Merle Norman


Merle Nethercutt Norman was an American cosmetics entrepreneur, philanthropist and chemist. She was the founder of her eponymous cosmetics company Merle Norman Cosmetics and pioneered the foundations for franchise based companies internationally.

Early life and education

Merle Mozelle Nethercutt was born in Longansport, Indiana, the first born to Melvin and Emma Nethercutt. Her family later moved to South Bend, Indiana where she graduated high school. In high school she was a public speaker and musician. She attended a teachers' college and taught in the South Bend school system for several years. Nethercutt later enrolled in the University of Chicago to study chemistry.
In 1912 she met Andrew Norman Gullickstead who was an advertiser and would change her name to Merle Nethercutt Norman. They both would move to Santa Monica, California in 1920. Her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt would also leave Indiana and move in with her, eventually also studying chemistry at CalTech.

Cosmetic career

During the late 1920s, Merle Norman with her knowledge of chemistry from college, would start creating homemade cosmetics in a makeshift laboratory in her Santa Monica estate's kitchen. Norman would give out free samples to her neighbors. She would then sell her products to local customers, with her nephew J.B. working as a peddler to deliver the products using grocery bags. She would create her "3 Steps to Beauty" line, which featured PowderBase, Cleansing Cream, and Miracol.
In 1931 during he height of the Great Depression, Merle Norrman spent $150 to open a small local cosmetics studio named Merle Norman Cosmetics in downtown Santa Monica to sell their products more abroad. Norman would begin the "try before you buy" philosophy, letting her customers try on products for free. In the next couple of years women who were interested in the Merle Norman Cosmetics brand wanted to open their own studios throughout California, starting an early chain of franchises dubbed "studios." By 1934, the company had rapidly expanded to 94 independently owned franchises across the contiguous United States, with them predominantly being owned by women.
Over the next 30 years, Merle Norman Cosmetics expanded as a multi-million dollar cosmetic enterprise encompassing thousands of franchise studios throughout North America. In 1963, Norman would step down as chairman and hand down the company to her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt.

Legacy

Merle Norman has been credited of being ahead of her time, beginning the foundations for franchises before they were properly defined, with also inspiring women to take leadership roles and not traditional jobs at the time.

Honors

at the University of Southern California and Merle Norman Pavilion at the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica were both named after her.

Personal life

Norman and her husband Andrew Gullickstead had one child but was a miscarriage. Her niece, J.B. would continue the family company line through his family's descendants, which included his son and Norman's grand-niece, Jack Nethercutt II.
1936 Norman commissioned a custom Mediterranean style mansion to be built in Santa Monica by architect Ellis Martin, which would later become a historic landmark in Los Angeles.
Merle Norman was friends with legendary MLB player Babe Ruth and sponsored his little League through her company over 15 years.

Charities

Merle Norman through herself and her company donated millions to dozens of charities, churches and veteran programs in the United States and Canada. Her donations of over $36 million to medical facilities led to the construction of the six-story Merle Norman Pavilion at the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.

Death

Merle Norman died on January 1, 1972 at the age of 85 on vacation in Sydney, Australia.