Urban Decay (cosmetics)
Encyclopedia
Urban Decay is an American
cosmetics
company founded in 1996 by David Soward, Wende Zomnir, Patricia Holmes, and Sandy Lerner. There was a significant dispute as to whether Sandy Lerner wrongfully ousted her former friend and horse trainer
, Patricia Holmes, from a "founders role" in the upstart brand. The brand is primarily sold in mid to high-end beauty stores, such as Ulta
, Sephora
, and recently Macy's
. Urban Decay was bought by Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton
in 2000, before being sold again in 2002 to the Falic Group. In 2009 it was acquired by Castanea Partners, a private equity firm. The label is based in Newport Beach, California
, and has a distribution center in Hiahleah, Florida.
Urban Decay claims not to employ animal testing
in the creation of its products, and marks on its website which products are considered vegan. It also offers 100% synthetic fiber makeup brushes, including blush and powder brushes, made from taklon
as an alternative to typical brushes constructed from animal hair. Every item that is 100% vegan is denoted on the website by a paw print, which means it is "Marley Approved", Marley being the dog of an Urban Decay executive. Additionally, they have received approval by The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics and PETA's 5th Annual Best Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Line award.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
company founded in 1996 by David Soward, Wende Zomnir, Patricia Holmes, and Sandy Lerner. There was a significant dispute as to whether Sandy Lerner wrongfully ousted her former friend and horse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
, Patricia Holmes, from a "founders role" in the upstart brand. The brand is primarily sold in mid to high-end beauty stores, such as Ulta
Ulta
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc is a chain of beauty superstores in the United States. Each store is outfitted with a full-service salon as well. Ulta carries a variety of cosmetics and skincare brands, men's and women's fragrances, and professionally licensed haircare products...
, Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
, and recently Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Urban Decay was bought by Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
in 2000, before being sold again in 2002 to the Falic Group. In 2009 it was acquired by Castanea Partners, a private equity firm. The label is based in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, and has a distribution center in Hiahleah, Florida.
Urban Decay claims not to employ animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
in the creation of its products, and marks on its website which products are considered vegan. It also offers 100% synthetic fiber makeup brushes, including blush and powder brushes, made from taklon
Taklon
Taklon is the common name for a synthetic fiber used in artist-quality paint, makeup and pin strip brushes. It is a smooth, soft, and somewhat fragile polyester derivative devoid of any protein component or allergen elements and is therefore used in the cosmetic industries as a "green", "vegan",...
as an alternative to typical brushes constructed from animal hair. Every item that is 100% vegan is denoted on the website by a paw print, which means it is "Marley Approved", Marley being the dog of an Urban Decay executive. Additionally, they have received approval by The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics and PETA's 5th Annual Best Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Line award.