Lakewood, OH
440.835.2440
www.thebonnebellcompany.com
Sales: $116 million

Sales:
$116 million (estimated)

Key Personnel:
Jess “Buddy” Bell, chairman and chief executive officer; Bob Evans, chief operating officer; Scott Sumser, vice president

Major Products:
Color cosmetics, Lip Smackers flavored lip balms

This year, Bonne Bell teamed up with Paul Frank to develop lip balms.

New Products:
LipLushous, the company’s first-ever lip plumping product

Comments:
The Bonne Bell Company has been a family-owned firm since 1927. Jesse G. Bell, who started the cosmetic company and named it after his daughter, directed the firm toward the youth market from the very beginning, long before other cosmetic companies viewed this as trendy.

Most young girls’ first cosmetic product is a Lip Smackers flavored lip balm. This past year, Lip Smackers partnered with Paul Frank Industries (PFI) to create a limited-edition lip balm collection for Holiday 2009.

“One of my favorite teenage memories is of Lip Smackers’ Dr. Pepper flavor,” said Ryan Heuser, president of Paul Frank Industries. “It’s funny how life sometimes comes full circle. Now I get to develop products for a new generation of teens that celebrate Paul Frank’s carefree spirit with Bonne Bell!”

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also recently presented a Trail-Blazer Award to Jess A. “Buddy” Bell Jr. for the company’s non-animal-testing policy. According to PETA, Bonne Bell substantiates the safety and effectiveness of its bronzers, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip color and gloss by studying human panelists in a clinical setting with physicians’ supervision and documentation.