Cosmetics Shop Owners and Managers

Growing public acceptance of the use of cosmetics; the development of new manufacturing and packaging techniques for cosmetics; and the emergence of the film industry (which needed makeup for its actors that would not crack or cake) created a demand for cosmetics in the early 20th century in the United States. In fact, U.S. cosmetics sales increased by 100 percent from 1900 to 1910. Around this time, cosmetics began to be sold in department stores. By the 1920s the rise of chain, or dime, stores allowed cosmetics to become available to the general public. After initial resistance, women's magazines began featuring ads for cosmetics by the late 1920s. In the following decades, new products and production techniques helped make the cosmetics industry one of the most successful industries in the United States. Managers were needed to supervise cosmetics store staff, and entrepreneurial-minded people were drawn to the opportunity to enter this exciting field as cosmetics store owners. Today, many brick-and-mortar cosmetics stores have a presence on the Internet, creating new opportunities for managers and entrepreneurs with expertise in Internet marketing and sales.