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Welcome to Just the FAQs, a dedicated
site designed to answer commonly asked questions about
Mary Kay. Whether you’re a Mary Kay Independent
Beauty Consultant, a prospective Independent Beauty
Consultant, a customer or simply a visitor, this site
provides clear and easy access to important information
about the Mary Kay opportunity and the founding philosophies
upon which the Company was built.
We’ve chosen a few topics to get us started, but
keep in mind, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned
– we’ll be adding more topics in the weeks
ahead. |
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No. The so-called “test”
has absolutely no scientific validity and, in reality,
is nothing more than urban legend. Mary Kay does not
use lead or lead-based ingredients in its lipstick or
in any of its other skin care or color cosmetics. Because
lead occurs naturally throughout the environment, however,
there are trace amounts of it in most consumer
products, including most lipsticks and other cosmetics.
Any naturally occurring trace amounts of lead in Mary
Kay lipsticks or other of the Company’s products
are well within the daily safe levels of exposure as
established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
With regard to the so-called “test” mentioned
above, the dark substance that appears during the test
is really oxidized metal from the ring itself –
just as your silver turns black when exposed to the
air for a long time. A dark substance is released when
you polish your silver, which is the same thing that
happens in this so-called test. The appearance of the
dark substance has nothing to do with the presence of
lead.
Ingredients that Mary Kay uses in its lipstick meet
all requirements for cosmetic ingredients. Mary Kay
performs thorough, ongoing reviews of its products and
ingredients and works closely with our suppliers to
ensure the safety of all ingredients. We have been a
recognized leader in the area of product and ingredient
safety for many years and steadfastly stand behind the
quality and safety of our entire product line. Mary
Kay® products are safe, and you can continue to
use them with complete confidence.
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Mary Kay does not use lead or lead-based
ingredients in its lipstick or in any of its other skin
care or color cosmetics. Because lead occurs naturally
throughout the environment, however, there are trace
amounts of it in most consumer products, including most
lipsticks and other cosmetics. According to the American
Council on Science and Health, potential trace amounts
of lead occurring naturally in cosmetics are not harmful
to the consumers who use those products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have set daily
safe levels of exposure for adults, children and pregnant
women. Any naturally occurring trace amounts of lead
in Mary Kay® products are well within the limits
established by the FDA and EPA.
Ingredients that Mary Kay uses in its lipstick meet
all requirements for cosmetic ingredients. Further,
Mary Kay performs thorough, ongoing reviews of its products
and ingredients and works closely with its suppliers
to ensure the safety of all product ingredients. Mary
Kay has been a recognized leader in product and ingredient
safety for many years and stands behind the quality
and safety of our entire product line. Mary Kay®
products are safe, and you can continue to use them
with complete confidence. |
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While the Internet has provided an
unlimited opportunity for the free exchange of ideas,
unfortunately, there is usually no system in place to
verify the accuracy of information posted in such online
forums. It is virtually impossible to monitor and correct
such postings because, in many cases, the information
changes from day to day, as various participants edit
the entries anonymously.
Some online encyclopedias describe their format as “free
content.” That means anyone may post an article,
and anyone may edit that article. In other words, these
online encyclopedias are written and maintained by readers
who are making numerous changes each hour to any one
article.
Although participants are sometimes asked to provide
references when they edit articles, this free exchange
of ideas results in constantly changing text and a lack
of consistency that can compromise the accuracy of these
online encyclopedias.
Naturally, the most reliable source of information about
Mary Kay is the Company itself, so if you have questions
or concerns about something you’ve read online,
we encourage you to consult this Web site, any of our
other Company-produced materials or, perhaps most helpful,
the books Mary Kay wrote herself: Miracles Happen;
You Can Have it All; and Mary Kay On People
Management. |
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| The earning opportunity associated
with a Mary Kay business is certainly open-ended; however,
it is impossible to guarantee that a particular level
of income can be earned. The amount of money you may
make as a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant will
depend upon many factors including your personal goals
and the amount of time and effort you choose to invest
in your business. Many Independent Beauty Consultants
operate their businesses on a part-time basis with the
goal of meeting short-term financial goals – such
as the purchase of holiday gifts for their families,
to pay for a family vacation, school clothes or tuition
for their children. Meanwhile, others decide to build
their Mary Kay businesses to the point at which it becomes
possible for them to quit their jobs and pursue their
Mary Kay businesses full time. The bottom line is that
how much you earn in your Mary Kay business is strictly
up to you. So in the words of Mary Kay Ash, “Set
your goals and hang on to them until they are a reality.
You’ve got to believe it before you will ever
see it. Whatever the mind can perceive and believe,
you can achieve!” |
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| Mary Kay made it clear that she did
not like pushy salespeople. While tenacity and perseverance
are certainly important qualities for success in any
sales-oriented business, we have found that the most
successful Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants approach
sales and recruiting by consistently applying the Golden
Rule; using their own good judgment along with a loving
and caring spirit. As a result, when making decisions
about your sales and recruiting activities, we always
recommend that you put yourself in the other person’s
shoes, remembering to treat them only as you would want
to be treated. As Mary Kay often said, “You have
a wealth of influence, and everyone you meet forms an
impression of you by your words and actions. So make
the Golden Rule your way of life.” |
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Independent Sales Directors and Independent
National Sales Directors talk about living their dreams,
and you question just what it takes to get there. You
may have heard them talk about the flexibility of a
Mary Kay business and how it has enabled them to spend
quality time with their families. They can enjoy such
rewards as the use of a Career Car and monetary earnings
that perhaps allowed them to give up their full-time
jobs. How is it possible to have it all?
Make no mistake: These women have worked very hard to
get where they are today. When people hear Mary Kay
Ash’s philosophy of “God first, family second,
career third,” they may misinterpret what she
meant. Keeping one’s priorities in balance doesn’t
mean you don’t have to work hard or make sacrifices
to be successful. What does set the Mary Kay opportunity
apart from a typical corporate job, however, is that
you have more flexibility.
Mary Kay Ash was known for being one of the hardest-working
people you’d ever meet. As the founder of what
she called the “Five O’Clock Club,”
her day began no later than 5 a.m. She chose to sacrifice
an hour or two of sleep to achieve a jump-start on her
day. Many Independent Beauty Consultants choose to join
the Five O’Clock Club so they can accomplish what
they need to before dropping their children off at school.
On the other hand, maybe sleep is too precious to you,
and you’d rather focus the bulk of your efforts
during the second half of the day. Or perhaps you’d
rather schedule your appointments around your children’s
activities, holding skin care classes while they are
in school. Or maybe you prefer to work your business
on weekends instead. The choices are limitless.
By contrast, in corporate America, odds are good your
employer expects you to be at the office, at a minimum,
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You probably don’t have
the flexibility to decide your own work hours. You might
be lucky enough to work for a company that offers flextime,
but nonetheless, it’s rare you would be able to
pick your own hours as you see fit.
As a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, you are
your own boss, so you get to decide what time you begin
and end your work each day. You determine your own schedule
and the rate at which you want to climb the ladder of
success. If your goal is simply to supplement the income
from your full-time job, the number of hours you devote
to your Mary Kay business will likely be relatively
small. On the other hand, if you choose to replace and/or
exceed your income from your full-time job, you should
expect to put in longer hours in order to accomplish
that goal.
The point is that you’re free to choose your destiny.
You determine the balance of faith, family and career
that’s right for you.
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| “Someone once said,
‘Mary Kay is the best-paying hard work in the
world.’ I believe that we all have material wants
and needs, so determine how your Mary Kay business can
help you achieve them.” –
Mary Kay Ash |
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You’ve just purchased your Starter
Kit, and now you are wondering how much inventory you
should order to get your business started. The first
thing to remember is that purchasing inventory is an
individual decision – and it’s certainly
not a requirement for you to begin your Mary Kay business.
We always recommend that you determine what activity
level you intend to pursue in your Mary Kay business
and then, if appropriate for your personal circumstances,
invest in a level of inventory that supports that activity.
As you contemplate your decision, you may want to consider
some of the reasons why Mary Kay Ash believed maintaining
an appropriate amount of inventory was beneficial. Among
other things, Mary Kay always enjoyed the instant gratification
and excellent customer service she could provide a customer
who wanted her skin care or color cosmetics products
on the spot. She knew that doing so could help build
a strong customer base and create loyal customers for
life. She also believed that having inventory on hand
could help an Independent Beauty Consultant feel more
motivated and committed to her Mary Kay business.
If you choose to purchase inventory, you can always
rest assured that there will be a multitude of Company-published
materials available to you that contain excellent sales
tips aimed at helping you successfully sell your products.
You also have the opportunity to ask other successful
independent sales force members, such as your Independent
Sales Director, for tips and advice on selling Mary
Kay® products. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh
viewpoint to help you generate effective strategies
for growing your business.
Finally, if you change your mind or decide that a Mary
Kay business is not for you, you can take comfort in
knowing that the Company will repurchase, at 90 percent
of your original net cost, original and unused Section
1 products, provided such items were purchased by you
from the Company within one year prior to return. |
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Mary Kay Inc. is always looking at
new products in order to keep up with current trends
and be competitive in the marketplace. In a marketplace
driven by innovation, it is critical to stay competitive
by introducing new products. Targeted products, that
treat special concerns and work along with our core
skin care line, are introduced to the product lineup
to meet needs that are expressed by consumers. Limited-edition
color items are introduced periodically to reflect the
trends of the season. Our core product lines are updated
once every 3 to 5 years to take advantage of the latest
innovations in skin care. And although we don’t
do it often, we occasionally update our packaging to
ensure that we continue to stay on trend and keep our
presentation current and fresh. Remember that we’re
in the fast-changing cosmetics business. Much like the
automobile, fashion and consumer electronics industries,
in the cosmetics industry, newness is what attracts
customers to the brand.
The bottom line is that innovation is essential to remaining
competitive in our market. While change may be uncomfortable
at times, it demonstrates the willingness of both our
Company and the independent sales force to deliver products
that excite and address the needs and desires of their
customers.
With respect to inventory, our goal is to communicate
to the independent sales force any changes to regular-line
products at least three to six months in advance. This
allows for adjustment of their inventory levels and
helps them make informed decisions in the meantime in
regard to their product orders and needs. In addition,
whenever significant changes are made, we share tips
to help them manage their inventory in the months leading
up to the changes.
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Pyramid schemes are illegal operations
in which compensation for representatives’ activities
is based primarily on recruiting, not on the sale of
legitimate products or services. Typically, in a pyramid
scheme, inventory is not repurchased by the company.
Companies operating such scams are not permitted to
be members of the Direct
Selling Association (“DSA”). Mary Kay
and the DSA have strongly endorsed effective anti-pyramid
legislation and enforcement. Many states, including
Texas, have adopted effective anti-pyramid laws.
We encourage anyone considering a direct-selling opportunity
to find out if the company in which they’re interested
is a member of the DSA, of which Mary Kay is a longtime
member. Member companies pledge to abide by and uphold
DSA’s strict Code of Ethics. Included in the DSA
Code of Ethics is, among other things, the requirement
that the member company repurchase inventory from the
representative at 90 percent of the original net cost.
This is a key distinguishing feature that allows law
enforcement officials to easily identify a legitimate
direct-selling company. |
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Absolutely
not. Pyramids are illegal. The following points
concerning the Mary Kay marketing plan are of particular
importance in distinguishing it from illegal pyramid
schemes:
A. There is one wholesale
sale (Company to Independent Beauty Consultant) and
one retail sale (from
Beauty Consultant to customer) of Mary Kay® products.
There are no levels of wholesalers
between the Company and the consumer through which
products pass at varying discounts before sales. Thus
everyone, whether Independent Beauty Consultant or
Independent Sales Director (Sales Director of sales
unit of Independent Beauty Consultants), purchases
all cosmetics products directly
from the Company at the same published wholesale prices
for resale to consumers of their choice. Everyone
has the opportunity to buy at the same discount irrespective
of their status on the independent sales force career
path.
B. Everyone recruited as an Independent Beauty Consultant
is recruited to sell products
at retail. Independent Beauty Consultants do
not recruit others to buy products from them. All
Independent Beauty Consultants are thus aware that
all products purchased by them are for sale at retail
to ultimate consumers (or may be returned to the Company
for repurchase).
C. Every Mary Kay independent sales force member begins
as an Independent Beauty Consultant with the purchase
of a Starter Kit. No compensation is earned by anyone
on this Starter Kit purchase. The products and sales
tools included in the Starter Kit are designed to
introduce a new Independent Beauty Consultant to Mary
Kay and help her begin building her business. No “investment”
is required and no status on the independent sales
force career path may be purchased by the payment
of fees or by the purchase of a given quantity of
products from the Company or anyone else. There are
thus no “sales” of “levels,”
“positions,” “distributorships”
or “franchises” by the Company or any
of the Independent Beauty Consultants.
D. Elevation from Independent Beauty Consultant to
Independent Sales Director does not involve the payment
of any fee, rebate, premium or hidden discount of
any kind to either the Company or anyone else. Elevation,
at the election of any Independent Beauty Consultant,
is based strictly upon individual effort and ability.
E. Any Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant who
terminates her contractual relationship with the Company
may return unsold products in original and unused
condition, and these will be repurchased by the Company
per the terms of the Independent Beauty Consultant
Agreement at 90 percent of her original net cost.
F. The Company pays all commissions directly to Independent
Beauty Consultants and Independent Sales Directors.
The commissions are paid based upon monthly purchases
and recorded on computer reports furnished with the
commission payments. The entire marketing structure
is based on and intended to foster retail sales to
ultimate consumers. Commissions paid on any products
returned for repurchase by the Company by an Independent
Beauty Consultant terminating her Independent Beauty
Consultant Agreement, pursuant to Item E above (i.e.,
products not sold at retail), are charged back to
the commission recipient. |
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