Merle Nethercutt Norman was one of the first women in cosmetics and a true entrepreneur. It started in the late 1920’s when she began tackling her own skin challenges by testing formulas made right in her kitchen.

These formulas were so effective that she began sharing them with family and friends. She demonstrated the products as a value-added service, believing if she could “get it on their faces” they would become customers. It was from this concept that the famous and much imitated slogan, “Try Before You Buy” originated.

As demand for her product greom w, Merle opened her first Studio in 1931 in Santa Monica, CA, with the help of her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt, who assisted in the development and manufacturing of her products. Decades before working women were the norm, Merle Norman gave hundreds of women the opportunity to achieve business success by owning and operating their own Studios. Her single Studio has evolved into the successful corporation it is today, which remains just miles from the original Ocean Park location. Our Research & Development and manufacturing facilities are still located in Los Angeles, where the products continue to be made.

Dedicated to Merle Norman’s original vision of superior products, individual service and the “Try Before You Buy” philosophy, and bolstered by a contemporary new design, Merle Norman Cosmetic Studios are positioned for continued expansion and even greater success in the years ahead. Although Merle Norman passed away in 1972 and J.B. Nethercutt in 2004, the company, under the guidance of JB’s son, Jack Nethercutt, remains a family-owned business dedicated to helping women everywhere look
and feel their absolute best.

 

*credit: this information is from the official Merle Norman website: http://www.merlenorman.com/who-we-are