Jane Ford, the co-founder of Benefit Cosmetics, died on December 1. She was 73.
 
Ford started Benefit in 1976 with her sister, Jean, who died in 2019. Jean and Jane’s initial business plan was to make $33 per day to break even…but the “face place,” their tiny original makeup shop in San Francisco’s Mission District, was bound for more. Over the course of more than 20 years, Benefit rose from startup to major brand, with distribution at Henri Bendel, Macy’s and Sephora.
 
In 1999, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton bought a majority stake in the business. The Fords retired in 2012 and LVMH owns the brands outright.