Almay is an original line of skincare and cosmetic products designed in its own innovative way to work with every skin type. The line was founded in 1931, a time where cosmetics were made heavy, thick, and too harsh for many complexions. Alfred Woititz, a professional chemist and relentless fidget, decided to experiment with wife, Fanny May’s, makeup hoping to figure out which ingredients were irritating her sensitive skin. The duo combined parts of their names to come up with a title for their future company. Woititz and Dr. Marion Sulzberger, a dermatologist, subsequently worked together to successfully develop more pure and gentle products. The partners used a variety of natural ingredients including meadowsweet, grape seed and cucumber, all of which are full of nourishing vitamins and minerals that help exfoliate, moisturize, hydrate and rejuvenate skin. Almay was the first brand to introduce skincare safety by producing 100% fragrance-free products and by testing for allergy and irritation-provoking ingredients; the brand was also the first to create a cosmetics line for customers with specific skin types. Since then, Almay has helped women look and feel their best with natural, healthy products in especially flattering shades. The simple, clean, and personalized line is cheap and sold in just about every pharmacy, drugstore, and grocery store in the country. Almay was attained by Revlon in 1987 and has since expanded to a full line of skincare and makeup products that became the Beauty Insider’s Choice winner this year. As the company continues to use fewer than 500 of the 10,000 ingredients available for use in the cosmetics market, Almay’s standard for superior performance carries on- “its beauty made as easy as 1-2-3.”
