Avon Products, Inc. is an American cosmetics, perfume and toy seller with markets in over 135 countries across the world and sales of $8.1 billion worldwide as of 2005.
The company was founded in 1886 by then 28-year-old David H. McConnell as the California Perfume Company (CPC) in New York, New York in a 500 square foot manufacturing and shipping office at 126 Chambers Street. In 1897, McConnell built a small (3000 square foot) laboratory in Suffern, New York; by 1971 the lab would grow into the Avon Suffern Research and Development facility; in 2005 they opened a $100 million dollar 225,000 square foot R&D "glass curtain" facility to house its over 300 Research and Development Scientists on the original site in Suffern, NY. In 1906, the West Coast office in San Francisco was destroyed in the Great Earthquake of that year. Offices open in Luzerne, Pennsylvania and Davenport, Iowa.
In 1914 the first non-US office was opened in the Canadian province of Quebec. By 1918, five million units were sold in North America, and by 1928, sales reached $2 million. In October, 1939, the name was changed to Avon Products, Inc. The company was taken public in 1946. By 1954, sales reached $55 million, and the famous "Avon Calling" advertising campaign introduced. By 1979, sales reached $3 billion, with one million direct sales agents.
The safety of our consumers is primary concern to Avon. They are committed to selling only safe products, using only safe ingredients in cosmetics products and complying with applicable regulations in every country in which Avon products are sold. On June 2, 1989, Avon announced a permanent end to all animal testing of our products, including testing done in outside laboratories. Avon was the first major cosmetic company in the world to end animal testing.