The company’s beginnings are a true American success story. In the late 1920’s, an ambitious young woman named Merle Nethercutt Norman began sharing skin care products of her own creation with family and friends. As an added service she demonstrated the products. It was from this original concept that the famous and much imitated slogan, “Try Before You Buy” originated. Merle Norman is also the inventor of the legendary “Before and After” make over.

As demand grew, she opened her first Studio in 1931 in Santa Monica, CA, with the help of her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt, who assisted in the development and manufacturing of her products. Decades before working women were the norm, Merle Norman gave hundreds of women the opportunity to achieve business success by owning and operating their own Studios. Her single Studio has evolved into the successful corporation it is today.

Our dynamic studio supports the same spirit of enthusiasm that inspired Merle Norman all those years ago. We are dedicated to Merle Norman’s original vision of superior products, individual service and the “Try Before You Buy” Philosophy.

Although Merle Norman passed away in 1972 her company, now based in Los Angeles, remains a family-owned business dedicated to helping people everywhere look their absolute best.