NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Professional Makeup is an American color-cosmetics brand founded in Los Angeles in 1999 by the entrepreneur Toni Ko [1][2]. Built around affordable, trend-driven makeup, it grew from a small eyeliner and lip-liner line into one of the faster-growing cosmetics brands in the United States before being acquired by the French beauty company L'Oréal in 2014 [1]. It has operated as part of L'Oréal ever since, and its products are sold in more than 70 countries at thousands of retailers.

The brand took its name from Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night [1]. At launch it was known as NYX Cosmetics — the name still used in L'Oréal's 2014 acquisition announcement [2] — and the "Professional Makeup" designation was adopted later under L'Oréal ownership; the current official styling is NYX Professional Makeup [1].

Toni Ko, a Korean-American entrepreneur, started the company in Los Angeles in 1999. Its first range was deliberately small and cheap: six eyeliners and twelve lip liners priced at $1.99 each, which the brand says sold out in under 30 days [1]. That low-price, high-turnover model set the template the company has kept since, positioning itself in the affordable, "drugstore" segment of the makeup market.

In 2014, Toni Ko sold the business to L'Oréal for an estimated $500 million; the deal included a five-year non-compete clause for the founder [1][2]. L'Oréal's announcement described the company as "one of the fastest growing color cosmetics brands in the United States." Within L'Oréal's portfolio, the brand sits alongside makeup and personal-care names such as Maybelline, L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme and Kiehl's. After the acquisition, L'Oréal opened standalone NYX stores in 2015 and, in 2018, launched Masterclass, an online educational content library featuring professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers.

The brand positions itself as offering professional-quality color cosmetics at low prices. L'Oréal has described the range as "a line of high quality, on-trend professional color cosmetics at attractive prices," rooted in professional makeup artistry and supported by social-media and grassroots marketing aimed at younger, socially connected shoppers [2]. The catalogue spans everyday basics, on-trend shades and longstanding best-sellers rather than a single hero category.

The line covers eye, lip, face and brow makeup. Among its most prominent products are the Butter Gloss lip gloss — of which, according to the brand, one sells every 15 seconds — the matte Makeup Setting Spray, the Epic Ink Liner, the Ultimate Shadow Palette, and the Can't Stop Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation, an inexpensive foundation that editorial coverage has noted as a popular seller [3]. The Butter Gloss and Ultimate Shadow Palette are frequently cited among the brand's cult favorites.

The company states that its products are certified cruelty-free by PETA and that it offers a wide range of vegan-friendly products [1].

NYX Professional Makeup remains an active, global brand operated as a subsidiary of L'Oréal following the 2014 acquisition. Its products continue to be distributed across more than 70 markets, and best-sellers such as the Butter Gloss, Epic Ink Liner and Can't Stop Won't Stop foundation feature in current editorial coverage.