Your Favorite Beauty Icons Are Back in Action

It’s beyond hard to launch a beauty brand that becomes a household name. It’s even harder to do it twice. Yet here these skincare and makeup visionaries are, and they’re sharing some of their magic. Ahead, serial entrepreneurs Bobbi Brown, Wende Zomnir, and Nyakio Grieco share the inspiration behind their latest ventures, reflect on the current state of the beauty industry, weigh in on what consumers *really* want, and more—all in their own words.

Then: Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

Now: Jones Road Beauty

How would you describe the Jones Road aesthetic?

It’s really a fresh, healthy look. There are denser, fuller-coverage, fancier brands out there—but that’s just not my vibe. With Jones Road, I’m finally allowed to do what I believe in: beauty that is easy and makes people look better but still like themselves.

Where does the name Jones Road come from?

It was important to me to launch this the same day my noncompete was up. Nothing was going to stop me—except the name. We had packaging, we had formulas, but we didn’t have a name. I was driving out to the Hamptons one day and saw “JonesRoad” on Waze and was like, “Oh my god! Jones Road Beauty!” The team loved it.

Brown launched Jones Road 25 years after selling her namesake makeup line to Estée Lauder in 1995.

You have quite a following on TikTok. How did that get started?

My son helped convince me to get on TikTok. He pulled out his phone and was like,“Alright, Mom, go.” I literally got bombarded with hundreds of comments, like, “I can’t believe you’re here! What makeup should I wear?” So I started giving lessons and our sales quadrupled.

Many of the Jones Road products are multipurpose. What inspired that?

I am easily distracted and don’t always put things back where they should be, so I never know what’s going to be in my makeup bag. I’ve been like this my whole life. If I’m going to someone’s house for dinner and all I have is a brown pencil and a lip gloss and just have to be scrappy and figure it work. So I will take the brown pencil. I’ll line my eyes. I’ll lightly fill in my brow. I’ll probably use it to cover up a couple grays, and in a pinch and I don’t recommend this to anyone, if there’s a lip balm somewhere, I could mix it together and make a little bit of a cream blush or lip stain. I really like the idea of just a few products that can be used to do a bunch of different things.

Out of all the products in your line, what do you tell people to try first?

The Mascara and Miracle Balm. People say that our mascara isn’t just the best clean mascara, but the best mascara they’ve ever tried hands down. And once you try Miracle Balm, you’ll be hooked and want to know what else there is. It’s just such an easy product to use.

Shop the Jones Road Beauty collection:

Then: Urban Decay

Now: Caliray

What’s the inspo behind the new brand?

When I was traveling the world launching Urban Decay, the first thing people would ask me was, “Tell me about California! Do you drink kale smoothies? Do you surf?” They were universally interested in the California vibe—the freedom and the sunshine feeling.

Caliray is centered on wellness. Have you always been into that?

I’m trying to highlight and amplify things I did at Urban Decay that weren’t so obvious on the surface. At Urban, we were one of the first brands to remove parabens from our products. We had a non-off-gassing office with yoga classes for team members and a biodynamic garden where people could handpick produce to make salads. I have a background in wellness and I’m really leaning into that with Caliray.

Zomnir cofounded beauty giant Urban Decay in 1996. The brand is now owned by L’Oréal.

How are you handling sustainability?

We use eco-friendly materials and packaging as much as possible, and if there’s an instance where we have to use something like virgin plastic, I’m honest with the consumer about it. Transparency is key. There’s also a large part of the population that is unaware of or isn’t participating in sustainable beauty, and we’re trying to change that. One of the reasons our packaging is so bright and happy is so that people associate sustainability with a joyful experience. I recently saw a stat that it takes at least seven times for someone to internalize something they see, so we’re just going to keep pushing the importance of being better to the planet until it sticks.

Besides the internet, what’s the biggest difference between starting a beauty brand in 2022 vs. 1996?

You don’t need to be a part of a big corporation to make it big. There’s an entire cottage industry around supporting indie beauty founders. Even big contract manufacturers are bending over backward to pick and choose a few different under-the-radar brands that they think might blow up. I like to think I helped pave a little dirt road that eventually turned into a super highway for all of this indie beauty to happen. To me, that’s really gratifying. There are so many cool, small brands and people with a vision being creative. That’s what it’s all about.

If you had to pick two Caliray favorites, what would they be?

I would say our Come Hell or High Water Mascara and our Freedreaming Clean Blurring Skin Tint. I’ve listened to women complain about mascara for years. They want volume and length without smudging. This formula does all of that—it’s high-performing and the tube is made of 100 percent upcycled ocean plastics. And our skin tint is so easy and flexible. If I’m just running down the street or running around town, I put a few drops on my fingers and slap it on and I instantly look a little brighter and more pulled together.

Our favorites from Caliray:

Then: Nyakio

Now: Relevant: Your Skin Seen

How do you approach inclusivity in the beauty industry?

I always say inclusivity is not a trend for me. I’ve been Black my entire life and I always will be. I love that I’m a part of a collective of people of color who are on a mission to make the beauty industry more inclusive and are creating products for everyone. There’s a myth that Black and brown people make products only for Black and brown people. Of course, when we create our products, they need to work for our skin and hair, but Relevant is really for everyone. We all have skin worthy of being seen, worthy of being considered.

The beauty space is so crowded. What makes a brand stand out?

You need a reason for existing that’s not just a product. Gen Zers and younger consumers shop for good, they shop for sustainability. Oftentimes, people buy into people before they buy into a product, so it’s important that founders stand in their truth and share what they’re passionate about and how they’re serving others. You can build an extremely profitable business and do good at the same time.

Grieco launched her first brand Nyakio Beauty (now owned by Unilever) more than 20 years ago.

You launched Relevant with a single product—One & Done. Why?

I’m a busy mom and entrepreneur, so I wanted to create a daily moisturizer that hit all the steps at once. One & Done is a four-in-one hydrating cream, primer, serum, and SPF. Melanoma rates are on the rise, and many Black and brown people are skipping SPF, likely from a lack of education about the harmful effects of UV exposure or not being able to find a sunscreen that easily blends into skin. There’s no excuse not to use this formula—it has zero white cast and makes skin glowy.

You’re also the cofounder of e-retailer Thirteen Lune. What are some products you’re currently loving on the site?

All of the brands we sell have such rich founder history. They all have efficacious, beautiful products and important stories to share. Personally, I’m obsessed with the Mississippi Mud Mask by Mary Louise and Ami Cole’s Lash Amplifying Mascara. Every time I try to switch it up and try a different mascara for the day I end up saying, “Ugh, I wish I wore my Ami Cole.” I love it so much.

What excites you about the future of Relevant: Your Skin Seen?

As a founder who has been at for literal decades, I’m finally in my happy place. I didn’t always have a seat at the science table but now get to work with the best ingredients and cosmetic chemists and new-to-market innovations. So when I think about expansions into other categories like fragrance and complexion and all of the wonderful things I’m getting to develop, I just feel so empowered. It’s all coming from a very thoughtful place of how to better serve all communities in beauty.

4 must-try picks from Relevant: Your Skin Seen:

Source: Read Full Article