This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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Helmed for the past six years by veteran beauty executive Mary van Praag, 25-year-old mass beauty mainstay Milani Cosmetics is in the midst of meteoric growth.
“[It’s been] about 20 quarters of consecutive growth ahead of the category, so we’re very, very proud of that,” she told Glossy. “We feel like we’re just getting started.”
As reported by Glossy in July, Milani Cosmetics 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.
“We set out a clear strategy [and] we’ve had phases of growth. … I’d say we’re in the catapult phase now,” van Praag told Glossy. “I created what I’d say is a world-class team, and built processes to help enable that growth with the team, step-by-step.”
Now, fresh off reaching just under $250 million in annual sales in 2025, van Praag has her sights set on topping $500 million in the next three years. “Everything that we’re planning suggests that we’re tracking to that goal,” she said. “If the past is any predictor of the future, I’m quite confident we will get there.”
Milani is based in Los Angeles and privately held by private equity firm Gryphon Investors. The brand is best known for its baked blush, setting spray and mascara, which retail for $12.99, $13.99 and $14.99, respectively. The brand sells DTC and through Ulta Beauty, Target, Walmart, CVS, Amazon and others. Van Praag joined the company as CEO in 2020. Her resume includes Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Coty, Perricone MD skin care, and more.
Today, van Praag’s team is marching towards serving one specific customer archetype: a picky, educated, professional, urban-dwelling, family-focused millennial who wants high-quality, flattering, everyday products, not an endless supply of trendy new things to try. “We’re naming her Sophia for the moment, and she’s not a trend, she’s not a label, and she wants something in makeup that will reveal who she is personally, but not redefine herself,” she said. “She’s very dynamic, and we’re trying to use that as more representative of the target that we can really win with.”
In today’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, van Praag sits down with host Lexy Lebsack to discuss Milani’s growth engine, including the tactics and retail partnerships she’s betting on to reach $500 million in annual sales in the next three years.
On Milani’s growth engine
“We set out a clear strategy. We had phases of growth. First there was the reset after Covid: propel the business, reset the foundation. And I’d say we’re in the catapult phase now, and very intentional in terms of our product architecture, our merchandising philosophy, reigniting the brand DNA and what it has always stood for, which is around quality and craftsmanship, and then igniting our team. You know, it’s a very entrepreneurial team that’s results-oriented, but at the same time, collaborative. I always say every person in the company makes a difference, and they can ideate from the beginning of a product all the way to its execution. So it’s just a very, very dynamic organization that fuels the growth. And I created what I’d say is a world-class team and built processes to enable that growth with the team, step by step. And we are just super proud of what we accomplish. And feel like, in all honesty, after 25 years of Milani being in business, we feel like we’re just getting started.”
On Milani’s sales aspirations
“It took us, in my tenure here, about five years to double our sales from when I first joined, and we clearly are setting our sights on the potential of Milani being a top five player in the mass color arena, and we believe that’s possible. Essentially, what that means is we would be doubling our share and doubling our sales in order to accomplish that, and we feel like, given our productivity with retailers, how we’re resonating with our consumer audience, the fact that we have so much potential in terms of our footprint and space and adjacencies within these key retailers, as well as Amazon, and internationally, it’s very possible. We do a, I’ll call a ‘three-year long-range plan,’ and everything we’re planning suggests we’re tracking to that goal. And if the past is any predictor of the future, I’m quite confident we will get there.”
On redefining the Milani customer
“We’ve been working on something. … This is my internal language, what we call the persona of Milani. … We’ll give her her name in a moment, but she’s discerning. She’s a very discerning individual. She’s very educated on the category, and she loves to use a variety of products. But we’re naming her Sophia for the moment, and she’s not a trend; she’s not a label, but she wants something in makeup that will reveal who she is personally, but not redefine herself. So she takes inspiration from a lot of different places. She wants true substance, and she doesn’t want any compromises, or very few. If I had to say who she is, she’s 37, so she’s young at heart, so she’s that core millennial. She’s probably living in the city or has that city-like life. She’s family-focused, and she’s feeling fortunate, right? So she is a professional. She has a job. She indexes slightly higher than the average [consumer], and she’s spending a lot of money on beauty, but not just to try. … We believe we resonate most with this person who has this edited expression and really sticks to a brand and loves it for its quality and craftsmanship.”
