In an era of tightening consumer spending and growing competition in the mass category, Milani CEO Mary van Praag has accomplished what few other leaders could: 19 consecutive quarters of sales growth as the company nears $250 million in annual sales. “There’s this magical piece [of our success] where we’re bringing in new consumers, but we have 25 years of history,” van Praag told Glossy. “We’ve stood the test of time, we have been such a viable brand, we continue to grow, and we still have a lot more runway ahead of ourselves.”
According to Milani, the company delivered more than 10% sales growth in 2025. It moved from the No. 10 position in mass color cosmetics to No. 7, continuing to outperform the mass category as a whole, according to NielsenIQ and Stackline. The brand’s bestsellers include its baked blush franchise, mascara offerings, lip products and portfolio of setting sprays.
Milani sells DTC and through retailers like Target, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS and Ulta Beauty. The brand’s value proposition is simple: prestige formulas, most of which are made in Europe, paired with mass pricing.
Milani was founded in 2001 in Los Angeles by siblings Laurie Minc and Ralph Bijou. Private equity firm Gryphon Investors took a majority stake in 2018, marking its first beauty acquisition ahead of investments in ROC and Revision skin care. Van Praag took over the CEO role in 2020. Her CV includes CEO of Perricone MD skin care and GM of Coty-owned OPI nail care, as well as VP roles at Johnson & Johnson and Revlon.
