Ben Nye made makeup for Hollywood — talc lawsuits brought it down

Ben Nye Makeup Company was founded in 1967 by Ben Nye, a Hollywood makeup artist who had worked on classic films and knew what professionals needed. The company built a reputation for high-quality theatrical makeup — foundations, powders, concealers, face paints, and special-effects products like fake blood and liquid latex — that became the standard for film, television, and stage.

Customers included Universal Studios, Walt Disney World, and Cirque du Soleil — professional users who relied on Ben Nye's products for durability, color accuracy, and safety. The company remained family-owned and operated for 57 years, distributing through professional makeup retailers worldwide.

In 2024, Ben Nye Makeup Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The cause was a growing number of talc-based lawsuits — claims that the company's talc-containing powders were linked to health problems, echoing the litigation that had already forced Johnson & Johnson and other talc users into massive settlements.

The filing came as a shock to the theatrical makeup industry, where Ben Nye was considered an institution. A family business that had quietly served Hollywood professionals for decades was suddenly unable to operate under the weight of product-liability claims that had nothing to do with its core competence.