Helena Rubinstein
BEAUTY ENTREPENEUR (1872 -1965)
Helena Rubinstein was a beauty pioneer,
creating an international beauty brand. In
1902, she opened Melbourne's first beauty
salon. Rubinstein grew her beauty company
across France, Germany and America by the
outbreak of the First World War. In 1929,
during the Great Depression she bought back
her company for $1 million, after selling to the
Lehman Brothers for $7.3 million. She grew its
value to over $100 million, making her one of
the richest women in America. Rubinstein
focused on understanding skin by working
with doctors, dermatologists and cosmetic
surgeons. In 1910, she was the first to identify
classification for skin's nature and needs; oily,
combination and dry skin. She was also the
first to submit her beauty products for
scientific testing. She believed; "Beauty owes
everything to science."
Marjorie Stewart Joyner
BEAUTY ENTREPENEUR, INVENTOR
(1896 - 1994)
Joyner was an entrepreneur and inventor in
the beauty industry studying cosmetology and
was the first African American graduate
of Molar Beauty School in 1916. In 1920,
Joyner became the national supervisor for
Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges,
overseeing 200 beauty schools. In 1928,
Joyner patented a device; the permanent
wave machine which could permanently wave
or curl hair quicker using heated
rods and was used by salons to
help straighten or curl their hair. In 1929, she
patented a scalp protector to make this
process more comfortable. Her rights to the
inventions were assigned to Madam Walker,
and she never received any compensation for
them. Joyner dedicated her life to the beauty
industry, co-founding the United Beauty
School Owners and Teachers Association in
1945.
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