Bonne Bell

Bell Company History

The original founder of Bonne Bell was Jessie G. Bell (known as J.G.). Bonne Bell was the heroine of Emerson Hough’s novel “The Man Next Door” and a favorite character of J.G. and his wife. They loved the heroine so greatly that when their daughter was born they knew instantly they would name her Bonne. As a young man, J.G. was a salesman for a local cosmetic company and he knew it was the right business for him straight away. So, in 1927, he decided to start his own business in Cleveland, Ohio and there Bonne Bell cosmetics was born.

In the basement of his rented Cleveland home, J.G. Bell created makeup items on a simple hot plate. He took his homemade creations to the market on foot, selling them door to door. With a sales approach focused on the product verses the packaging he quickly won customer approval.

The first scientifically studied product for Bonne Bell was bought from a research chemist who had created it for a dermatologist. Called TEN-O-SIX, it brought the company out of the basement and into mainstream cosmetic production. With a strong focus in the youth market, the young company’s products were specifically designed for teen and pre-teen girls.

Bonne Bell Today

Currently in its third generation of family ownership, the Bell’s company has grown and found success in today’s youth. Featured regularly in all the major teen fashion magazines such as Cosmo Girl, Seventeen and J-14, it is one of the largest youth-oriented cosmetics company. Internationally known, their products can be found in almost every type of pharmacy or market in the entire United States.

A current partnership with fashion makeup artist Tina Davis is leading the company into new avenues. Tina has a strong background with over sixteen years in the celebrity fashion world and degrees from Westmore Academy in Los Angeles and IL Makiage in New York City. Her energy combined with a strong team at Bonnie Bell hope to continue to enhance the lives of young girls. While Bonne Bell is known for its lip products, they have grown to include mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, bronzing products and more.

Smackers

No doubt when you think of Bonne Bell, their Lip Smacker products are the first that come to mind. Smackers are essentially a high quality lip gloss, that was the core of the Bell’s company success. Originally designed as a lip gloss for an outdoor person with no flavor, it was recreated and released in 1973 with the first flavor of strawberry. Bonne Bell was the first cosmetic company to introduce this type of lip product. The concentration of flavor combined into a glossy stick formula was truly unique in the marketplace at that time. While competition has certainly grown, Lip Smacker continues to dominate with a fun product united with a great taste and smell. Plus, it protects and soothes the lips too.

Ecologically Minded

As our youth today begin to be concerned with organic and natural products, the companies that serve them will too. Bonne Bell acknowledges this trend with a strong statement against the use of animals for product testing and research. They clearly state that no animal testing occurs either in house or through outside contractors. While they do perform extensive research and safety testing like most major cosmetic companies, they actually do it on human panelists. These human trials are performed on voluntary subjects in a clinical setting.

For More Information

For further information on the products or store locations, visit their website at:

• www.bonnebell.com