Bonne Bell’s products for ‘tween and teen girls are as sweet as the story of the company’s origins. Bonne Bell, the heroine of Emerson Hough’s novel The Man Next Door, was so close to the hearts of J.G. and Mame Bell that they named their daughter after her and, later, the cosmetics company that the Bells started in 1927 as well.
Operating out of his basement, J.G. Bell made a few makeup items on a hot plate and sold them door-to-door, winning over a loyal following. Almost a decade later, he purchased the formula for what became known as TEN-O-SIX from a Cleveland research chemist, who had compounded it for a dermatologist.
Bonne Bell is now operated globally by a third generation of the Bell family. PETA recently presented a Trail-Blazer Award to Jess A. (Buddy) Bell Jr., chair and CEO, for the company’s no-animal-testing policy.
Bonne Bell substantiates the safety and effectiveness of its bronzers, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip color and gloss by studying human panelists in a clinical setting with physicians’ supervision and documentation.
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