Founded in 1995 by Iranian American sisters Dineh Mohajer and Pooneh Mohajer, along with Benjamin A. Einstein, Hard Candy is an esteemed American cosmetics company.

The company started out by launching its first product, a captivating shade of baby blue nail polish called “Sky,” which was personally mixed by Dineh to match her sandals. The positive feedback from her friends prompted her to venture into selling the polish. Initially, the sales took place at Fred Segal in Santa Monica and later expanded to other prominent retailers like Nordstroms. Hard Candy gained significant attention and acclaim when actress Alicia Silverstone became a fan of their nail polish, leading to their endorsement on MTV House of Style and various advertisements.

Hard Candy reached new heights in 1999 when it was acquired by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), a renowned conglomerate that owns prominent brands such as Donna Karan, Givenchy, Sephora, TAG Heuer, and Veuve Clicquot. This acquisition proved instrumental in expanding the distribution and popularity of Hard Candy. Subsequently, the brand was sold to Falic Fashion, a company specializing in the duty-free market. In 2009, the collaboration between Hard Candy and Wal-Mart further catapulted the brand into the mass market, making it more readily available to a wider audience.

The brand’s products have always been synonymous with exquisite design and meticulous marketing. NuWorld Beauty and Wal-Mart collaborated for over a year to develop Hard Candy’s marketing concept, product creation, and package design.

Under its current ownership, Hard Candy has preserved some of its original iconic products, such as the timeless nail polish, while also introducing innovative additions to its range, including the Kaleyedescope Baked Eyeshadow, Eye Tattoo, Press-On Eyeshadow, and Take Me Out Eyeliner. One of the brand’s strengths lies in its ability to package user-friendly products in aesthetically pleasing and trendy containers. Hard Candy consistently delivers what’s hot, fashionable, and undeniably cool, expressing their commitment to both fun and functionality.

In 2007, Hard Candy made its foray into the world of perfumery with the release of its first fragrance, aptly named Hard Candy. This Floral Fruity Gourmand scent is specifically designed for women, with top notes of white tea, rhubarb, and pink pepper, middle notes of passionfruit, jasmine, and rose, and base notes that culminate in a blend of cashmere musk, vanilla, caramel, and cedar. Notably, Hard Candy has expanded its perfume collection to include a total of four fragrances, with the earliest edition introduced in 2002 and the most recent in 2017. The talented nose behind these captivating fragrances is Barbara Zoebelein.