1886 The Start of Something Beautiful. On September 16, 1886, David H. McConnell (who initially sold books as a door-to-door salesman in NY) decided to sell perfume instead of books.

1886 McConnell hired then-50-year-old Mrs. P.F.E. Albee, who was the first woman to sell Avon door to door. She is considered the first “Avon Lady” or the first Avon Representative, as we known them today.

1886 The first product sold was a perfume – Rose Extract – from the “California Perfume Company.”

1892 McConnell’s ‘new’ business was started in Manhattan, located on 126 Chambers Street, and it was named the “California Perfume Company.”

1893 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.

1895 Innovation Gets a Home. The California Perfume Company (CPC) opens a manufacturing headquarters in Suffern, N.Y. Two years later, the company will expand the facility to include a laboratory.

1896 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.

1905 Avon launched Outlook magazine, a publication for sharing advice to employees and keeping representatives up-to-date on company news.

1906 Getting the Word Out. The California Perfume Company received its first Good Housekeeping advertisement.

1909 On May 3, 1909 the California Perfume Company corporate office moved to 31 Park Place, NY.

1909 On June 16, 1909, the California Perfume Company is officially incorporated in New Jersey—a strategic move that laid the groundwork for what would become the iconic Avon beauty empire.

1914 Oh, Canada! Operations venture north of the border to Montréal, marking the business’ first international expansion.

1916 On January 28, 1916, the company was incorporated in New York.

1919 The Power and the Glamour. Long used as an emblem of women’s emancipation by suffragettes, Avon sells its first lipstick. Although product development started years prior, 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!

1926 Avon expands beyond fragrances and cosmetics to offer practical non-beauty products, from a home cleanser to a tooth brush.

1927 All in on Skin. Avon’s first skin care collection, the “Gertrude Recordon Facial Treatment,” was released. Founder David H. McConnell tapped Recordon, a well-known beauty expert at the time, to help create the formulas for this deluxe four-piece facial line. The collection included an astringent, cleansing cream, peach lotion, and skin food.

1928 The company first started calling itself Avon in 1928 (after the birthplace of McConnell’s favorite playwright, William Shakespeare). Fun fact: in using the name Avon, they launched it with a limited number of new products.

1929 Hello, Avon! The Avon name and logo debuted on a cosmetics line. The name was inspired by Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of David H. McConnell’S favorite playwright, William Shakespeare. The 1st Commercial Use of AVON was on September 1, 1929.

1931 Peer Reviewed. Avon receives the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for 11 products simultaneously, setting a record for the most approvals granted to a single company at one time.

1932 In the company’s trademark application (June 3, 1932), the description of goods/services was recorded as “perfumes, toilet waters, powder, rouge compacts, lipsticks and other toiletry products.”

1933 Rough Times Call for Soft Hands. In the midst of the Great Depression, Avon expanded its offering with the introduction of several skin care products—namely its Hand Cream—in 1933. The ultra-moisturizing lotion has been softening women’s hands ever since—it remains a customer favorite and top seller to this day.

1937: David H. McConnell, Avon’s founder, passes away in January. Mr. McConnell, Sr. had the pleasure of seeing his son serve as Executive Vice President, and ultimately take on the full responsibilities of company president.

1937–1944: David H. McConnell, Jr.—son of Avon’s founder—takes the helm as President after his father’s passing. Having learned the business from the ground up, he expands Avon’s product line by 400%, guiding the brand to become one of America’s leading names in beauty before his death in 1944.

1939 An Icon is Born. To modernize its image and better reflect its growing beauty and cosmetics collections, on October 6, 1939, the California Perfume Company officially changed its name to Avon Products, Inc.

1942 Beauty Takes Action. During WWII, Avon converted more than half of the Suffern Lab in order to manufacture items for the War efforts from 1942-1945. Avon Ambassadors support the effort with sales of war bonds while selling their products.

1946 Avon began offering its stock for sale to the public.

1947 Avon’s Sun Lotion with Insect Repellent was a must-have for those balmy beach days and poolside days. Providing protection against ultraviolet rays while simultaneously warding off pesky bugs and mosquitoes made this a winning combo that beach bums and sun lovers alike could bask in.

1948 Claudette Colbert was one of several actresses to appear in Avon advertisements.

1948 Avon began to enter the market in 10 new countries, the 26-year spurt introducing 450 products and annual sales growth of more than $1 billion.

1950 Avon began manufacturing all over the country, one of the main facilities being Morton Grove in Illinois.

1950 Avon has one of the fastest assembly lipstick lines, comprised of both men and women, that produces more than 250 lipsticks in one minute and often 300,000 lipsticks in a single day.

1954 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. Watch the TV Ad Campaign

1954 Avon expanded North America by entering international markets, aggressively adding Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

1955 Fortune 500 Status. Avon is on the original Fortune 500 list in 1955 and continues to be recognized as a beauty industry leader.

1955 The Avon Foundation was created in 1955 as a private foundation. The first grant was a $400 scholarship.

1959 The iconic Topaze fragrance debuts—a timeless blend of jasmine, rose, and sheer musk. Discontinued in 2017, Avon brought the Avon Classics Topaze Cologne made its return in 2024—back by popular demand.

1960’s Topaze and other men’s scents were packaged in decanters, available in fun shapes such as cars, birds, guitars, and boats. These designs for men became popular over the years as gifts and are sought-after items for vintage Avon collectors today.

1961 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.

1964: Avon goes public and lists on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “AVP”.

1965: Avon introduces the President’s Award, honoring its top sales representatives with a charm pendant engraved “President’s Award 1965” on the back.

1967 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.

1968: Elusive by Avon, launches, but is ultimately retired in 1976. It is a chypre-spicy fragrance that embodies the elegance of its time. To promote it, Avon’s UK team creates a vinyl recording for representatives—featuring gentle fragrance ballad music and the distinctive, authoritative voice of British actor Patrick Allen.

1969 The first statue of Mrs. Albee (the first official Avon Representative) was designed as one of the most endearing symbols of success for Avon Representatives to win as top Avon sales reps.

1970 “Avon is Christmas Calling Now,” launched, an ad that targeted African American consumers.

1970 Envira was born, an environmental awareness makeup line targeting the protection of skin against environmental effects.

1971 A Fling with Bling. After offering jewelry as free gifts with perfume purchases in the early 1960s, Avon officially added a dedicated jewelry category section to its catalog. By 1975 it was the world’s largest producer of costume jewelry.

1973 Founded the “Newport News Catalog.”

1974 Avon becomes the nation’s largest distributor of costume jewelry.

1975 All Shades for All Women. Avon launches a makeup line called “Avon 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.

1977 The Avon Tennis Circuit launched for women.

1978 Avon International Marathon, an annual women’s marathon event took place. “The Avon Women’s Marathons broke barriers by giving talented women runners’ confidence, opportunity and exposure, proving they could do it.”

1978 Avon launched an “Operation Smile” campaign to get Avon lipstick on as many lips as possible for just 35 cents, selling over 20 million lipsticks.

1979 Avon becomes the largest distributor of costume jewelry in the world.

1979 Avon purchased Tiffany & Co., the upmarket jewelry brand for $104 million to build up their product offering, but sold Tiffany several years later.

1980’s Avon began putting UVA/UVB protection in its facial moisturizers, long before the issue of sun protection became popularized.

1985 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.

1985 Avon focused on health care for the elderly with acquisitions of the Retirement Inns of America and Mediplex Group, nursing home operations. (They were later sold in 1989 and 1990).

1985 Avon owned 50% of Liz Claiborne up until 1987.

1987 Built a lab in Suffern, NY.

1987 Avon purchased the Giorgio Beverly Hills brand.

1987 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.

1988 The introduces Avon Color, a cosmetic collection with shades designed to complement each other effortlessly.

1989 Kiss Animal Testing Goodbye. Avon became the first major cosmetics company to announce an end to animal testing. Read more in our animal welfare policy.

1989 Avon ventured into video sales, launching an aerobics video by TV personality Mary Hart.

1990 Avon and the Avon Foundation began working with celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, then continued to work with Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Eva Longoria, Fergie, Lucy Hale, Salma Hayek and Bon Jovi, among others.

1990 In “Edward Scissorhands,” the 1990 Tim Burton film, Dianne Wiest played the Avon Lady who takes in a boy with scissors for hands, played by Johnny Depp.

1991 The “Four Ways to Be Beautiful” campaign launched with four ways to order Avon products: phone, fax, brochure or through a Rep. at 1-800-Call-Avon.

1992 As a direct selling company, Avon contributed over $800 million to the American Cancer Society in 1992.

1992 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 became the first beauty brand to mass-market anti-aging technology with Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA).  Avon’s pioneering use of AHA became an industry standard and ignited a skin care revolution.

1992 The Avon Foundation launches the Avon39 Walk to End Breast Cancer.

1993: Elizabeth Taylor collaborated with Avon to create a glittering, glamorous jewelry collection. Known for its ornate detail and fine-luxury look, the line featured standout pieces like the Cleopatra-inspired Egyptian cuff and the Katharina Cross pin-and-pendant from The Taming of the Shrew.

1993: Avon was a forerunner in endorsing the concept that beauty is more than skin deep, starting in 1993 when we introduced a “Women are Beautiful” theme. The “Women are Beautiful” theme examined the lives and relations of women, like this television commercial, with a young of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.

1994 Avon Far Away Eau de Parfum launches.

1995 Avon in Fashion. Avon Style launches an apparel business showcasing loungewear. Collaborations with top designers called “The Color Authority” casualwear designed by Diane von Furstenberg, and an accessory line from the Finnish design house Marimekko. “The idea is to create a small wardrobe of great items, that are very adaptable,” von Furstenberg told Women’s Wear Daily. Today, Avon offers head-to-toe fashion options in a full, inclusive range.

1996 From Door-to-Door to Digital. Avon is the world’s first beauty company to launch an e-commerce website, www.avon.com.

1996 Avon was the official Olympic beauty skin care “The Olympic Woman.”

1996 The Avon Barbie Dolls—featuring the elegant Winter Velvet Barbie—becomes one of Avon and Mattel’s biggest launches, generating $40 million in sales.

1996 Avon patented a new molecule using vitamin C, AVC10, developed by a team led by Dmitri Ptechlintsev, a research scientist in Avon’s skin care lab in Suffern. The innovation was used in the Anew Night Force Vertical Lifting Complex.

1997 Anew expanded with cleansers, toners, and moisturizers incorporating other advanced technologies.

1997 The “Dare to Change Your Mind About Avon” marketing campaign launched, featuring portraits of real Avon customers.

1998 Avon expands its beloved Skin So Soft line with Bug Guard—a smart blend of SPF sun protection and insect repellent that helps defend against mosquitoes and ticks.

1998 Avon opens its first store, “Avon Salon & Spa,” in the Trump Tower Hotel on 5th Ave and 57th Street, and it quickly becomes a bustling hub of activity.

1998 The Avon Representative Barbie Doll is released.

1999 Our water-based lipstick launches.

1999 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.”

1999 Avon’s brand slogan became the “Company for Women.”

1999 Avon sponsored its first national Convention in Las Vegas.

2000 YourAvon.com was created, with 16,500 Reps signed up.

2000 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.

2000 Haiku Eau de Parfum launches.

2001 Representatives sold Avon at kiosks at their local malls, which gave them another selling channel in addition to the traditional door-to-door method.

2001 Avon transitions into the wellness category with the tagline “Beauty Starts from Within.”

2002 Avon expands attention to the Latina market with a dedicated Brochure, “Eres Tu,” which helped launch up to 40 languages of brochure.

2003 Avon debuted “Avon Voices,” a global online singing and songwriting talent search for men and women.

2003 Unlike other direct sellers, Avon publishes a 150-plus-page brochure every two weeks in the U.S. market, an astonishing frequency that effectively lets the company alter its offerings twice a month.

2003 Anew Clinical launches with Line and Wrinkle Corrector

2004 Avon Representative and New York Jets Quarterback Chad Pennington graced Avon’s first men’s brochure, “M: The Men’s Catalog,” which featured 16 pages of men’s grooming products and accessories.

2004 Official Global Spokesperson Salma Hayek helped promote the fragrance line “Today, Tomorrow and Always” in addition to relaunching the Avon Color Cosmetics Collection.

2005 A new lab was built for $25 million.

2005 Avon was the second largest publisher in the U.S. after TV Guide.

2005 Avon training for Representatives improves as we begin offering a training course and giving them the opportunity to sell through the JCPenney Color Cosmetics line “Becoming.” Representatives began receiving training materials such as CD’s, books and training tapes to buy. In 2005, the training program evolved to online materials that are free for Representatives, known today as AVON U.

2005 Avon is named the second-largest publisher in the U.S. after TV Guide. Worldwide, Avon produces around 800 million brochures a year.

2006 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.

2007 Reese Witherspoon becomes Avon’s first global ambassador, serving as an honorary chairwoman of the Avon Foundation for Woman.

2008 Gemma Arterton endorses the “Bond Girl 007” perfume.

2008 Kenneth Jay Lane designs Avon’s Holiday Jewelry Collection.

2008 On International Women’s Day, Avon partnered with United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to promote women’s empowerment and help end violence against women.

2009 Even during harsh economic times, women were still looking to invest in dermatologist treatments. Recognizing that women were looking to get results while saving money, we introduced the first-ever injectable-grade hyaluronic acid treatment: ANEW Clinical Derma-Full X3 Facial Filling Serum. This serum provided the same visible plumping and filling benefits of a hyaluronic acid treatment, without the pain and at a fraction of the price. Another beauty industry first!

2009 Avon’s first Super Bowl commercial launch was its first-ever global campaign in response to the economic crisis.

2010 Avon purchases another direct selling company, Silpada (but the company’s founders later buy it back.)

2010 Avon contributes $1 million to Hello Green Tomorrow – a worldwide campaign to nurture nature and help restore the Atlantic Rainforest in South America.

2012 Avon develops a new molecule, A-F33, a breakthrough collagen producer that helps visibly smooth out wrinkles, releasing it to the market in a new formula, Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment.

2013 Avon launches a fragrance Line with Fergie, including “Viva”, “Outspoken Fresh” and “Outspoken Party.”

2013 Avon marketing makes the center of the script in an episode titled “A Tale of Two Cities” of the award-winning drama series, Mad Men.

2015 Cerberus Capital Management purchased Avon North America and separated into a privately held entity.

2016 A New Avon. Avon Products, Inc. and New Avon LLC (US, Canada and Puerto Rico business) become two separate companies.

2017 Avon launches Anew Hydra Fusion, a hydration-focused line with lightweight, layerable, water-like textures for healthy, radiant skin.

2017 Avon Takes the Runway. Avon becomes the official makeup sponsor for the 16th season of Lifetime’s Project Runway. Project Runway’s host and mentor, Tim Gunn, announced the partnership at Avon’s annual RepFest convention in Nashville on August 6, 2017.

2018 Avon became the first-ever National Sponsor of the ACS (American Cancer Society).

2019 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.

2019 Avon is a top (beauty) traffic site on the web from 2019-2022.

2019 Avon launches its first CBD product (to eventually become many) with Green Goddess Facial Oil, complete with 100mg of sustainably sourced CBD.

2020 Avon is the World’s Best-Selling Fragrance Brand in 2020.

2020 Studio 1886 Brand is launched, with beauty products celebrating Avon’s iconic history.

2020 Cushion Technology is pioneered by our parent company, LG H&H.

2020 The Digital Catalog debuts–with features to customize and personalize for customers.

2020 New partnership with Gyrl Wonder, an organization that provides career resources and advice for young women of color.

2020 Avon held RepFest, its annual representatives’ convention, virtually for the first time during the pandemic, welcoming over 9,000 attendees.

2020 Avon launches Charmed Eau de Parfum, an 18K gold-plated, limited edition peacock bottle adorned with 21 Swarovski crystals—it sells for $1,200.

2021 Avon launches fmg Cashmere Essence Lipcream, the first lipstick in the U.S. with an anti-aging core containing Bio-Retinol.

2021 Avon was featured as the Final Jeopardy question (in the category Business History) for Wednesday, February 24, 2021 (Season 37, Game 108)

2021 Avon enters the realm of Clean Beauty with our Farm Rx vegan skin care line.

2021 Live from Avon… Avon breaks new ground in social selling by becoming the first to host a Avon Live, the livestream shopping experience in place of its Ambassador convention. Today, weekly live events and product demos stream straight to our viewers.

2021 Avon’s Skin So Soft marks its 60th anniversary. Launched in 1961 as a luxurious bath oil, it has grown over six decades into an iconic body care line beloved for its timeless quality.

2021: Avon North America business gets a new name: The Avon Company – The company continues to sell a wide range of products, including makeup, skincare, and fragrances.

2021 The beauty in giving back: Avon donated 17 million pounds of products to Feed the Children, empowering millions of families and helping 4.4 million women and girls.

2021 Avon launches its first streaming TV ads.