Company Background

In 1981 Essie Weingarten established Essie Cosmetics. As a child she was fascinated by nail polish, and at the age of 12 she had her first manicure. "I think I was my nail technician's youngest client ever, and nail lacquer has been my obsession ever since," confides the always candid Essie.

Driven by her passion and her innate ability to key in on the hottest shades, Essie Weingarten and her partner Max Sortino created a wildly successful nail care empire. In the footsteps of cosmetic giants before her Essie created her line slowly, starting with just 12 shades and 3 nail treatments.

Essie thought Vegas would be the perfect place to launch her products. "After all, the people who work in Vegas - the showgirls, dancers, dealers - needed to take care of their hands and look good for their jobs," she says. Today, 4 of the original 12 colours are still hot sellers including: Baby's Breath, Black Cherry, Blanc, and Bordeaux. When Essie returned to New York, the phones started ringing and orders started pouring in.

Beauty professionals quickly found Essie's chip-resistant formula, outstanding durability and fashion forward colour selection far superior to anything else on the market. Soon, top nail techs, models, editors, and celebrities such as Madonna, Sharon Stone, and Cindy Crawford were among Essie's biggest fans. All were drawn to the line's exceptional quality and whimsical shade names. Ballet Slippers (designated a "classic" by beauty industry insiders), Mademoiselle, and A-List are amongst Essie's most popular award-winning shades. Essie introduces 4 new collections a year seasonally and the line includes over 200 shades.

In 1993, Essie Cosmetics legally won the rights to its signature square bottle, which Essie herself designed. This was an important moment in the company's history since the packaging was now as distinctive as its contents - an indication of both its originality and its peerless reputation.

In late 2000, the name Essie appeared on the bottle for the first time, a crucial step in marketing the brand worldwide.

Highlights

Essie Cosmetics, Ltd is one of the most successful nail care Companies in the world. Essie was amongst the first to understand the great market opportunity of providing beauty professionals with the highest quality, fashion forward nail polish colours, offering a selection that did not exist at the time.

Essie, a savvy entrepreneur and businesswoman with a keen passion for colour and flair for naming shades, continues to expand the Company's reputation as one of the world's leaders within the nail care industry.

Essie and her partner Max Sortino have expanded the Company's international distribution in over 47 countries worldwide while distribution in the United States has grown to include over 50,000 of the best known salons and spas.

Essie nail polish is an industry icon; distributors, beauty professionals, and consumers trust its excellence. In fact, the Essie brand is so well recognized that until recently (1999), Essie nail polish was sold in unmarked bottles. The Essie brand markets itself with award winning colours, unforgettable shade names, and a superior product selection.

For over 23 years, Essie continues to build on its reputation that has set it apart from the short-lived trends that have come and gone. Essie conscientiously builds its business the old fashioned way: with hard work, winning colours and a superior product selection.

In 2004 Essie expanded its portfolio by launching a new category of innovative nail care accessories including: The Crystal File, Nail Wipes, Nail Pads, The Corrector Pen, and The Cuticle Pen.

The year 2004 proved to be a very successful time for the Essie brand, not only was Essie honored by Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) with its prestigious Achiever Award, but Allure also honored Essie with the Best of Beauty award for Best Nail File, Best Nail Polish and Best Cuticle Cream. InStyle awarded Essie with the Best of Beauty for Best Nail Polish and Best Overall Nail Polish (Mademoiselle).

Essie is sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Far East, South America, throughout Europe, and can be found in many of the world's top salons and spas.

If you would like to know more about Essie Products and Treatments, call today on 0161 - 980 -1111, and speak to a qualified Nail Technician.