyacinth and Lily of the Valley.
Innovation Gets a Home
The California Perfume Company opens a manufacturing headquarters in Suffern, N.Y. Two years later, the company will expand the facility to include a laboratory.
The California Perfume Company Blooms
The California Perfume Company opens with a small office at 126 Chambers Street in New York City. The first catalog is issued.
Getting the Word Out
The California Perfume Company runs its first ad in Good Housekeeping Magazine.
Oh, Canada!
Operations venture north of the border to Montréal, marking the business' first international expansion.
The Power and the Glamour
Long used as an emblem of women’s emancipation by suffragettes, Avon sells its first lipstick. It's available in 2 shades—Light and Dark—and shown applied in a cupid's bow, the look that was all the rage. The next year, women gain the right to vote!
All in on Skin
David H. McConnell calls on Gertrude Recordon, a beauty expert, to create Avon's first facial treatment line to achieve a healthy complexion. The 4-piece skin care set features astringent, cleansing cream, peach lotion and skin food.
Hello, Avon!
David H. McConnell changes the company name to Avon. It was inspired by Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of his favorite playwright, William Shakespeare.
Peer Reviewed
Avon receives the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for 11 products, a record for one company.
Rough Times Call for Soft Hands
In the midst of the Great Depression, Avon expands its skin care offering to include a moisturizing hand cream—it remains a customer favorite and top seller to this day.
An Icon is Born
To modernize its image and better reflect its growing beauty and cosmetics collections, The California Perfume Company is officially renamed Avon.
Beauty Takes Action
Avon mobilizes its manufacturing power to produce critical war supplies during World War II: gas mask canisters, insect repellent, pharmaceuticals and first aid kits. Avon Ambassadors support the effort with sales of war bonds while selling their products.
Ding Dong, Avon Calling!
The longest and most successful campaign in advertising history kicks off, running through 1967. With the press of a doorbell, this memorable TV ad had people across the country saying, "Ding Dong, Avon Calling". It establishes Avon as a household name by creating instant brand recognition, empowering millions of women with flexible careers (the iconic Avon Lady), and driving massive growth through its direct-sales model, making it a cultural touchstone representing female entrepreneurship and community connection.
Fortune 500 Status
Avon is on the original Fortune 500 list in 1955 and continues to be recognized as a beauty industry leader.
The One, The Only
Before there was Beatlemania, Skin So Soft makes a splash! A moisturizing bath oil, arguably Avon's most iconic product, makes its debut. It remains a bestseller to this day with one sold every minute.*
*Based on 2010-2025 sales.
Running for Change
Avon sponsors Katherine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the male-only Boston Marathon, as she heads the Avon International Marathon, an annual women's run that is held at various locations from 1978 to 1984, and helps pave the way for the addition of women’s distance running in the Olympics.
A Fling with Bling
After offering jewelry as free gifts with perfume purchases in the early 1960s, Avon officially added a dedicated jewelry section to its catalog. By 1975 it was the world's largest producer of costume jewelry.
All Shades for All Women
Avon launches Shades of Beauty, an inclusive collection that celebrates the beauty of diverse ethnicities and skin tones. It features an expanded makeup palette with shades from lightest to deepest, and hair products for a variety of textures.
The Power of Retinol
Avon becomes the first mass-market beauty company to use stabilized retinol, a pure form of vitamin A, as an age-defying ingredient in its patented BioAdvance Beauty Recovery System. It is a breakthrough that changes skin care forever.
C the Difference
Avon harnesses the power of 5% stabilized Vitamin C with the launch of Collagen Booster. Its proven brightening benefits are first to market for the masses.
Kiss Animal Testing Goodbye
Avon is the first major cosmetics brand to announce an end to animal testing.
ANEW: The Original AHA Moment
A skin care first! Avon brings Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) to the masses with the launch of its iconic ANEW skin care collection.
Avon in Fashion
Avon Style launches an apparel business showcasing loungewear. Collaborations with top designers follow with The Color Authority casualwear designed by Diane von Furstenberg, and an accessory line from the Finnish design house Marimekko. Today, Avon offers head-to-toe fashion options in a full, inclusive range.
From Door-to-Door to Digital
Avon is the first beauty company to launch an e-commerce website.
The Company for Women Run by a Woman
Avon appoints its first female CEO, Andrea Jung. She expands economic opportunities for over 6 million women in 100+ countries and is ranked among Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" and Forbes' "Most Powerful Women in the World."
New Millennium, New Talk
Avon celebrates the millennium with the "Let's Talk" campaign, engaging new audiences with a focus on empowerment and wellness featuring Serena and Venus Williams, Salma Hayek and other corporate ambassadors.
An Eye-Opening First
Anew Clinical's Eye Lift Pro debuts; skin care's first two-in-one system that targets both upper and under-eye areas with different formulas (gel for lids, cream for under-eye), promising dramatic firmness and wrinkle reduction in days by treating both sagging eyelids and under-eye concerns simultaneously. It remains one of Avon’s top-selling products to date.
Wrinkles? What Wrinkles?
Avon develops a new molecule, A-F33. It's a breakthrough collagen producer that helps visibly smooth out wrinkles. It launches in a new product called Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment.
A New Avon
Avon Products, Inc. (Global) and New Avon LLC (US, Canada and Puerto Rico businesses) become two separate companies.
Avon Takes the Runway
Avon partners with Project Runway, the fashion design TV show, where Avon Color makeup products are promoted and featured on the runway models.
K-Beauty at Avon
New Avon LLC, the privately held North American company that split from Avon Products, Inc. in 2016, is purchased by South Korean consumer goods giant LG Household & Health Care, Ltd. and capitalizes on the popularity of the K-Beauty trend with the launch of Avon x The Face Shop, featuring cutting-edge Korean beauty formulas and products, including cushion foundation and skin care.
Charmed, I'm Sure
Charmed Eau de Parfum launches in an 18K gold-plated, limited edition peacock bottle adorned with 21 Swarovski crystals—it sells for $1,200.
Live from Avon...
Avon breaks new ground in social selling by becoming the first to host a livestream shopping experience in place of its Ambassador convention. Today, weekly live events and product demos stream straight to our viewers.
The Hype is Real
Avon introduces Beyond Glow, combining the most-buzzed-about ingredients–snail mucin, niacinamide and centella–with clinically proven, glow-enhancing results.
Lights. Camera. TikTok!
A new beauty era begins. Tap, scroll and shop Avon’s TikTok shop for double-tap-worthy products and exclusive collections–because beauty is always on demand.
The Legend Continues
The Skin So Soft formulas you've always loved get a fresh makeover, plus, new collections featuring trending skin care ingredients for allover body care.