Avon

Corporate brand

The corporate entity behind the Avon beauty brand, known globally for direct selling and now associated with Natura &Co.

Last updated October 7, 2026

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Overview

Avon Products is the corporate entity historically associated with the Avon cosmetics and personal-care brand. Its origins date to 1886, when David H. McConnell, a New York door-to-door book salesman, began offering perfume as an alternative to books. The early business developed into the California Perfume Company, which expanded from a small Manhattan operation into an international direct-selling enterprise. The Avon name began appearing on products in 1928, and the company formally adopted Avon Products, Inc. as its name in 1939. The company’s defining commercial model was relationship-based direct selling. Independent representatives, often referred to as Avon representatives or historically as “Avon ladies,” used personal networks, printed brochures, demonstrations, and later digital tools to sell cosmetics, fragrances, skin-care products, jewelry, apparel, and household or personal-care goods. Representatives were generally independent sellers rather than employees, earning income from product sales and, in some markets, from recruiting additional representatives. This model gave Avon unusually broad geographic reach and made the brand especially visible in communities where conventional beauty retail was less developed. Avon grew into a multinational beauty company with operations in more than 100 countries. Its portfolio included color cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, bath and body products, hair-related products, jewelry, accessories, and fashion merchandise. Recognized product and brand lines have included Anew, Avon Color, Clearskin, Skin So Soft, Imari, Far Away, Today Tomorrow Always, Black Suede, Avon Care, and Avon Senses. Brazil became a particularly important market, overtaking the United States as Avon’s largest market in 2010. The company also entered China in 1990 and adapted its distribution model when Chinese restrictions temporarily limited direct selling. After years of declining sales, especially in North America, Avon undertook major restructuring. Its North American business was separated into New Avon LLC in 2016, while Avon Products moved its global headquarters to London and concentrated on international operations. The company also divested or restructured assets, including the sale of its U.S. manufacturing facility and the disposal of various businesses. These measures followed weakening sales, changing consumer purchasing habits, increased competition from specialty beauty retailers, and pressure on the traditional representative-led model. Natura &Co announced an agreement to acquire Avon Products in 2019, and the transaction closed in January 2020. The combination brought Avon together with Natura, Aesop, and The Body Shop under a major global beauty group. Avon Products ceased to be an independently traded New York Stock Exchange company when the transaction was completed. The Avon name and commercial operations continued within the broader group, although ownership and regional structures subsequently evolved. New Avon, the separate North American business, was acquired by LG Household & Health Care in 2019 and later changed its corporate name to The Avon Company. Avon’s history also includes significant governance and reputational issues. A long-running investigation into alleged bribery and possible Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations in China and other markets resulted in employee suspensions and dismissals and a 2014 settlement with U.S. authorities. The company also faced scrutiny over animal testing in markets where local regulations required testing, although in 2019 it stated that it had ended regulatory-required animal testing across its brands by developing alternative approaches. In 2024, Avon Products filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States in connection with litigation involving talc-based products. The legal proceeding marked another stage in the company’s complicated post-public-company history.

History

Avon traces its origins to 1886, when David H. McConnell founded the California Perfume Company in the United States. McConnell's early sales model relied on representatives who visited customers and demonstrated products personally. This approach distinguished the business from fixed-location retail and created a scalable relationship-selling network. The Avon name was adopted later as the company expanded, drawing on the association with Stratford-upon-Avon in England. During the twentieth century, Avon expanded its catalog business and representative organization across the United States and international markets. Fragrance, cosmetics, skincare, bath products, and personal care became the foundation of the assortment. The representative network allowed Avon to reach consumers in communities that were underserved by conventional beauty counters, while catalogs provided a repeatable way to present a large selection of products. The “Avon Calling” advertising language became one of the best-known expressions of the model, and a 1954 television commercial helped establish the brand in mass media. Avon developed a close association with women's economic participation because many representatives used the business as a flexible source of income. The company also built a public-purpose identity around women's health and empowerment. In the 1990s it promoted breast-cancer awareness through pink-ribbon products and fundraising, extending that work into the twenty-first century. These initiatives became an important part of Avon's corporate and marketing narrative. The company later faced structural challenges. Beauty consumers increasingly moved toward specialty retailers, e-commerce, social platforms, and fast-moving product trends, while traditional direct selling became harder to sustain in some markets. Avon responded with international restructuring, digital tools for representatives, product innovation, and changes to its corporate portfolio. In 2010 it acquired Silpada, a direct seller of silver jewelry. In 2015, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management acquired 80.1 percent of Avon's North American business for reported cash consideration of $170 million; a subsequent 2016 investment increased Cerberus's economic involvement in Avon Products. These transactions separated the North American operating business from the remaining international Avon Products structure. In 2019, Natura &Co announced an agreement to acquire Avon Products through a share exchange. The transaction was intended to combine two large relationship-selling businesses and increase the resulting group's scale in direct-to-consumer beauty. Completion in January 2020 made Avon a privately held subsidiary within Natura &Co and removed Avon Products' common stock from the NYSE. Avon subsequently operated alongside Natura &Co's other beauty brands, with the group emphasizing direct selling, digital channels, retail presence, and a broader global footprint. In the 2020s, Avon has sought to refresh a brand often associated with older consumers and traditional catalogs. Its “Embrace Your Power” positioning and subsequent social-first activity have promoted confidence, representation, and women's agency while supporting new cosmetics and fragrance launches. The company has also updated its logo and packaging and used TikTok, Instagram, influencers, and representative-led digital commerce to reach younger audiences. The brand's continuing challenge is to preserve the trust and personal connection of its historic model while making its products discoverable and culturally relevant in a digital beauty market.

2020
Acquisition closes
[4]Natura &Co to close acquisition of Avonavonworldwide.com
Avon Products becomes part of Natura &Co and is no longer separately listed on the NYSE.
2019
Natura &Co announces Avon acquisition
[8]Natura &Co announces Avon acquisitioncnbc.com
Natura &Co agrees to acquire Avon Products in an all-share transaction.
2015
North American business transaction with Cerberus
[2]Avon Productsen.wikipedia.org
An affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management acquires a controlling interest in Avon's North American business.
2010
Silpada acquisition
[2]Avon Productsen.wikipedia.org
Avon Products acquires Silpada, a direct seller of silver jewelry.
2007
First global brand campaign launches
[3]Avon launches first global ad campaignmarketingweek.com
Avon introduces “Hello Tomorrow” as a global effort to modernize its image.
1990
Breast-cancer awareness initiatives expand
[1]Avon's Advertising in the 20th Century & Beyondavon.com
Avon begins promoting breast-cancer awareness through pink-ribbon products and fundraising activities.
1954
“Ding Dong! Avon Calling!” enters television advertising
[1]Avon's Advertising in the 20th Century & Beyondavon.com
Avon begins television advertising associated with the phrase that became closely identified with its representative-selling model.
1886
California Perfume Company is founded
[1]Avon's Advertising in the 20th Century & Beyondavon.com
David H. McConnell establishes the business that later becomes Avon, using representative-led sales of fragrance and personal-care products.

Products and positioning

Accessible mass-to-mid-market beauty with relationship selling, social commerce, product value, and women's empowerment at its core.

Skincare
Anew
Anew is Avon's principal anti-aging and treatment-oriented skincare family. The line has represented the brand's emphasis on accessible beauty technology and includes products positioned around concerns such as lines, firmness, hydration, and skin renewal.
Bath and body care
Skin So Soft
Skin So Soft is a longstanding body-care franchise associated with moisturizing and cleansing products. It is one of Avon's best-known names outside color cosmetics and demonstrates the company's ability to build repeat-purchase products around a recognizable benefit and sensory experience.
Color cosmetics
Avon True
Avon True is a cosmetics platform covering makeup products such as lip, eye, and complexion items. The range supports Avon's effort to present contemporary, trend-responsive makeup at an accessible price through representatives and digital commerce.
Fragrance
Far Away
Far Away is an Avon fragrance franchise. Far Away Beyond the Moon was promoted through social-first influencer activity intended to introduce Avon's fragrance business to younger consumers and encourage product discovery through TikTok and Instagram.
Lip color
Hydramatic Matte Lipstick
Hydramatic Matte Lipstick is a matte lip product designed with a hydrating hyaluronic-acid core. Avon featured it in the “Embrace Your Power” advertising platform as an example of product innovation supporting its modernized beauty positioning.

Controversies

2024
Avon Products filed for Chapter 11 protection
The company sought bankruptcy protection in connection with lawsuits concerning talc-based products.
Source
2024
Talc litigation and Chapter 11 proceedings
Avon Products sought Chapter 11 protection as part of an effort to address lawsuits concerning talc-based products.
Source
2019
Animal-testing policy controversy
Avon faced criticism because some products sold in jurisdictions including China had historically been subject to regulatory animal-testing requirements. The company later stated that it had ended regulatory-required animal testing across its brands through alternative methods and reformulation.
Source
2014
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlement
Avon reached a settlement with U.S. authorities concerning the bribery investigation, paying criminal and civil penalties and related amounts.
Source
2008
China bribery investigation
Avon investigated allegations that employees and executives in China and elsewhere had engaged in bribery or related conduct potentially implicating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Several executives were suspended and later dismissed, and the investigation generated substantial legal and compliance costs.
Source

2023Far Away Beyond the Moon social-first launch
TikTok and Instagram
Influencers used fragrance guessing and personal-achievement storytelling to create discovery content for Far Away Beyond the Moon. The approach emphasized surprise around the brand and perceived product value.
Outcome. The agency case study reported 25 million impressions and a 19 percent average engagement rate.
Source
2022Embrace Your Power
United Kingdom and international markets
The repositioning presented women as possessing individual power and addressed the barriers created by gender inequality. Advertising featured musician Hamzaa and connected her story of finding confidence and voice with Avon's Hydramatic Matte Lipstick.
Outcome. The campaign became a central platform for Avon's brand refresh and its effort to become more relevant to younger audiences.
Source
2014Beauty for a Purpose
United States and digital social channels
Avon used representatives, social posts, celebrity participation, and a mobile-optimized aggregation site to create a conversation around women's empowerment. The initiative encouraged participants to share images and stories using the #BeautyforaPurpose hashtag.
Outcome. The campaign extended Avon's representative-led relationship model into social media and user-generated content.
Source
2007Hello Tomorrow
Global · including the United Kingdom
Avon's first global brand campaign shifted attention from individual product advertisements to the broader Avon identity. It presented the company as more modern and stylish and linked the launch to women's empowerment and International Women's Day.
Outcome. The campaign marked a major repositioning effort and increased the company's global advertising investment.
Source

Brand decisions

2023
Increase social-first marketingStrategy
Background
Avon aimed to attract a younger generation of beauty shoppers and generate demand for new products.
Action taken
The brand used influencer marketing and social content on TikTok and Instagram for fragrance and beauty launches.
Aftermath
The reported results supported a shift toward digital product discovery alongside representative selling.
Source
2019
Agree to combination with Natura &CoM&A
Background
Avon and Natura both operated large relationship-selling businesses and sought greater scale in a beauty market increasingly shaped by digital and multi-channel commerce.
Action taken
Natura &Co agreed to acquire Avon Products through a share-based transaction.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in January 2020, made Avon a private subsidiary, and combined it with Natura &Co's broader beauty portfolio.
Exchange ratio. 0.3 Natura share for each Avon share (2019 transaction announcement)
Source
2015
Separate most of the North American operating businessStrategy
Background
Avon was under pressure in North America and pursued a restructuring of its geographic portfolio.
Action taken
Avon sold 80.1 percent of its North American business to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management.
Aftermath
The transaction separated the North American operating business from the remaining Avon Products structure while retaining the Avon brand in the market.
Reported cash consideration for the 80.1 percent North American business. $170 million (2015)
Source
2010
Acquire Silpada DesignsM&A
Background
Avon sought to broaden its direct-selling assortment beyond beauty products.
Action taken
Avon Products acquired Silpada, a direct seller of silver jewelry.
Aftermath
The transaction added jewelry to Avon's portfolio and representative offering.
Source

Recent events

2021-06-17
Avon names Frances Largeman-Roth nutrition and wellness ambassador[10]雅芳任命Frances Largeman-Roth为营养与健康品牌大使prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-06-17
Avon announced nutrition and health expert Frances Largeman-Roth as its Nutrition and Wellness Brand Ambassador; she will represent the re:tune Inner Beauty collection.
2020-09-16
Avon introduces a new brand identity[11]雅芳推出新品牌形象livemint.com
Reported: 2020-09-16
Avon introduced a new brand identity, including a bolder, more vibrant logo. Avon said the identity positions the brand as bold and inclusive.
2020-05-05
AVON launches #IsolatedNotAlone campaign[12]AVON推出#IsolatedNotAlone活动indiantelevision.com
Reported: 2020-05-05
AVON launched the #IsolatedNotAlone campaign to support people affected by domestic violence. The campaign includes digital-platform initiatives, awareness and help-signposting, and announced grants totaling USD 1 million for 50 frontline services and charity organisations across 37 countries.
2019-11-19
Avon and WAGGGS Announce Partnership to Address Gender-Based Violence[13]Avon与WAGGGS宣布合作应对性别暴力prnewswire.com
Reported: 2019-11-19
Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women announced a $300,000 partnership with WAGGGS to build awareness and education about gender-based violence. The partnership includes a training and awareness programme in South Africa, the Philippines and Argentina, with campaign materials intended to have global reach.

Sources15 sources

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