Avon
Budget“The original direct-sales beauty giant.”
By Viktoria @vioda.makeup · Published · Updated
Avon is a budget makeup brand from the United States, founded in 1886 by David H. McConnell. It's best known for its Pioneering direct-sales beauty representatives, Glimmersticks eyeliners and Anew skincare line.
Avon traces back to 1886, when travelling book salesman David H. McConnell found that the perfume samples he gave away were more popular than the books, and founded what became the California Perfume Company. Renamed Avon in 1939, it built one of the largest direct-sales networks in the world, putting millions of women into paid sales work decades before that was ordinary and reaching customers far outside department-store retail.
Its makeup range — Anew skincare, True Color complexion products, Glimmersticks eyeliners and the long-running Skin So Soft line — is priced for volume and sold largely through representatives and catalogue ordering, though the brand has moved substantially online. Avon's historical significance is hard to overstate: much of what modern beauty takes for granted about sampling, representatives and direct customer relationships started here.
Popular Products
What Avon is bought for. The ones we've found dupes for link through to the comparison.
- Glimmersticks Eyeliner
- Anew Renewal Cream
- True Color Nourishing Lipstick
- Skin So Soft Original Bath Oil
Known For
Brand Philosophy
Beauty should come to the customer rather than waiting behind a counter — and selling it should be an economic opportunity for the women doing the selling.