Work Hard, Play Hard: How Benefit Cosmetics Creates a Fun Yet Substantial Experience of Beauty

It all started with a coin toss. Jean and Jane Ford, two Indiana farm girls, moved to San Francisco and became successful models and makeup artists. In 1976, the legendary coin toss of the identical twins took place. They had to set a direction for their future and decide what business venture to embark on—heads for a casserole café, tails for a beauty boutique. Surely, you can guess which side it landed on.

The Face Place was what they called the store, located in the city’s Mission District. That same year, they received an unusual (but welcome) request from an exotic dancer for a rosy stain to enhance the color of nipples. Lo and behold, the iconic Benetint was born.

In 1990, The Face Place was renamed Benefit Cosmetics, with its first counter opening at Henri Bendel in New York. Since then, the brand has introduced innovative and uncomplicated beauty products and services, adding twists through quirky packaging, whimsical names, and an overall light-hearted spirit designed to celebrate the joy of beauty.

While their offerings cover a wide range, Benefit particularly takes pride in their brow expertise. Based on retail sales in 2023, their official website reports that they are the number-one brow brand globally, among other feats. The Benefit Sydney Brow Bar also holds the Guinness World Record for the most brows waxed in eight hours, first achieving 382 in 2012 and surpassing it with 435 in 2017.

Achievements aside, they have always believed that “laughter is the best cosmetic,” and that’s why they continue to take risks and keep the industry on its toes. This ethos comes as no surprise, given their unique origin story.

Today, Benefit Cosmetics operates in more than 50 countries, with over 3,200 locations worldwide. Their story is proof that, sometimes, all you need is to take risks and have fun along the way. Who would have thought that a simple coin toss between two sisters could lead to a global brand filled with countless beauty holy grails?

Benefit Cosmetics is a brand built around making people feel good, bright, and happy—which is a benefit in itself. They took it a step further with the Bold is Beautiful Project, launched in 2015, to empower “women and girls in our communities through health and wellness, education, and financial self-sufficiency.” One month each year, they donate proceeds from global brow waxes to various charities. Since the program’s inception, they have raised over $28 million.

Their four primary partners cover a wide scope, contributing to women’s lives in various ways. Girls Inc. is one of them—an organization that provides mentorship, cultivates pro-girl environments, and creates research-driven programs. These programs are designed to help girls realize and achieve their full potential, grounded in the belief that girls can—and should—be powerful as they contribute meaningfully to their communities. Step Up is another partner with a similar purpose, a mentorship nonprofit that provides structure for girls—and anyone who identifies with girlhood—to clearly define and visualize their goals, and map out the path to achieve them.

Benefit Cosmetics also advocates for Planned Parenthood, a leading provider of affordable, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care. This equitable access is available not only to women but to all people. Finally, there’s Dress for Success. Focusing on unemployed and underemployed women, Dress for Success designs programs to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. Career coaching, upskilling and reskilling, community building, and guidance on professional attire are some of the ways they do so.

According to Benefit’s website, the past decade of giving has allowed them to empower 850,000 girls through education programs, support 20,000 women in overcoming domestic violence, and equip 100,000 women with job readiness and skills.

The Porefessional Primer is loved for its ability to minimize the look of pores and fine lines, to blur imperfections, and to transform the skin into a smooth canvas. Not to mention, it allows for even application of makeup and helps it stay intact longer.

With their brow expertise, trying Benefit’s Precisely, My Brow Pencil is a no-brainer. The ultra-fine pencil helps fill and shape the eyebrows with precision, while keeping a natural look.

The innovative They’re Real! Magnet Mascara boasts a magnetically-charged core that attracts and pulls the formula up and out, leading to a powerful lash lift and lengthening. The brand claims that the lightweight and buildable mascara can last up to 36 hours!

The list wouldn’t be complete without the cult-favorite Benetint. While a wide array of shades are now available, the original rosy stain remains a must-try. It applies seamlessly, and looks gorgeous on the cheeks and the lips.

The silky-soft Hoola Powder Bronzer is the key to looking sunkissed no matter the weather, especially since it’s both waterproof and sweatproof. With a matte finish, the instant tan it gives simply appears natural.