Maureen Kelly Net Worth: How Rich is CEO of Tarte Cosmetics?

Maureen Kelly is an American entrepreneur who founded the cheeky cosmetics line, Tarte. She has been serving as the CEO of the company since September 1999. Maureen was named Woman of the Year by Entrepreneur magazine in 2007. As of 2023, Maureen Kelly net worth is estimated to be around $5 million.

Who is Maureen Kelly?

Maureen Kelly is a businesswoman and entrepreneur from the United States. She is the founder of Tarte Cosmetics. Kelly was born in the early 1970s as a daughter of two politically active parents. Her mom has served as a board of elections commissioner and her dad has served as a judge on the New York State Supreme Court bench.

Regarding her study, Kelly studied at the Binghampton campus of the State University of New York where she majored in English. She graduated from the Binghampton campus in 1992 and joined Columbia University to earn a master’s degree in psychology.

Maureen Kelly Net Worth & Career

Maureen Kelly was fascinated with makeup from an early age. She even created a homemade cheek stain when she was only six years of age. During the holidays, she would give her dolls makeovers and make lip gloss for her friends. In an interview with the Binghampton Alumni Journal, she revealed that she had little luck when she purchased productions from department-store makeup counters. Kelly stated that she was frustrated as she could never recreate the look.

In 1998, she was going to be a clinical psychologist, however, she later dropped out of the Ph. D. program to launch her own makeup line. In fact, she initiated the company out of her one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, where she lived with her husband. At that time, she was working in the field of clinical psychology but was not satisfied with her job. Kelly was encouraged by her husband to start her own makeup line saying that life was too short not to follow one’s dream.

After giving up her doctoral studies, she started conducting extensive research into the cosmetics industry. She eventually teamed with the makeup artist, Troy Surratt whom she had hired for her wedding day. In 1999, the two launched Tarte Cosmetics with their first product, Cheek Stain. Their first product was available at Henri Bendel Stores and at the online e-tailer Beauty.com.

In the first year of her business, she had a credit card debt of $100,000. During the difficult stage, she took the help of her parents and four siblings who helped with packing and shipping. After a while, she hired actual employees and moved into a separate office space during the third year of her business. Thereafter, the company’s sales graph improved every year.

However, the company was nearly sidelined by tragedy on September 11, 2001. At that time, she lost her husband who was working in the south tower of the World Trade Center. She had even called him when the first plane hit the building. At that time, her husband told her that he was fine and would call back in 10 minutes. But, she never heard from him again. Despite going through a difficult stage in her life, she returned to resume her work which was the last thing that her hubby would have expected of her. The sales figure of the company grew in massive numbers by 2003 which reached the $2 million mark.

Just after a year, Maureen introduced a Tarte fragrance. She launched many products for the company, and even tested, devised, and retooled each product herself before launching the product. Kelly signed a contract with the TV shopping channel, QVC in 2005. After signing a contract, the revenues of the company grew by an impressive number. In 2006, Kelly took in around $10 million and was able to get sales revenue of $15 year the very next year. The company’s top-selling product was Cheek Stain.

Maureen Kelly’s Husband & Personal Life

Maureen Kelly has been married twice. She tied the knot with a bond salesman and avid rugby player, Mark Ludvigsen in 2001. Sadly, she lost her first husband on September 11, 2001, World Trade Center incident. Kelly then remarried her second husband, Sully in 2004. She has a son from her second marriage.

Maureen Kelly Net Worth

Maureen Kelly has earned an estimated net worth of $5 million as of 2023. She is also actively involved in various charity works. Kelly has worked with Dress for Success and Habitat for Humanity. She also donates 5% of Tarte’s net profits to charity.