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T.L. Williams creates the Maybelline Company, a family-owned business. The company is named after his sister Maybel, from whom he originally received the idea of producing and selling an easy-to-use product to darken eyelashes. Maybelline launches its very first product, Maybelline Cake Mascara, the first modern eye cosmetic for everyday use. Advertised and sold exclusively by mail, the mascara is received so well by the general public that women start to ask for it in drugstores. Maybelline expands into eyebrow pencils and eye shadows. A special 10-cent package of Maybelline mascara is created and distributed to drug and variety stores, which significantly expands Maybelline's distribution from exclusively mail order sales to retail outlets nationwide. Launch of Ultra Lash Mascara, a waterproof formula. A true breakthrough, Ultra Lash is the first mass-marketed "automatic" mascara, meaning that the mascara is applied directly to the brush in the tube. Plough Inc. acquires Maybelline. Maybelline USA executives move into Plough's headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee and begin to plan a state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facility. Maybelline successfully branches into additional cosmetic categories: face, lip and nail. Plough Inc. becomes Schering-Plough Corporation. At the time of the sale, Maybelline operated an assembly plant and warehouse in Alslip, Illinois. Great Lash, a water-based mascara, is introduced and makes mascara history. Today, it's still the number-one best-selling mascara in the marketplace, crossing a drugstore scanner every 1.5 seconds. Its winning formula is closely guarded and its hip appeal is undeniable. A makeup artist's staple, this mascara is always in plain sight backstage at fashion shows. Maybelline opens a 300,000-square-foot plant in North Little Rock, Arkansas with initial employment of about 350 people. Introduction of Shine Free Oil Control makeup line featuring non-comedogenic formulas. One of the first lines designed exclusively for women with oily skin and an important category for the company today. Skin looks fresh and natural all day; oil stays under control.