beauty addict

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Behind the scenes at your favorite companies.

Cargo Cosmetics: Beauty Without Borders
By Erin Roop

For most beauty addicts, makeup is precious cargo—the one thing we always throw in our handbags and the first thing pack away if we’re boarding a flight (especially now, given the current travel restrictions). And we’re not the only ones. More than a decade ago, Hana Zalzal identified the growing significance of cosmetics, not only as beloved possessions but also as a part of many women’s identity. “Makeup is a terrific form of self-expression,” she explains. “I’ve always been fascinated by the colors women choose to wear.” The venture Zalzal founded soon afterward, Cargo Cosmetics, is now one of the beauty industry’s leading brands.

“It’s still sort of surreal that Cargo is as popular as it is,” says Zalzal, a self-professed makeup junkie who previously worked as an engineer, marketer, and financial analyst. But with the launch of the brand’s very first product—SlinSlan, an opalescent lip gloss encased in a jumbo tin—the company’s reputation spread quickly, and Cargo was well on its way to lasting success. “The day that Dr. Phil gave our products to his entire audience was a complete out-of-body experience,” Zalzal recalls.

Inspired by everything from makeup-artist tricks to customer feedback, Cargo now boasts a range of bestselling products, including the Smoky Eyeliner Duo, the Wet/Dry Foundation, the SuperEyes Mascara, and of course, its signature Lip Gloss Duos and Quads. In addition to its versatile and longwearing formulas, the brand has won numerous awards for its innovative packaging: DailyGloss, for example, includes 30 prepackaged doses of lip gloss in colors that suit every skin tone, while ColorCards are cream eye shadows embossed onto credit card–size cards that can be easily slipped into any wallet.

Beyond that, Cargo is now standard issue on sets of various TV shows and has attracted a loyal celebrity following. Lindsay Lohan and Sheryl Crow are both fans, and Courteney Cox even created an eye-shadow palette for the brand, the proceeds of which go to charity. Along these lines, a portion of the profits from Cargo’s celebrity-designed lipsticks are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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