Cosmetics company Mary Kay recently reported a 15% increase in sales in 2011 and noted that more people are interested in joining the ranks of the direct beauty seller. More than 10,000 Mary Kay independent beauty consultants are gathering this week in Atlanta during Mary Kay Inc.’s annual Leadership Conference from Jan. 8-14 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The conference consists of two back-to-back, four-day conferences designed to further develop the businesses of leaders among Mary Kay independent beauty consultants.

“We are coming off a strong year because we’ve seen more women wanting to start a Mary Kay business,” said Yvette Franco, vice president of U.S. Marketing at Mary Kay. “Our independent sales force is more diverse and more women from GenY are joining Mary Kay. The fundamental principles of our business are appealing to women of every demographic group. Young people enjoy the fact that this business offers flexibility. The long-standing appeal of our products combined with the increase in sales force members, have resulted in strong sales for Mary Kay.”