Merle Norman Cosmetics

Merle Norman founded the company with her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt by making makeshift cosmetics in her home kitchen.[8][9] In 1931, they opened her first cosmetics studio in Santa Monica for $150.[5][10] By 1934, the company had expanded to dozens of independently owned studios across the contiguous United States.[11][5]

By the 1940s the company expanded overseas to Asia, marketing in Thailand.[12][13] During the American involvement in World War II, the company produced gun oil and war paint.[14][15]

In 1963, Norman stepped down as chairman and passed down the company to J.B. Nethercutt.[5] In 1969, the company changed to be publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). The company sold 400,000 shares at $25.[16]

The company opened secondary factory in Sylmar, Los Angeles in 1971 and a forward distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee for its East Coast studios in 1973.[17] In 1974 the family bought back all the public stock at around an estimated US$10 million, $55 million adjusted for inflation[18] due to a lack of trading interest and the company was reverted to privately held.[5][19]

In the 1980s, Merle Norman was named one of the ten largest American cosmetic companies by People magazine.[20] The company started its first national advertising campaign, which the company had previously only used word-of-mouth marketing regionally. The company expanded to Europe and sold US$1 million by the first year, but would leave the continent by the next decade.[5]

In 1999 the company redesigned its studios to have a common interior.[21] In 2004, Nethercutt passed the company down to his son, Jack Nethercutt II.[6] In 2007 the company was ranked No. 21 in the Entrepreneur magazine Franchise 500.[22]

Merle Norman expanded to the Middle East by 2011.[23] Later in the year, the company unveiled a new separate logo emblem with an updated wordmark along with a redesign of product packaging.[24] From 2012 to 2019 the company had a decline of 269 studio units.[25]

In 2020 the company produced WHO hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][26]

Interior of a studio in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The company is a privately held family owned company by the Nethercutt-Richards family.[27] The corporate headquarters is located in Los Angeles, California and has 529 employees.[28]

As of 2020, Entrepreneur magazine ranked the company No. 366 in the Franchise 500 and 113 in the top global ranking.[29][30]

Merle Norman is a member of the Personal Care Products Council.[31]

90s era studio at Oakway Center in Eugene, Oregon

Below is a list of current and former studio outlet locations:

As of December 2019, the company operates 1,117 studios in 7 countries throughout North America and Asia. The majority of them (1,064) are located in the United States across 49 states and D.C.[38][2]

Merle Norman operates 51 studio outlets internationally, in the rest of North America, the company has studios in Canada across 8 provinces and 1 location in Guatemala.[39] In the Middle East, Merle Norman operates in Bahrain and the UAE in 3 emirates, with the most studios in Dubai.[23][24] Throughout Eastern Asia, the company operates in Taiwan and Hong Kong.[39][40][2]

Merle Norman sponsors professional and collegiate athletic teams, including the USC Trojans with producing exclusive makeup and sunscreen in the school's colors and funding the beach volleyball program's new Merle Norman Stadium in 2012.[41][42] The company became a sponsor of the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders in the NFL from 2020.[43]

A Merle Norman Gulfstream IV at Van Nuys Airport

Merle Norman Aviation Division operates the following aircraft: (as of July 2018)[44][45]

The company's custom livery designs have been recreated on flight simulators such as X-Plane.[47] An ex-Paramount Pictures Gulfstream IV was delivered in 2017.[48]

Historical fleet

• Grumman Gulfstream I[49]

• Official website