Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  o    No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  x    No  o

Note: The registrant is a voluntary filer of reports required to be filed by certain companies under Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting Common Stock (par value $.25) held by non-affiliates at June 30, 20192020 (the last business day of our most recently completed second quarter) was $1.7 billion.NaN.

The number of shares of Common Stock (par value $.01) outstanding at January 30, 2020,2021, was 101.34

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THE "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Statements in this report (or in the documents it incorporates by reference) that are not historical facts or information may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "estimate," "project," "forecast," "plan," "believe," "may," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "planned," "potential," "can," "expectation," "could," "will," "would" and similar expressions, or the negative of those expressions, may identify forward-looking statements. They include, among other things, statements regarding our anticipated or expected results, future financial performance, various strategies and initiatives (including our Transformation Plan, Open Up & Grow and Avon Integration plans, stabilization strategies, digital strategies, cost savings initiatives, restructuring and other initiatives and related actions), costs and cost savings, competitive advantages, impairments, the impact of foreign currency, including devaluations, and other laws and regulations, government investigations, results of litigation, contingencies, taxes and tax rates, potential alliances or divestitures, liquidity, cash flow, uses of cash and financing, hedging and risk management strategies, pension, postretirement and incentive compensation plans, supply chain, and the legal status of the Representatives.Representatives, and the anticipated impact of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and related responses from governments and private sector participants on the Company, its supply chain, third-party suppliers, project development timelines, costs, revenue, margins, liquidity and financial condition, the anticipated timing, speed and magnitude of recovery from these COVID-19 pandemic related impacts and the Company’s planned actions and responses to this pandemic. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable current assumptions, expectations, plans and forecasts regarding the Company's current or future results and future business and economic conditions more generally. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement of Avon to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from management's expectations. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictors of future events. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

Additional information identifying such factors is contained in Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, and other reports and documents we file with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

(U.S. dollars in millions, except per share data)

When used in this report, the terms "Avon," "Company," "we," "our" or "us" mean, unless the context otherwise indicates, Avon Products, Inc. and its majority and wholly owned subsidiaries.

Unlike most of our CPG competitors, which sell their products through third-party retail establishments (e.g., drug stores and department stores), we primarily sell our products to the ultimate consumer through the direct-selling channel.channel, with a strategy to

expand to omnichannel. Our priority in the omnichannel model is to accelerate digital social selling through Representative engagement, activation, training, direct customer delivery service, and e-commerce. In our case, sales of our products are made to the ultimate consumer principally through direct selling by Representatives, who are independent contractors and not our employees. As of December 31, 2019,On average we had approximately 54 million average Active Representatives during the year ended December 31, 2020, which represents the number of Representatives submitting an order in a sales campaign, totaled for all campaigns during the year and then divided by the number of campaigns. Representatives earn by purchasing products directly from us at a discount from a published brochure price and selling them to their customers, the ultimate consumer of our products. Representatives can start their Avon businesses for a nominal fee, or in some markets for no fee at all. We generally have no arrangements with end users of our products beyond the Representative, except as described below. No single Representative accounts for more than 10% of our net sales globally.

Both of our product categories individually account for 10% or more of consolidated net sales in 2019.2020. The following is the percentage of net sales by product category for the years ended December 31:

2019 was impacted by certain indirect tax items in Brazil and 2018 was impacted by the Brazil Tax on Industrial products ("IPI") tax release, both are excluded from net sales in our calculation above. See "SOLA""Avon LATAM" within MD&A for more information.

New products are essential to growth in the highly competitive cosmetics industry. Our research and development ("R&D") department’s efforts are importantvital to developing new products, including formulating effective beauty treatments relevant to women’s needs, and redesigning or reformulatingimproving existing products. As part of our Open Up Avon& Grow strategy and to improve our brand competitiveness, we have increasingly partnered with third party product development companies to help accelerate our development time and sustained our focusare focusing on developing breakthrough new technology and product innovation to deliver first-to-marketaccessible Beauty products that provide visible consumer benefits.benefits while also delivering the Company’s ambitious sustainability goals. R&D also works extensively with third party companies to bring in new ideas, help accelerate development time and deliver against local market trends.

The amounts incurred on research activities relating to the development of new products and the improvement of existing products were $36.5 in 2020, $40.6 in 2019 and $48.0 in 2018 and $52.9 in 2017.2018. This research included the activities of product research and development and package design and development. Most of these activities were related to the design and development of Beauty products.

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations impacting our global operations has not had, and currently is not anticipated to have, a material adverse effect on our financial position, capital expenditures or competitive position. As part of the Natura &Co group, we are now in the process of working towards our B Corp accreditation; which we aim to achieve by 2025.

In December 2015, we entered into definitive agreements with affiliates of Cerberus, which included the separation of the North America business from Avon into New Avon, a privately-held company that is majority-owned and managed by an affiliate of Cerberus. Avon retained approximately 20% ownership in New Avon. These transactions closed in March 2016. In August 2019 we and Cerberus finalized the sale of our respective interests in New Avon to LG Household & Health Care Ltd.

Now that the Transaction has been consummated, the expected benefits from integrating our operations with Natura & Co's operations may not be achieved.

The success of the Transaction depends, in part, on the ability of Natura &Co and its subsidiaries and businesses other than Avon (including Natura Cosmeticos,Cosméticos, Aesop, The Body Shop and their respective subsidiaries) and Avon to realize the expected benefits from integrating their respective operations. No assurance can be given that Natura &Co and Avon will be able to integrate their respective operations without encountering difficulties, which may include, among other things, the loss of key employees, diversion of management attention, the disruption of our respective ongoing businesses or possible inconsistencies in standards, procedures and policies. Additionally, Natura &Co and Avon may be required to make unanticipated capital expenditures or investments in order to maintain, integrate, improve or sustain our operations. Integrating our respective operations may involve additional unanticipated costs and financial risks, such as the incurrence of unexpected write-offs, the possible effect of adverse tax and accounting treatments and unanticipated or unknown liabilities relating to Natura &Co or Avon. All of these factors could decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the Transaction.

We have contracts with customers, employees, Representatives, suppliers, vendors, distributors, landlords, lenders, licensors, joint venture partners and other business partners, and these contracts may require us to obtain consent from these other parties in connection with the Transaction. As not all such consents have been obtained, the counterparties to these contracts may seek to terminate or otherwise materially adversely alter the terms of such contracts following the Transaction, which in turn may result in us suffering a loss of potential future revenue, incurring contractual liabilities or losing rights that are material to our business. Further, parties with which we have business and operational relationships may experience uncertainty as to the future of such relationships and may delay or defer certain business decisions, seek alternative relationships with third parties or seek to alter their present business relationships with us. Parties with whom we otherwise may have sought to establish business relationships may seek alternative relationships with third parties.

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately $660 million of foreign tax and other credits available to offset future income for U.S. federal tax purposes. As a result of the ownership change resulting from the Transaction the ability to use these credits may behas been limited to a range of approximately $108 to $178 million. Our ability to utilize such credits to offset future income could be further limited, however, if the Company undergoes an additional "ownership change" within the meaning of Section 382 of the Code. In general, an ownership change will occur if there is a cumulative increase in ownership of our stock by 5% shareholders (as defined in the Code) that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. If the 50 percentage points are exceeded, Section 382 establishes an annual limitation on the amount of deferred tax assets attributable to previously incurred credits that may be used to offset taxable income in future years. A number of complex rules apply in calculating this limitation, and any such limitation would depend in part on the market value of the Company at the time of the ownership change and prevailing interest rates at the time of calculation. As a result, the magnitude of any potential limitation on the use of our deferred tax assets and the effect of such limitation on the Company if an ownership change were to occur is difficult to assess. However, if all or a portion of our deferred tax assets were to become subject to this limitation, our tax liability could increase significantly and our future results of operations and cash flows could be adversely impacted. Prospectively if we were to undergo a further ownership change these remaining credits could be further reduced.

Risks Related to Us and Our Business Strategy

Our ability to improve our financial and operational performance and implement the key initiatives of our global business strategy is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to:

In September 2018, we initiated a new strategy in order to return Avon to growth ("Open Up Avon. As one elementAvon"). The Open Up Avon strategy is integral to our ability to return Avon to growth, built around the necessity of this plan, we are targeting cost savings,incorporating new approaches to be generated from efficienciesvarious elements of our business, including increased utilization of third-party providers in manufacturing and sourcing, distribution, generaltechnology, seeking a better fit for purpose asset base, and administrative activities,an increased focus on enabling our Representatives to more easily interact with the company and back office functions, as well as through revenue management, interest and tax.achieve relevant earnings. These savings have been and are expected to continue to be achieved through restructuring actions (that have resulted, and may continue to result, in charges related to severance, contract terminations and inventory and other asset write-offs), as well as other cost-savings strategies that would not result in restructuring charges. We initiatedIn January 2019, we announced significant advancements in this strategy, including a structural reset of inventory processes and a reduction in global workforce.

In May 2020, the new leadership of Avon International refreshed our strategy ("Open Up & Grow") which aims to return Avon International to growth over the next three years. Open Up & Grow replaces and builds on the success of the 2018 Open Up Avon strategy in order to enable usstrengthen competitiveness through enhancing the representative experience, improving brand position and relevance, accelerating digital expansion and improving costs. Over the next three years, savings are expected to achieve our goals of low-single-digit constant-dollar revenue growthcontinue to be achieved through restructuring actions (that may continue to result in charges related to severance, contract terminations and low double-digit operating margin by 2021. We plan to reinvest a portion of these cost savingsasset write-offs), as well as other cost-savings strategies that would not result in commercial initiatives, including training for Representatives, and digital and IT infrastructure initiatives. See "Overview" within MD&A for more information on our Open Up Avon Strategy.restructuring charges.

As we work to right-size our cost structure, we may not realize anticipated savings or benefits from one or more of the various restructuring and cost-savingscost-saving initiatives we may undertake as part of these efforts in full or in part or within the time periods we expect. Other events and circumstances, such as financial and strategic difficulties and delays or unexpected costs, including the impact of foreign currency and inflationary pressures, may occur which could result in our not realizing our targets or in offsetting the financial benefits of reaching those targets. If we are unable to realize these savings or benefits, or otherwise fail to invest in the growth initiatives, our business may be adversely affected. In addition, any plans to invest these savings and benefits ahead of future growth means that such costs will be incurred whether or not we realize these savings and benefits. We are also subject to the risks of labor unrest, negative publicity and business disruption in connection with these initiatives, and the failure to realize anticipated savings or benefits from such initiatives could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to improve revenue, margins and net income, or to achieve profitable growth in the future, particularly in our largest markets and developing and emerging markets, such as Brazil, Mexico and Russia. Our revenue in 20192020 was $4,763.2$3,625.2 million, compared with $4,763.2 million in 2019 and $5,571.3 million in 2018 and $5,715.6 million in 2017.2018. Improving

To improve revenue, margins and net income and to achieve profitable growth, we also need to successfully implement certain initiatives, including Open Up & Grow and Avon Integration, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. Our achievement of profitable growth is also subject to the strengths and weaknesses of our individual international markets, which are or may be impacted by global economic conditions. We cannot assure that our broad-based geographic portfolio will be able to withstand an economic downturn, recession, cost or wage inflation, commodity cost pressures, economic or political instability (including fluctuations in foreign exchange rates), competitive pressures or other market pressures in one or more particular regions.

Failure to improve revenue, margins and net income and to achieve profitable growth could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows.

Our business is conducted primarily in the direct-selling channel. Sales are made to the ultimate consumer principally through direct selling by Representatives, who are independent contractors and not our employees. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had an average of approximately 54 million average Active Representatives.Representatives, which represents the number of Representatives submitting an order in a sales campaign, totaled for all campaigns during the year and then divided by the number of campaigns. There is a high rate of turnover among Representatives, which is a common characteristic of the direct-selling business. In order to reverse losses of Representatives and grow our business in the future, we need to recruit, retain and service Representatives on a continuing basis. Among other things, we need to create attractive Representative earning opportunities and transform the value chain, restore field health and sales force effectiveness, successfully implement other initiatives in the direct-selling channel, with a strategy to expand to omnichannel successfully execute our digital strategy, including e-commerce, improve our brochure and product offerings and improve our marketing and advertising. If we are unable to constantly update our product portfolio, our ability to retain our representatives could be materially adversely affected. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve these objectives.

Our direct-selling model contains an inherent risk of bad debt associated with providing Representatives with credit, which is exacerbated if the financial condition of the Representatives deteriorates. Additionally, consumer purchasing habits, including reducing purchases of beauty and related products generally, or reducing purchases from Representatives through direct selling by buying beauty and related products in other channels such as retail, could reduce our sales, impact our ability to execute our global business strategy or have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, if we lose market share in the direct-selling channel, our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.

Furthermore, if any government or regulatory body such as Brazil or the European Union, bans or severely restricts our business methods or operational/commercial model of direct selling, our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected. We may also be adversely affected by laws or regulations in the countries in which we operate that would characterize representatives as employees or otherwise oblige us to make social security contributions on their behalf.

We operate globally, through operations in various locations around the world, and derive all of our consolidated revenue from operations outside of the U.S.

One risk associated with our international operations is that the functional currency for most of our international operations is their local currency. The primary foreign currencies for which we have significant exposures include the Argentine peso, Brazilian real, British pound, Chilean peso, Colombian peso, the euro, Mexican peso, Peruvian new sol, Philippine peso, Polish zloty, Romanian leu, Russian ruble, South African rand, Turkish lira and Ukrainian hryvnia. As the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to our foreign currencies, our revenues and profits are reduced when translated into U.S. dollars and our margins may be negatively impacted by country mix if our higher marginhigher-margin markets experience significant devaluation. In addition, our costs are more weighted to U.S. dollars while our sales are denominated in local currencies. Although we typically work to mitigate this negative foreign currency transaction impact through price increases and further actions to reduce costs, and by shifting costs to markets in which we generate revenue, we may not be able to fully offset the impact, if at all. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to manage these various foreign currency impacts and there can be no assurance that foreign currency fluctuations will not have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or cash flows.

Another risk associated with our international operations is the possibility that a foreign government may tax or impose foreign currency remittance restrictions. Due to the possibility of government restrictions on transfers of cash out of the country and control of exchange rates, we may not be able to immediately repatriate cash. If this should occur, or if the exchange rates

devalue, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or cash flows.

Inflation is another risk associated with our international operations. Gains and losses resulting from the remeasurement of the financial statements of subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies are recorded in earnings. High rates of inflation or the related devaluation of foreign currency may have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations or cash flows. For example, Argentina has been designated asis considered to be a highly inflationary economy.

We are also subject to the adoption, interpretation and enforcement by governmental agencies abroad and in the U.S. (including on federal, state and local levels) of other laws, rules, regulations or policies, including any changes thereto, such as restrictions on trade, competition, manufacturing, license and permit requirements, import and export license requirements, privacy and data protection laws, anti-trust laws, anti-corruption laws, environmental laws, records and information management, tariffs and taxes, laws relating to the sourcing of "conflict minerals," health care reform requirements such as those required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, and regulation of our brochures, product claims or ingredients, which may require us to adjust our operations and systems in certain markets where we do business.

For example, from time to time, local governments and others question the legal status of Representatives or impose burdens inconsistent with the Representative's status as independent contractors, often in regard to possible coverage under social benefit laws that would require us (and, in most instances, the Representatives) to make regular contributions to government social benefit funds.

If we are unable to address these matters in a satisfactory manner, or adhere to or successfully implement processes in response to changing regulatory requirements, our business, costs and/or reputation may be adversely affected. We cannot predict with

certainty the outcome or the impact that pending or future legislative and regulatory changes may have on our business in the future. Further, in the event that any jurisdiction in which we operate or plan to operate imposes any new laws, regulations, restrictions and/or other barriers to entry, our ability to expand may be thereby limited and our growth and development may be adversely affected.

The scope of data privacy and security regulations continues to evolve, and we believe that the adoption of increasingly restrictive regulations in this area may be likely within the jurisdictions in which we operate. Compliance with data privacy and security restrictionsrequirements could increase the cost of our operations and failure to comply with such restrictionsrequirements could subject us to business disruption, criminal and civil sanctions as well as other penalties.

Any of our IT systems and infrastructure, or those of our third-party service providers, may be susceptible to outages, disruptions, destruction or corruption due to the complex landscape of localized applications and architectures as well as incidents related to legacy or unintegrated systems. These IT systems and infrastructure also may be susceptible to cybersecurity breaches, attacks, computer viruses, break-ins, including ransomware, other malware and phishing attacks, data corruption, fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks and similar events beyond our control. We rely on our employees, Representatives and third parties in our day-to-day and ongoing operations, who may, as a result of human error or malfeasance or failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach of third-party systems or infrastructure, expose us to risk. Furthermore, our ability to protect and monitor the practices of our third-party service providers is more limited than our ability to protect and monitor our own IT systems and infrastructure.

Our IT systems, or those of our third-party service providers may be accessed by unauthorized users such as cyber criminals as a result of a failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach, exposing us to risk. As techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, a failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach may go undetected for a long period of time. An actual or perceived failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach of our IT systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party service providers, could result in the theft, transfer, unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, or destruction of Company, employee, Representative, customer, vendor, or other third-party data, including sensitive or confidential data, personal information and intellectual property and could be particularly harmful to our brand and reputation.

Despite our efforts, our and our third-party service providers’ data, IT systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable. There can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent a failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach of our or our third-party service providers’ IT systems or infrastructure, or that we will detect and appropriately respond if there is such a failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach. Our IT databases and systems have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to ransomware, denial of service and phishing attacks, none of which has been material to the Company to date.attacks. Any such failure, disruption, cyberattack or other security breach could adversely affect our business including our ability to expand our business, cause damage to our reputation, result in increased costs to address internal data, security, and personnel issues, and result in violations of applicable privacy laws and other laws and external financial obligations such as governmental fines, penalties, or regulatory proceedings, remediation efforts such as breach notification and identity theft monitoring, and third-party private litigation with potentially significant costs. In addition, it could result in deterioration in our employees', Representatives', customers', or vendors' confidence in us, which could cause them to discontinue doing business with us or result in other competitive disadvantages. In addition, there may be other challenges and risks as we upgrade, modernize, and standardize our IT systems globally.

We face intense competitioncollect, store, process, transmit and can make no assurances about our ability to overcome our competitive challenges.

Our facilities and strategies are often highly sought after, particularly by smaller and more nimble competitors who seek to capitalize on our investment and experience. As a result, we are subject to significant competition for the recruitment of Representatives from other direct-selling or network marketing organizationssystems, as well as significant competition fromthose of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, fraud, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or human errors, or other non-direct selling earnings opportunities for which our existing Representativessimilar events. Any security breach, or potential Representatives could avail themselves. Changes to our compensation models are sometimes necessary to be competitive but could have short-term negative impacts on our total numberany perceived failure involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of Representatives. It is therefore continually necessary to innovate and enhance our direct-selling and service modelconfidential information, as well as any failure or perceived failure to recruitcomply with laws, policies, legal obligations or industry standards regarding data privacy and retain new Representatives. Ifprotection, whether by us or vendors upon whose systems we are unablerely, could damage our reputation, expose us to do so,litigation risk and liability, reduce revenue, increase costs, subject us to negative publicity, disrupt our businessoperations and harm our business. We cannot provide assurance that our security measures will be adversely affected.prevent security breaches or that failure to prevent them will not have a material adverse effect on us.

In June 2020, we principally compete against large and well-known cosmetics (color), fragrance and skincare companiesbecame aware that manufacture and sell broad product lines through various types of retail establishments and other channels, including through the Internet. In addition, we compete against many other companies that manufacture and sell more narrow beauty product lines sold through retail establishments and other channels, including through the Internet. This industry is highly competitive, andwere exposed to a cyber incident in our Information Technology (IT) environment which interrupted some of our principal competitorssystems and partially affected our operations. We engaged leading external cybersecurity and IT general controls specialists, launched a comprehensive containment and remediation effort and started a forensic investigation. By mid-August 2020, the Company had re-established all of its core business processes and resumed operations in the CPG industry are larger than we are and have greater resources than we do. Competitive activities on their part could cause our sales to suffer. We also have many highly competitive global branded and private label competitors in the accessories, apparel, housewares, and gift and decorative products industries,all of its markets, including retail establishments, principally department stores, mass merchandisers, gift shops and specialty retailers. Our principal competition in the highly competitive fashion jewelry industry consistsall of a few large companies and many small companies that sell fashion jewelry through department stores, mass merchandisers, specialty retailers and e-commerce.its distribution centers.

As a result of the incident, we may be subject to litigation and investigations by regulators in the jurisdictions in which we operate. We may incur losses associated with potential claims by third parties or individuals, as well as fines, penalties and other sanctions imposed by regulators relating to or arising from the incident. We may also incur contingencies related to the incident. We are not able to reliably forecast all of the losses that may occur as a result of the incident, and such excess losses could have a material adverse effect on our Fashion & Home productsfinancial condition or paper forresults of operations in future periods.

Our long-term credit ratings are: Moody’s ratings of Stable Outlook with Ba3 for corporate family and senior unsecured debt; S&P ratings of Stable Outlook with BB- for corporate family and senior unsecured debt; and Fitch ratings of Stable Outlook with BB for corporate family and unsecured debt. Our credit ratings remain below investment grade which may impact our ability to access financing transactions on favorable terms. We do not believe these long-term credit ratings will have a material impact on our near-term liquidity. However, any higher costsrating agency review could result in a change in outlook or downgrade, which

could limit our access to new financing, reduce our flexibility with respect to working capital needs, affect the formmarket price of price increasessome or otherwise achieve cost efficienciesall of our outstanding debt securities and could result in manufacturingan increase in financing costs. See Note 7, Debt and distribution. In addition, ifOther Financing to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, for details about the terms of our suppliers fail to use ethical business practicesexisting debt and comply with applicable laws and regulations, such as any child labor laws, our reputation could be harmed due to negative publicity.other financing arrangements.

Our funding policy for pension plans is to meet the minimum required contributions under applicable law and accumulate plan assets that, over the long run, are expected to approximate the present value of projected benefit obligations. Our pension cost is

We are, and may in the future become, party to litigation, including, for example, claims alleging violation of the federal securities laws or claims relating to employee or employment matters, our products or advertising. In general, litigation claims can be expensive and time-consuming to bring or defend against and could result in settlements or damages that could significantly affect our financial results and the conduct of our business. We are currently vigorously contesting certain of these litigation claims. However, it is not possible to predict the final resolution of the litigation to which we currently are or may in the future become party, or to predict the impact of certain of these matters on our business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and cash flows. See Note 19,18, Contingencies in our 2019 Annual Reportto the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, for a detailed discussion regarding certain legal proceedings in which we are a party.

As we operate in various locations around the world, our operations in certain countries are subject to significant governmental scrutiny and may be harmed by the results of such scrutiny. The regulatory environment with regard to direct selling in emerging and developing markets where we do business is evolving, and government officials in such locations often exercise broad discretion in deciding how to interpret and apply relevant regulations. From time to time, we may receive formal and informal inquiries from various government regulatory authorities about our business and compliance with local laws and regulations. In addition, from time to time, we may conduct investigations and reviews. The consequences of such government reviews, inquiries, investigations, and actions or such investigations and reviews may adversely impact our business, prospects, reputation, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or cash flows.

Additionally, any determination that our operations or activities, or, where local law mandates, the activities of the Representatives, including our licenses or permits, importing or exporting, or product testing or approvals are not, or were not, in compliance with existing laws or regulations could result in the imposition of substantial fines, civil and criminal penalties, interruptions of business, loss of supplier, vendor or other third-party, relationship, termination of necessary licenses and permits, modification of business practices and compliance programs, equitable remedies, including disgorgement, injunctive relief and other sanctions that we may take against our personnel or that may be taken against us or our personnel. Other legal or regulatory proceedings, as well as government investigations, which often involve complex legal issues and are subject to uncertainties, may also follow as a consequence. Further, other countries in which we do business may initiate their own investigations and impose similar sanctions. These proceedings or investigations could be costly and burdensome to our management, and could adversely impact our business, prospects, reputation, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or cash flows. Even if an inquiry or investigation does not result in any adverse determinations, it potentially could create negative publicity and give rise to third-party litigation or action.

The market for our products depends to a significant extent upon the value associated with our product innovations and retain employees from outsideour brand equity. We own the UKmaterial patents and resultingtrademarks used in possible delaysconnection with the marketing and distribution of our major products where such products are principally sold. Although most of our material intellectual property is registered in transportation of goods and increased custom duties. Whilecertain countries in which we operate, there can be no assurance with respect to the full scope of implementation of the referendum decision is still unclear, companies exposed to or with operations in the UK, such as ours, may face significant regulatory changes as a result of Brexit implementation, and complyingrights associated with such new regulatory mandatesintellectual property in those countries. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries, including many emerging markets, may prove challengingnot completely protect our intellectual property rights. The costs required to protect our patents and costly.trademarks, especially in emerging markets, may be substantial. Please see “The licensing of our North America intellectual property rights, including trademarks that are fundamental to our brand, in connection with the Separation could adversely impact our reputation, our business generally, and our ability to enforce intellectual property rights used in both North America and international jurisdictions” below for additional information regarding the risks on our intellectual property rights associated with the separation of North America.

Risks Related to the Separation of North America and the Preferred Stock Investment in the Company

On March 1, 2016, Cleveland Apple Investor L.P. ("(“Cerberus Investor"Investor”) (an affiliate of Cerberus) contributed $170 million of cash into New Avon in exchange for 80.1% of its membership interests, and we contributed (i) assets primarily related to our North America business (including approximately $100 million of cash, subject to certain adjustments), (ii) certain assumed liabilities (primarily pension and postretirement liabilities) of our North America business and (iii) the employees of our North America business into New Avon in exchange for a 19.9% ownership interest of New Avon (collectively, the "Separation"). In August 2019, we and Cerberus finalized the sale of our respective interests in New Avon to LG Household & Health Care Ltd. In connection with the Separation, we entered into a Separation Agreement and various other agreements with New Avon to govern the separation and the relationship of the two companies going forward. These agreements provide for specific indemnity and liability obligations and could lead to disputes between us. The indemnity rights we have against New Avon under the agreements may not be sufficient to protect us. In addition, our indemnity obligations to New Avon may be significant and these risks could negatively affect our financial condition.

In connection with the Separation, we and New Avon entered into several agreements, including among others, an Intellectual Property License Agreement, a Technical Support and Innovation Agreement and a Manufacturing and Supply Agreement. The Intellectual Property License Agreement provides New Avon with rights to use certain intellectual property rights that we used in the conduct of the North America business prior to the Separation. The Technical Support and Innovation Agreement provides that we will perform certain beauty product development services for New Avon. The Manufacturing and Supply Agreement provides that we and New Avon will manufacture, or cause to be manufactured, and supply certain products to each other. These agreements establish a bilateral relationship between New Avon and us. We will rely on New Avon to satisfy its performance and payment obligations under these agreements. If New Avon is unable to satisfy its obligations under these

In connection with the Separation, we granted New Avon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license, with the ability to sublicense, to certain intellectual property rights that we used in the conduct of our North America business prior to the Separation. The Intellectual Property License Agreement includes quality control provisions obligating New Avon and its sublicensees to remain in compliance with applicable law or, for certain of our brands, quality standards that we have provided to New Avon, when selling products under certain trademarks that we have licensed to New Avon. However, there is a risk that failure by New Avon or its sublicensees to comply with such quality control provisions or other conduct by New Avon or its sublicensees associated with the trademarks licensed to New Avon, could adversely affect our reputation and our business globally. We have also granted New Avon enforcement rights to intellectual property licensed to New Avon in certain circumstances, which could adversely affect our position and options globally relating to enforcement of our intellectual property.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ("MD&A")

(U.S. dollars in millions, except per share and share data)

Agreement and Merger with Natura Cosméticos S.A.

On May 22, 2019, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Mergers with Natura Cosméticos S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima) ("Natura Cosméticos"), Natura &Co Holding S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima) ("Natura &Co Holding"), and two subsidiaries of Natura &Co Holding S.A. ("Natura &Co") pursuant to which, in a series of transactions, Avon and Natura Cosméticos will becomebecame direct wholly owned subsidiaries of Natura &Co (the "Transaction"). For additional information see Note 23,21, Agreement and Plan of Mergers with Natura Cosméticos S.A., to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 24, 2019.herein. On January 3, 2020, the Company consummated the Transaction and became a fully owned subsidiary of Natura &Co Holding. In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, the Company notified the New York Stock

Open Up Avon, Open Up & Grow and Transformation Plan

In January 2016, we initiated a transformation plan (the "Transformation Plan"), in order to enable us to achieve our long-term goals of mid-single-digit Constant $ revenue growth and low double-digit operating margin. There are no further restructuring actions to be taken associated with our Transformation Plan as, beginning in the third quarter of 2018, all new restructuring actions approved operate under our new Open Up Avon plan described below.

In September 2018, we initiated a new strategy in order to return Avon to growth ("Open Up Avon"). The Open Up Avon strategy is integral to our ability to return Avon to growth, built around the necessity of incorporating new approaches to various elements of our business, including increased utilization of third-party providers in manufacturing and technology, a more fit for purpose asset base, and a focus on enabling our Representatives to more easily interact with the company and achieve relevant earnings. The commercial elements of the strategy were developed to help increase Representative earningsThese savings have been and thereby retention. Elements of the Representative facing strategy include improvements in service functions, increased training on utilization of digital tools to expand her consumer reach, product bundling and regimens designed to help improve her earnings opportunity and sharper more targeted product innovation to drive brand relevancy. Cost savings under this plan are expected to be generated from efficiencies in manufacturing and sourcing, distribution, general and administrative activities, and back office functions, as well as through revenue management, interest and tax. These savings are expectedcontinue to be achieved through restructuring actions (that have may continue to result in charges related to severance, contract terminations and inventory and other asset write-offs), as well as other cost-savings strategies that would not result in restructuring charges. In January 2019, we announced significant advancements in this strategy, including a structural reset of inventory processes and a reduction in global workforce. The structural reset

For additional details on restructuring initiatives, see Note 17,16, Restructuring Initiatives, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

New Accounting Standards

Information relating to new accounting standards is included in Note 2, New Accounting Standards, of our 2019 Annual Report.

Performance Metrics

Within this MD&A, in addition to our key financial metrics of revenue, operating profit and operating margin, we utilize the performance metrics defined below to assist in the evaluation of our business.

We believe the accounting policies described below represent our critical accounting policies due to the estimation processes involved in each. See Note 1, Description of the Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of our 2019 Annual Reportto the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for a detailed discussion of the application of these and other accounting policies.

Revenue is recognized when control of a product or service is transferred to a customer, which is generally the Representative. Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer and excludes amounts collected on behalf of third parties, such as Value Added Taxes collected for taxing authorities.

Our contracts with Representatives often include multiple promises to transfer products and/or services to the Representative and determining which of these products and/or services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately. When assessing the recognition of revenue for the identified performance obligations, management has exercised significant judgment in the following areas: estimation of variable consideration and the stand-alone selling prices ("SSP") of promised goods or services delivered under sales incentives to determine and allocate the transaction price.

Typically included within a contract with customers is variable consideration, such as sales returns and late payment fees. Revenue is only recorded to the extent it is probable that it will not be reversed, and therefore revenue is adjusted for variable consideration. Judgment is required to estimate the variable consideration. The Company uses the expected value method, which considers possible outcomes weighted by their probability. Specifically, for sales returns, a refund liability will be recorded for the estimated cash to be refunded for the products expected to be returned, and a returns asset will be recorded for the products which we expect to be returned and re-sold, each of these based on historical experience. The estimate of sales

returns as well as the measurement of the returns asset and the refund liability is updated at the end of each month for changes in expectations regarding the amount of salvageable returns, reconditioning costs and any additional decreases in the value of the returned products. Late payment fees are recorded when the uncertainty associated with collecting such fees are resolved (i.e., when collected).

Additionally, management has exercised significant judgment in the estimation of the SSP of promised goods or services delivered under sales incentives such as status programs, loyalty points, prospective discounts, and gift with purchase, among others, to determine and allocate the transaction price. SSP represents the estimated market value, or the estimated amount that could be charged for that material right when the entity sells it separately in similar circumstances to similar customers. Judgment is required to determine the SSP for each distinct performance obligation. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, including for certain sales incentives, we determine the SSP using information that may include market prices and other observable inputs.

Pension and postretirement expense and the requirements for funding our major pension plans are determined based on a number of actuarial assumptions, which are generally reviewed and determined on an annual basis. These assumptions include the discount rate applied to plan obligations, the expected rate of return on plan assets, the rate of compensation increase of plan

participants, interest crediting rates, price inflation, cost-of-living adjustments, mortality rates and certain other demographic assumptions, and other factors. We use a December 31 measurement date for all of our employee benefit plans.

For 2019,2020, the weighted average assumed rate of return on all pension plan assets was 5.29%2.74%, as compared with 5.23%5.29% for 2018.2019. In determining the long-term rates of return, we consider the nature of the plans’ investments, an expectation for the plans’ investment strategies, historical rates of return and current economic forecasts. We generally evaluate the expected long-term rates of return annually and adjust as necessary.

We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to an amount that is "more likely than not" to be realized. Evaluating the need for and quantifying the valuation allowance often requires significant judgment and extensive analysis of all the weighted positive and negative evidence available to the Company in order to determine whether all or some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. In performing this analysis, the Company’s forecasted U.S. and foreign taxable income, and the existence of potential prudent and feasible tax planning strategies that would enable the Company to utilize some or all of its excess foreigndeferred tax credits,assets, are taken into consideration. At December 31, 2019,2020, we had net deferred tax assets of approximately $153$134 (net of valuation allowances of approximately $2,960$2,328 and deferred tax liabilities of $142)$91).

With respect to our uncertain tax positions, we recognize the benefit of a tax position, if that position is more likely than not of being sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. We believe that our assessment of more likely than not is reasonable, but because of the subjectivity involved and the unpredictable nature of the subject matter at issue, our assessment may prove ultimately to be incorrect, which could materially impact our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill