Hard Candy is an American cosmetics company, founded in 1995 by Iranian American sisters, Dineh and Pooneh Mohajer (who now owns tokidoki), and Benjamin Einstein (who now owns einstein-beauty.com). Both sisters grew up in the affluent Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills and Benjamin Einstein was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The company's first product was nail polish that Dineh mixed herself - a shade of baby blue named "Sky" to match her sandals. In that same year, actress Alicia Silverstone appeared on the Late Night with David Letterman and, when asked about her pastel blue fingernails, replied, "It's 'Sky' by Hard Candy," causing an overnight explosion for the brand. A mere 18 months, later the brand was quoted as generating $10 million a year in a Forbes ad featuring Dineh. Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), who owns Donna Karan, Givenchy, Sephora, TAG Heuer, and Veuve Clicquot, acquired Hard Candy in 1999 for a reported $30 million. The acquisition afforded Hard Candy greater distribution and a brand to attach itself to. Hard Candy is now Urban Decay Cosmetics LLC dba Hard Candy. Dineh Mohajer, alongside Jeanne Chavez, recently left Hard Candy to form cosmetics brand Goldie. Benjamin Einstein is currently President of Einstein Cosmetics LLC.
