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.
“Our ambition is to double the size of the business and become a top five player within the next three years,” van Praag told Glossy. To do so, she is leaning deeply into Milani’s core franchises, expanding its shelf space through collaborative product R&D, and leveraging social campaigns to grow awareness of its value offering.
“We have big ambitions, and lofty goals and aspirations,” van Praag said. “But I always say, ‘You get one point for saying it, you get nine for doing it,’ and we’re doing it.”
Glossy checked in with van Praag to learn more about her winning tentpole initiatives, including the trends and tactics she’s investing in for the second half of the year.
On the power of collaborating with retailer partners
“I’ll call key retailers that we do very purposeful ‘in the kitchen’ [exercises with], where we’re ideating [with them] alongside our product development [team] a good 18 months out,” van Praag said. “We’re thinking about concepts and trends in the marketplace, and ideating on our product architecture and funnel. We’re bringing them in to have a point of view and helping us shape future innovation.”
This tactic benefits the company in many ways. “It gives us insight in terms of how they’re thinking about their category growth, [and] we align on things that may be more tailored to their specific customer,” she said. “When that happens, they feel a distinct level of partnership and [want to] ensure its success.”
This often means developing new products or shades to fill white space in the retailer’s categories, which means more shelf space for Milani and exclusive innovation, at least upon launch, for the retailer. “That’s been a big piece of our growth,” van Praag said. “We’ve done that very successfully with many of our partners, which has helped extend our growth in the [omnichannel] retail environment.”
On the trends she’s betting on for 2H 2026 and beyond
After several years of the “clean girl,” “no-makeup makeup” aesthetic, van Praag sees color coming back in a new way. “The [color cosmetics] consumer is rather fickle, right?” van Praag said. “Six-month [trend] periods are the new norm.”
Milani’s top retailers are all forecasting a strong return to bold color, such as lip, cheek and eye, but van Praag sees it happening with more restraint than the “full beat” trends that dominated the industry a decade ago. “You’re going to see more pops [of dramatic color],” she said. That may mean a nude lip with a bold eye, or vice versa, but we’re unlikely to see full glam overtake everyday looks anytime soon.
“You’re going to see a little bit more dramatic color in certain segments of [our] business, which I think will be exciting, [but] it’s up to the consumer [if they’ll sell],” she said. “It doesn’t mean we’re not going to offer nude anymore or offer a more natural look, but we’re going to give the consumer a choice [in the second half of the year].”
On banking on core products
“Eye, excluding mascara, has struggled a bit, and lip formats have struggled a bit because it’s kind of flopped from traditional bullet to lip oils, down to lip balms,” van Praag said. “It shifts and changes a bit, so we always think, ‘What are the core staples that you must have to win?’” For Milani, that means betting on mascara, blush, setting spray, everyday lip products and complexion basics as it works to double revenue. “It’s about having that right blend,” she said, of core products and “more unique items that can bring excitement.”
