[2] The company sells its products through e-commerce and its beauty store studio franchises, along with operating day spas through its Merle Norman Spa brand.

[3] Merle Norman, with her education in chemistry, started making makeshift cosmetic products in her home kitchen to sell to her neighbors while her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt, worked as the delivery peddler.

[10] The company opened secondary factory in Sylmar, Los Angeles in 1971, and a forward distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee for its East Coast studios in 1973.

[11] In 1974, the family bought back all the public stock due to a lack of demanded trading interest, and the company reverted to being privately held.

[13] The company started its first national advertising campaign, having previously only used word-of-mouth marketing regionally, including being the primary sponsor of the 1981 Met Gala.

[27] Merle Norman Spas are select specialized outlets throughout the United States and Canada that offer day spa services, including facial treatments and massages from trained estheticians.

[5] Below is a list of current domestic and international studio outlets as of 2021, with there being 955 throughout 49 U.S. states and 52 locations throughout 8 Canadian Provinces and 5 countries abroad totaling 1,007.

[14] The company sponsors the USC Trojans and funded Merle Norman Stadium for the school's new NCAA Division I beach volleyball program in 2012.