The company's original nine skin care products are based on a recipe from a tanner, whose skin was said to be much smoother and clearer than his age would indicate thanks to having experimented on his face with using some of the products he had been using to tan hides. Some years later, Mary Kay encountered these products, in the form of various creams that the man's daughter had developed from his original formula, and began using them herself. She later purchased the formula from the family and used it in her skincare line.

In the United States, roughly 200 products are currently available from the company. In other countries, fewer products are available, because they are reformulated to meet local laws or, more commonly, consumer preferences. For example, makeup for Asian markets is sometimes much whiter than European makeup, while African makeup has traditionally been more ochre than European makeup.

Some products, such as Mary Kay Whitener, are created for a specific country or geographic region. Other products and product lines, such as Mary Kay Limited Edition, are created to reflect seasonal changes.

In the early 1990s the company introduced a number of makeup products aimed at its burgeoning market amongst women of color.