1996 L'Oreal won bidding war with German based company to purchase Maybelline and become Maybelline New York

The original Maybelline Company was founded in 1915, by a nineteen year old boy from Morganfield Kentucky, named Tom Lyle Williams, who turned a 500 dollar loan from his brother Noel J. Williams into a 133 million dollar company.

1967 Williams sold Maybelline to Plough, Inc. which then merged with Schering, becoming Schering-Plough.

1990, Schering-Plough sold Maybelline to a New York investment firm, Wasserstein Perella.

1996 Maybelline company sold to L'Oreal after a tough bidding war Germany's Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH.

Here is the breakdown on the bidding war and sale of the Maybelline Company from Wasserstein Perella to L'Oreal.

NEWS

Government clears Maybelline takeover: L'Oreal SA's $758...

February 8, 1996

Government clears Maybelline takeover: L'Oreal SA's $758 million buyout of cosmetics rival Maybelline Inc. received approval from Justice Department antitrust officials without objections. L'Oreal, after a bidding war for Maybelline with Germany's Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH, said its $44 tender offer for all Maybelline shares is scheduled to expire Friday. Paris-based L'Oreal last month agreed to pay $44 a share for Maybelline and assume $150 million in debt, paying $100...

L'oreal Is Maybelline's Preference

By Stanley Ziemba | January 23, 1996

Maybelline Inc.'s directors recommended selling the Memphis-based cosmetics company to L'Oreal SA after the Paris-based cosmetics firm outbid Germany's Benckiser GmbH with an offer of $758 million. Benckiser said it will not make a counteroffer, ending the nine-day bidding war for the third-largest U.S. cosmetics maker. B302

German Suitor Pursues Maybelline

By Stanley Ziemba | January 20, 1996

U.S. cosmetics giant Maybelline Inc. said that German cosmetics maker Joh A. Benckiser GmbH is willing to offer more money to buy out Maybelline than France's L'Oreal. L'Oreal on Thursday offered $720 million for Memphis-based Maybelline. The firm said Benckiser indicated in a letter that it would be willing to top that bid.

BUSINESS

NEWS

Maybelline bidding war: The German company that it is in a...

January 19, 1996

Maybelline bidding war: The German company that it is in a bidding war for Maybelline Inc. declined to comment on the increased offer for the cosmetics-maker by France's L'Oreal SA. L'Oreal on Thursday raised its bid to $570 million, or $41 a share, after Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH made its unsolicited $514 million offer, equal to $37 a share, on Wednesday. L'Oreal had agreed in December to buy Maybelline, one of the leading American cosmetics companies, for about $510...

BUSINESS

Maybelline Whisked Away By New Suitor

By George Lazarus | June 8, 1990

Nearly in the blink of an eyelash, Schering-Plough Corp. has found a new buyer for its Maybelline operation. The new parent of Maybelline is Wasserstein Perella, one of the more prominent Manhattan wheeler-dealer firms, which plunked down $300 million for the Memphis-based cosmetics maker. That price is essentially the same as MBP Acquisition Corp., another investment group, agreed to in early April in cutting a deal for Maybelline, a firm with annual sales of about $300 million.

BUSINESS

Maybelline Sale Now Only A Maybe

By George Lazarus | June 7, 1990

Schering-Plough Corp.'s deal to unload its Maybelline operation has run into a snag. MBP Acquisition Corp., an Eastern investment group that in early April agreed to acquire the Memphis-based cosmetics maker for $300 million, has backed away from the deal, sources say. MBP, whose other interests include Playtex lines of products, reportedly couldn`t come up with sufficient financing. Closing had been scheduled by the end of this month. Other sources suggested that MBP balked at the...

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT MAYBELLINE - PAGE 2

BUSINESS

- Schering-Plough Corp., seeking to disentangle itself...

April 4, 1990

- Schering-Plough Corp., seeking to disentangle itself from the financially unpredictable beauty-products business, agreed to sell its Maybelline unit for $300 million to a group including the unit's management and Playtex Family Products Corp. The price was below what analysts thought the unit would fetch.

Maybelline Will Be Seductive To Many

By George Lazarus | December 13, 1989

Long-rumored buyout target Maybelline was officially put on the block Tuesday, its owner, Schering-Plough, set to field what likely will be a horde of prospective buyers. While acquisition-hungry Unilever has been identified as a prime potential buyer, a source close to Schering-Plough said, "With Maybelline on the loose, I think you`ll find buyers coming out of the woodwork." One possibility may even be a leveraged buyout by Maybelline's management, which soon will be headed by...

http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/maybelline

Happy 45th Birthday "GREAT LASH" mascara

Maybelline debuted its "Great Lash Mascara" in 1971. It is still recognized by it's Pink and Green Chartreuse packaging inspired by Lilly Pulitzer's vibrant hues and prints. It's been a staple on drugstores shelves and in cosmetic bags ever since. It has been reported that a "Great Lash Maybelline Mascara," is sold every 1.2 seconds. 

Called the protein Mascara "Great Lash" builds rich, full body onto lashes. Marketing people asked Maybelline Company researchers in 1970,  to come up with a Mascara to thicken and lengthen lashes better than anything on the market and would be easy to apply.  "Great Lash" was that product.            

Surveys taken by Maybelline's marketing team at the time indicated consumers didn't consider Maybelline products fashionable, still using the original "Eye" logo.  Updating product colors changed customer perceptions. Especially the teen market.

 The Lilly Pulitzer Brand was popular with high society. Because Pulitzer was close friends with Jackie Kennedy, her designs crowned her "The Queen of Prep." And, "Flower Power."

From the inspiration and dedication of Tom Lyle Williams to the the Merchandiser of Maybelline's new owners,  Schering Plough in 1971, Maybelline's "Great Lash" has remained an all time favorite Mascara for the last 45 years.

MAYBE IT'S WORTH IT... MAYBE IT'S MAYBELLINE...Worth over 2 Billion today...L'Oreal Bought Maybelline for $660 Million in 1996 :

Cosmetics: The French company, already the industry's largest, would get a much bigger share of the U.S. market.

In 1967 Williams sold Maybelline to Plough, Inc. (merged withSchering-Plough) in Memphis, TN. As a result, the company moved from Chicago to Memphis. In 1975, the company moved again to Little Rock, AK. In 1990, Schering Plough sold Maybelline to New York investmentfirm Wasserstein Perella. In 1996 company headquarters moved to New York. “Maybe She’s Born With It” became Maybelline’s advertisingslogan in 1991. The company was purchased by L’Oreal in 1996 and now also sells lipsticks, nail polish, and foundations.

Maybelline was acquired by L'Oréal in 1996. Acquiring Maybelline gave L'Oreal access to mass markets in cosmetics.

 L’Oreal also owns Garnier, Lancôme, Helena Rubinstein, BioMedic, Vichy, Biotherm, Shu Uemura, Kiehl’s, Soft Sheen-Carson, Redken, Matrix, Kerastase, Giorgio Armani, Inneov, Sanoflore, CCB Paris, Dermablend, The Body Shop, Skinceuticals, Ralph Lauren, La-Roche-Posay, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Today Maybelline New York is worth over two billion dollars.  It's truly incredible how a little company that started out with a $500 loan in 1915, is still the number one cosmetic company in the world.

Wasserstein Perella paid $300 Million for Maybelline in 1990, replacing Linda Carter with Christy Turlington and adding the tag line, Maybe She's Born with it, Maybe it's Maybelline

In 1991, the company adopted its current advertising slogan,
 "Maybe She's Born With It. Maybe It's Maybelline

Schering did not belong in the eye beauty business and the company found this out after abut ten years.  Maybelline was sold to an independent buyer and could not be bought for years on any stock exchange.  this independent buyer then decided to sell 51% on an IPO basis...independent public offering, and then this was was accomplished.  Maybelline in the early 90's could be bought as a "pure play" on the "Big Board."  Maybelline for the first time in history could be bought alone.  A short number of years later, the company was bought out by L'Oreal, which is a French cosmetic manufacturer and this is where Maybelline stands today.  (From a letter written by Rags Ragland Jr.)

Wasserstein Perella, updated the brand's image by replacing former Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter with model Christy Turlington, 

Maybelline Whisked Away By New Suitor

By George Lazarus | June 8, 1990

Nearly in the blink of an eyelash, Schering-Plough Corp. has found a new buyer for its Maybelline operation. The new parent of Maybelline is Wasserstein Perella, one of the more prominent Manhattan wheeler-dealer firms, which plunked down $300 million for the Memphis-based cosmetics maker. That price is essentially the same as MBP Acquisition Corp., another investment group, agreed to in early April in cutting a deal for Maybelline, a firm with annual sales of about $300 million.http://articles.chicagotribune.com/keyword/wasserstein-perella/recent/5

In appreciation to Harris A. Neil Jr. for the newspaper clippings used on today's post.

Wonder Woman - Linda Carter... Maybelline's beauty fashion coordinator and face of the 1980's

Deborah  Foreman for Maybelline 1981-1985

Focusing on real women campaign, with model,

 Deborah Foreman

In the 1980's Maybelline received a boost when the company hired Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter as the company's beauty fashion coordinator; she also appeared in several of its television and print advertisements.

Linda Carter appeared as Maybelline’s “face” for 13 years.

Stay tuned next week when Maybelline is acquired by
the investor group Wasserstein Perella & Co. in 1990,
for $300 million dollars. 

"Maybe she's born with it, Maybe it's Maybelline"
advertising tagline is created during this era.  The tagline continues to be recognized around the world.

Maybelline's TOTAL LOOK, not just eyes any longer in 1975

If you haven't read my book The Maybelline Story, you can't appreciate the impact this merger had on the stock that all the Maybelline stockholders received at the sale of the Maybelline Company in 1967.  Everyone's money doubled overnight and of course with that windfall came good and bad consequences.  But enough of the drama, let's get back to business. Schering Plough moves the factory to Little Rock Arkansas and Maybelline get's a new look, with the New FRESH AND LOVELY, line of products in 1975. 

Stay tuned tomorrow as the story continues.  

Maybelline get's a FACE LIFT to attract exploding youth market and stockholders rejoice.

As disappointed as Tom Lyle Williams and his devoted employees were that the Maybelline Company left Chicago and moved to Tennessee, Abe Plough had a method to his madness.  Plough production and distribution finally got the bugs worked out by 1969 and Maybelline went into full swing... Profits sky rocked and my family's stock doubled.

Maybelline Ad -1969

Great Lash was born in 1971

Blooming Colors introduced in 1972

Maybelline introduces face make up in 1977

1977 Maybelline Commercial Introduces KISSING STICKS

And who better to take over the growing youth market's desire for more, more, more products and sparkling ads, but Chicago's original Maybelline Company Executive Mary Ann Anderson....Stay tuned as her story unfolds tomorrow.

PRE-MERGER

Thomas Lyle Williams Pr. & Tr.

Thomas L Williams Jr Exec VP & Sec

John W Cole VP Pur

Harold W Ragland VP Sales

Harris A Neil Jr Prod

Mary Ann Anderson Adv

POST-MERGER

Abe Plough Pr

Harry B Solmson Exec VP

R Lee Jenkins VP

John W Cole VP Pur

Herbert H Bunchman Sec

Sam B Hollis Tr

Harris A Neil Jr Prod

Mary Ann Anderson Adv

After Harris A. Neil left Plough and moved to Colorado to start a new career, only one original Maybelline Executive remained with Plough, Mary Ann Anderson.