Bonne Bell Eckert, 82; Namesake Became Face of Cosmetics Company
Bonne Bell Eckert, 82, retired chairwoman of Bonne Bell Cosmetics, a firm her father named for her when she was 4 years old, died Thursday at her home in a suburb of Cleveland. No cause of death was determined, but she may have suffered a heart attack or a stroke, her daughter, Bonne E. Conroy, told the Associated Press.
Born in Salina, Kan., Eckert was chosen as namesake for the cosmetics firm by her father, J.G. Bell. She graduated from high school in the Cleveland area and began working for the family firm as a laboratory assistant. Over the years, she became the face of the firm. Advertising campaigns featured her portrait and signature as the company’s logo on such products as Ten-O-Six lotion.
In the 1960s, she was a featured speaker in department stores and in high school assemblies, teaching about skin care.
For more than 20 years before retiring as board chairwoman in 1992, she conducted business in England, Sweden, Thailand, Australia and South Africa.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
