NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Professional Makeup is an American cosmetics company that is a subsidiary of L'Oréal. The company was founded in Los Angeles by Toni Ko in 1999. It was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. NYX Professional Makeup is "certified" and acknowledged by PETA as a cruelty-free brand, and they offer a wide range of vegan-friendly products. NYX products are sold in over 70 countries at thousands of retailers, ranging from specialty beauty and fashion stores to freestanding shops and the brand's corporate website. History Toni Ko founded NYX Cosmetics when she was 25 using a $250,000 loan from her parents. Ko knew a guy from New Jersey who made pencils, from there, she started with six eyeliners and 12 lip liners, priced at $1.99 and was sold out in less than 30 days. The company's first products were jumbo eye pencils, which brought in revenue of $2 million within the first year. The products were initially sold only to beauty professionals before Ko expanded sale to mass-market outlets. The products were marketed as having "department store beauty" while being sold at "drugstore prices." In 2011, NYX launched the Freedom and Artistry for Creative Expression (FACE) awards competition. Sales in 2014 were $120 million. Ulta Beauty carries mass market NYX products.