Avon Foundation for Women Grants US$500,000 to the U.S. Department of State Secretary's Fund for Global Women's Leadership

Donation to Fund International Programs to End Violence Against Women

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2010 - The Avon Foundation for Women (www.avonfoundation.org) presented a
US$500,000 grant to the U.S. Department of State Secretary's Fund for Global
Women's Leadership to accelerate the global movement to end violence against
women. Andrea Jung, Avon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Reese
Witherspoon, Avon Global Ambassador and Honorary Chairperson of the Avon
Foundation, made the announcement at the International Women of Courage
Awards, hosted by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the U.S. Department of
State.

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Violence against women is a global epidemic yet efforts to prevent it are
underfunded. Nearly one billion women worldwide — that is one in three women
– will experience violence in their lifetime. Yet around the world, services
for victims are often limited or unavailable, and in many countries, laws to
protect women do not exist or are not enforced. Women who are abused cannot
reach their social or economic potential, which hurts families, communities
and entire countries — and can be especially detrimental to developing
countries where involvement of women is essential to growth.

The U.S. Department of State will use the grant to fund innovative and
breakthrough programs developed by international non-government organizations
for the purpose of ending violence against women.

"We are tremendously privileged to partner with the U.S. Department of
State, and share in their resolve to end violence against women. As the
company for women, we are equally committed to providing women with an
economic opportunity as we are serving as a change agent for critical issues
that face women worldwide," said Jung. "We believe the answer to this complex
problem lies in forging strong partnerships between the public and private
sectors. If we fuse our strengths — the vast resources and commitment from
the private sector, combined with the public sector's regional expertise and
grassroots networks — then our collective efforts can chart a course for a
life free of violence against women everywhere."

These new efforts underscore Avon's ongoing commitment to ending violence
against women, which includes the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program
launched by Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women in 2004. These efforts
have expanded to 45 countries including award-winning programs in Mexico and
the Czech Republic. Behind the success of these initiatives is much-needed
grassroots mobilization and fundraising driven by the company's network of 6
million Avon Sales Representatives worldwide. To date, Avon global
philanthropy has committed more than US$16 million to end violence against
women, including US$8 million coming from the global sales of Avon Empowerment
Products developed in partnership with Witherspoon.

"I am proud to serve as Avon Global Ambassador and represent a company
with a conscience and the courage to take on hard issues. Although we face
many challenges around the world, nothing is more important than ensuring the
safety of women and girls everywhere," says Witherspoon. "Investments like
the one announced today by the Avon Foundation and the U.S. Department of
State are essential to the development and implementation of programs to end
this global crisis."

The Avon Foundation for Women, along with Vital Voices, is also
collaborating with the U.S. Department of State to host a three-day
conference, The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women in
Washington, D.C., from March 9-11. This innovative public-private
partnership, which is founded on the premise that local experts are best
suited to know what solutions will work in their own communities, will foster
the creation of cross-sector collaborations with the goal of reducing
violence against women.

To facilitate the Global Partnership, Avon and the Avon Foundation for
Women donated US$1.2 million to Vital Voices to bring together 15 country
delegations consisting of leaders from diverse sectors — business,
government, law enforcement, the nongovernmental organization (NGO)
community, academia and others — in a global forum to share insights, forge
collaborations, and seek ways to overcome challenging cultural realities that
have been barriers to progress. The Global Partnership will support regional
events in India and Argentina in the fall of 2010. Additionally, the Global
Partnership will create a violence against women campaign Toolkit that will
provide information and strategies to develop effective advocacy, awareness
and education campaigns and programs that NGOs can use to reduce violence
against women in any country.

Avon Products, Inc.

Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with
over US$10 billion in annual revenue. As the world's largest direct seller,
Avon markets to women in more than 100 countries through approximately 6
million independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon's product line includes
beauty products, as well as fashion and home products, and features such
well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Advance
Techniques, Avon Naturals, and Mark. Learn more about Avon and its products
at www.avoncompany.com.

Avon Foundation for Women

The Avon Foundation for Women (www.avonfoundation.org) is the
world's largest corporate-affiliated philanthropy focused on women's issues.
Since it was founded in 1955, the Avon Foundation has been committed to the
mission to improve the lives of women and their families. Now past the half
century milestone, the Avon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that
today brings this mission to life through two key areas of focus: breast
cancer and domestic violence. Through 2009, Avon global philanthropy has
donated more than US$725 million in over 50 countries for causes most
important to women.

Debbie Coffey, +1-917-754-2932