NYX Professional Makeup
Product brand
UnclaimedNYX Professional Makeup is a Los Angeles-founded cosmetics brand known for professional-inspired makeup offered through mass-market channels and a broad international retail network.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
NYX Professional Makeup is an American cosmetics brand founded in Los Angeles in 1999 by Toni Ko. The name refers to Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. Ko established the company at age 25 and initially focused on a small range of eye and lip pencils. The first products included six eyeliners and 12 lip liners, positioned at accessible prices while drawing on the appearance and performance associations of department-store beauty. The brand’s early commercial proposition was to make professional-looking cosmetics available through drugstores and other mass-market outlets rather than limiting them to prestige counters. The company’s initial hero products were jumbo eye pencils, which generated approximately $2 million in revenue during the first year according to the brand’s Wikipedia account. NYX first concentrated on beauty professionals and later broadened its distribution to consumers. This professional-to-mass-market route became central to the brand identity: NYX combined a wide shade and format assortment, relatively accessible pricing, and a highly visual approach to makeup with distribution through specialty beauty retailers, fashion stores, standalone shops, and online channels. NYX expanded its profile through creative community initiatives as well as products. In 2011 it introduced the Freedom and Artistry for Creative Expression, or FACE, Awards, a competition associated with makeup artists and beauty creators. The program helped connect the brand with emerging artistic talent and the growing online beauty community. By 2014, reported sales had reached $120 million. That year, Ko sold NYX to the French beauty company L’Oréal for $500 million, with a five-year non-compete provision attached to the transaction. NYX subsequently operated as part of L’Oréal while retaining a distinct brand identity. L’Oréal increased the brand’s physical retail presence. In September 2015, it introduced stores dedicated to NYX cosmetics, complementing distribution through retailers such as Ulta Beauty. In 2016, the brand reported annual sales growth of 4.7 percent and used the name NYX Professional Makeup more prominently. Standalone stores were later listed in numerous markets across Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania, while products continued to be sold through thousands of retailers in more than 70 countries. The assortment includes lipsticks, lip glosses, foundations, mineral foundation products, eye pencils, and other color cosmetics. The brand also emphasizes education and creator participation. In September 2018, it launched Masterclass, an online library of makeup education featuring professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers. NYX further extended its cultural and digital marketing activity through a 2019 sponsorship of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and a 2021 partnership with esports organization Dignitas. The brand is recognized by PETA as cruelty-free and offers a range of vegan-friendly products, although vegan suitability can vary by individual product. NYX Professional Makeup remains an active L’Oréal brand with an international presence and a positioning centered on expressive, accessible, professional-inspired cosmetics.
History
NYX Professional Makeup began in Los Angeles in 1999, when Toni Ko founded NYX Cosmetics at age 25. Ko reportedly financed the venture with a $250,000 loan from her parents and built the initial assortment around inexpensive eye and lip pencils. Her access to a pencil manufacturer helped make it possible to launch with six eyeliners and 12 lip liners. These products sold out rapidly, and jumbo eye pencils became an early commercial driver, generating approximately $2 million in first-year revenue according to the cited account. The early NYX proposition was to bridge professional and mass-market beauty. The company initially sold to beauty professionals, then expanded into drugstores and other consumer channels. Its products were presented as having a department-store beauty feel while remaining available at drugstore prices. This approach allowed NYX to compete through assortment, accessibility, and visual creativity rather than relying exclusively on prestige distribution. In 2011, the brand established the Freedom and Artistry for Creative Expression Awards. The FACE Awards supported the brand's relationship with makeup artists and beauty creators at a time when online video and beauty communities were becoming increasingly important to cosmetics marketing. By 2014, reported sales were $120 million. That year, Ko sold NYX to L'Oréal for $500 million. The transaction included a five-year non-compete clause, and NYX continued as a distinct brand within L'Oréal after the acquisition. The post-acquisition period brought further retail and international expansion. In September 2015, L'Oréal introduced brick-and-mortar stores dedicated to NYX. The brand also remained available through large beauty retailers, including Ulta Beauty, and through specialty and fashion channels. In 2016, NYX reported annual sales growth of 4.7 percent and used the NYX Professional Makeup identity more prominently. The brand's standalone retail network later included markets in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, while its wider retail distribution reached more than 70 countries and thousands of outlets. NYX continued to broaden its role from product company to education and culture platform. Its 2018 Masterclass initiative assembled online educational material from professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers, intending to make professional-style instruction accessible to consumers at different skill levels. In 2019, the brand became an exclusive cosmetics sponsor of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, using immersive beauty installations and on-site touch-up experiences. In 2021, it partnered with Dignitas as the esports organization's official beauty partner, extending its presence into women's esports through branded content and team sponsorships. The modern assortment encompasses eye and lip products, foundations, mineral foundation, and other color cosmetics. NYX is identified by PETA as cruelty-free and offers vegan-friendly products, though customers must assess vegan status at the individual-product level. The brand remains an active L'Oréal subsidiary with an international retail footprint and a market position built around accessible, professional-inspired, and highly expressive makeup.
- 2021
Dignitas partnership expands into esports
[1]NYX is named official beauty partner of Dignitas, including activity around its women's esports platform and teams.
- 2019
Coachella cosmetics sponsorship begins
[1]NYX becomes an exclusive cosmetics sponsor of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
- 2018
Masterclass online education library launches
[1]NYX introduces an online library of makeup instruction featuring professional artists and beauty vloggers.
- 2016
The brand adopts the NYX Professional Makeup identity
[1]NYX launches or more prominently uses the NYX Professional Makeup name and reports annual sales growth of 4.7 percent.
- 2015
Dedicated NYX stores open
[1]L'Oréal introduces brick-and-mortar stores dedicated to NYX cosmetics.
- 2014
L'Oréal acquires NYX
[1]Toni Ko sells NYX to L'Oréal in a reported $500 million transaction.
- 2011
FACE Awards are introduced
[1]NYX launches the Freedom and Artistry for Creative Expression Awards for makeup and beauty creators.
- 1999
NYX Cosmetics is founded in Los Angeles
[1]Toni Ko establishes NYX Cosmetics and launches an initial range of eyeliners and lip liners.
- 1999
Jumbo eye pencils become an early hero product
[1]The brand's early jumbo eye pencils help generate approximately $2 million in first-year revenue, according to the cited account.
Products and positioning
Professional-inspired, expressive color cosmetics offered at accessible mass-market prices, with strong emphasis on makeup artistry, creator culture, education, and broad shade and format variety.
Eye makeup · 1999
Jumbo Eye Pencils
Jumbo eye pencils were among NYX's earliest and most commercially important products. They helped establish the brand's accessible professional-inspired proposition by offering a larger-format eye pencil associated with versatile application and expressive makeup looks. The line is historically significant because it was identified as an early revenue driver after the company's 1999 launch.
Eye makeup · 1999
Eyeliners and Eye Pencils
Eyeliners and eye pencils formed part of the original NYX assortment and remain representative of the brand's color-cosmetics focus. The products support a range of eye-definition and creative makeup applications and reflect the company's early emphasis on professional techniques at accessible prices.
Lip makeup · 1999
Lip Liners
Lip liners were included in NYX's initial launch assortment. They occupy an important role in the brand's historical product architecture, complementing lipstick and gloss products while supporting shaping, definition, and layered lip looks.
Lip makeup
Lipstick and Lip Gloss
NYX's lipstick and lip-gloss products extend the brand's accessible, expressive approach into color and finish. The cited account identifies both categories as part of the brand's continuing assortment, with products distributed through mass-market, specialty, standalone, and online channels.
Face makeup
Foundation and Mineral Foundation
Foundation and mineral foundation are part of NYX's face-makeup offering. These products broaden the brand beyond its original eye and lip-pencil focus and support complexion-oriented routines within its professional-inspired but accessible portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Dignitas Official Beauty Partnership
International
NYX partnered with esports organization Dignitas as its official beauty partner, including branded content through the Radiant women's esports platform and sponsorship of women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant teams.
Outcome. Extended NYX's cultural marketing into esports and women's competitive gaming.
- 2019Coachella Beauty Sponsorship
United States
NYX became the exclusive cosmetics sponsor of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, offering interactive beauty experiences including a beauty bar, touch-up area, glitter installations, and a large lip-and-tongue slide.
Outcome. Expanded experiential marketing and connected the brand with festival culture.
- 2018Masterclass
International
Masterclass was an online educational content library featuring professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers. It was designed to make professional-style makeup education available to consumers with different levels of experience.
Outcome. Extended NYX's brand proposition from products into digital education.
- 2011FACE Awards
International
The Freedom and Artistry for Creative Expression Awards connected NYX with makeup artists and beauty creators and reinforced the brand's association with artistic experimentation.
Outcome. Established a recurring creator- and artistry-oriented platform for the brand.
Brand decisions
2018
Launch of MasterclassProduct launchBackground
Beauty education and creator-led instruction had become important ways for cosmetics brands to engage consumers.
Action taken
NYX launched Masterclass, an online library featuring professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers.
Aftermath
The initiative strengthened NYX's education-led and creator-oriented brand proposition.
2016
Adoption of the NYX Professional Makeup identityStrategyBackground
The brand was expanding internationally and emphasizing its connection to professional makeup artistry.
Action taken
NYX launched or more prominently adopted the NYX Professional Makeup name while reporting annual sales growth of 4.7 percent.
Aftermath
The professional positioning became more explicit in the brand's identity and communications.
2015
Expansion into dedicated physical storesStrategyBackground
Following its acquisition by L'Oréal, NYX had an opportunity to broaden its direct physical presence beyond third-party retail.
Action taken
L'Oréal introduced brick-and-mortar stores devoted to NYX cosmetics.
Aftermath
The brand developed a standalone-store footprint alongside distribution through beauty, fashion, specialty, and online retailers.
2014
Sale of NYX to L'OréalM&ABackground
NYX had grown from a small Los Angeles cosmetics company into an internationally expanding mass-market beauty brand, with reported 2014 sales of $120 million.
Action taken
Founder Toni Ko sold NYX to L'Oréal for a reported $500 million. The transaction included a five-year non-compete clause.
Aftermath
NYX continued under separate brand management within L'Oréal, followed by expanded standalone retail and international distribution.
Acquisition value. $500 million (2014 transaction)
Sources1 sources
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