On March 1, 1991, Women’s Wear Daily ran a very small story on the Beauty Report page, “Brown on Brown.” Just 199 words, it marked the launch of a new line of 10 lipsticks, $15 each, called Essentials, introduced by makeup artist Bobbi Brown and based on her belief that brown undertones would produce more skin-flattering hues.
The sell-through rate in week one was 80 percent, and first-year volume was projected at $50,000. Customers who were unable to come into the store could also order the lipsticks through Bergdorf’s toll-free number.
Fast-forward 29 years and eight months, and WWD ran another story, this one about five times as long. “Bobbi Brown Launching Makeup Line of Her Own” ran the headline, which broke the news of the launch of Jones Road. Sold online only, sources speculated that it would hit $20 million in first-year sales. Four years later, the brand is tracking toward $150 million.
The more things change, the more, it seems, they stay the same.
Brown has always had an innate understanding of what women want. While Jones Road launched with Miracle Balm not lipstick and was sold direct- to-consumer online rather than in brick-and- mortar distribution, it bears all the hallmarks of classic Bobbi Brown: minimalist makeup that’s easy to understand, easy-to-apply products that deliver her trademark, “you-but-better” glow-up.
“Bobbi Brown’s impact on the beauty industry has been both smart and subtle,” said Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus of the Estée Lauder Cos. He should know. When Lauder was chief executive officer of the company, he spearheaded the acquisition of what was then called Bobbi Brown Professional Cosmetics, the first full acquisition in the history of the beauty giant. Brown stayed with the brand for the next 25 years, an integral part of the team that helped propel it to close to $1 billion in annual sales.
“Bobbi and I have had a wonderful partnership over many years,” said Lauder. “When she made the decision to embark on a new venture, I wished her the absolute best….As I still do today.”
Veteran retailer Ed Burstell, who helped usher in the original Indie wave when he oversaw beauty at Henri Bendel in the ’90s, has also known Brown throughout her career. “We would get together really early in the morning because we both had day jobs and talk about the state of the industry and how disillusioned people were and how they were flocking to people who had a message that was real, that they could connect with,” he recalled of the early years.
“Visionaries like Steve Jobs and Karl Lagerfeld have a consistent vision and values over time and Bobbi has always been like that,” he continued. “She has always put product quality and integrity first and she backs it up with honest communication. That allows Bobbi to have an emotional bond with her customer base and also gives her the ability to talk across all generations.”
Over the course of her career, Brown has crossed categories, as well as generations. She’s written nine books; opened The George, a luxury boutique hotel; become a health coach; designed eyewear; served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention; launched a podcast and, most recently, introduced a home accessories collection with Williams Sonoma inspired by the aesthetic of The George.
The thread that runs through it all? A relentless curiosity, a comfort in her own skin and a forthrightness that hasn’t changed despite Brown’s immense success. “When she launched Jones Road, it was the right message at the right time from the right person and she is absolutely killing it,” said Burstell. “This is her third act. Her first act was being one of the most sought-after makeup artists. The second one was her Bobbi Brown line. Here is success number three and Bobbi’s still as down to earth as she was when she started.”
Congratulations on receiving the 2024 Pete Born Impact Honor. As you look back on your career, what do you think your primary impact has been?
Bobbi Brown: I’ve been able to empower women to feel good in their bodies through makeup, by offering makeup that demystified and simplified the beauty industry. Plus, giving women permission to be themselves. People stop me and tell me this all the time, and never more so than since I started Jones Road. Jones Road has been the most explosive reach of my career. There’s nothing that makes me feel better than when people tell me how much I’ve meant to them and their growth.
When you think about the beauty landscape in 1991, did you visualize this vast universe you’ve built? Could you have imagined this?
B.B.: Never! If I was able to visualize the universe, I would have turned around and gone home, because I’m — I know it’s hard to believe — but I’m just a very simple, normal person who feels my most comfortable when I’m myself, around my posse of family and friends. I’m pretty low- maintenance and simple. My career has brought me to some incredible places that I never could have imagined, from embassies all over the world giving parties in my honor to being in a motorcade after doing Dr. Jill Biden’s makeup to being at Mick Jagger’s house for dinner because I did his then-girlfriend’s fashion show. My career has allowed me such amazing opportunity, and I’m beyond proud of my place in the beauty industry. Honestly, I was never someone who tried to be like other people. I tried in the beginning, and it just didn’t fit. So I just kind of went away and did my own thing.
Were you strong and confident as a young woman?
B.B.: Absolutely not. I was naive and wide-eyed. But I was curious, and I just went full speed ahead. I’m not going to say I was fearless, because I’m definitely someone who’s fearful of things, but I just was fearless in my path forward, whether it was hopping on a plane to go on location somewhere with a team of people to do something that I never felt quite equipped to do. You just be yourself, and that’s what has worked on me.
You’ve always seemed to have a strong vision and conviction of who you are and what you want.
B.B.: Yes, it was always very comfortable for me to stick to my beliefs. I’m stubborn to a fault when I believe in something. I’m open to some things when they feel right, and I actually like to be pushed into my uncomfort zone sometimes, like when I’m in a creative situation and someone wants me to try some weird, bizarre makeup technique or look that I’ve never done before. I’ll try it. When it comes to the brand, though, I was never comfortable designing products that I didn’t think made people look better, no matter how much pressure I got. I just didn’t feel right doing it.
I hear anecdotally from founders that you mentor so many people. What makes you say yes, when someone reaches out?
B.B.: It really just depends. I don’t have the time to do every single thing that’s asked. But I really like nice people with good energy, and I’m very happy to give my opinion when asked. Which is not always popular, by the way. Honestly, the way I believe in growing a brand is pretty simple and basic, and a lot of people overthink things. I believe in starting small. You don’t over-raise money. Do what you can afford and test the market. Give things away and see what people like. Sell a bunch. People want more, you’re OK. That’s a message to keep making things. You also have to realize what you don’t know, especially when you’re a young founder, and you have to make sure that you have people around you who know what you don’t. I definitely know what I’m not good at, and I make sure I have people around me who are good at those things.
What didn’t you know when you were launching Jones Road? At this point in your career, do you feel like you have a good understanding of what women want?
B.B.: What I didn’t know is the new landscape, because it was a whole new world. I didn’t want to do things the way I did it the first time. I really do believe that the beauty industry and the landscape have evolved so much. It’s a lot looser. It’s more authentic, more indie, in a way, and that’s very much aligned with who I am, not pretending that I’m something I’m not, and not pretending the products are anything other than what they are.
At the same time, the landscape is also exponentially more competitive, but Jones Road just immediately resonated. Did its success surprise you?
B.B.: It was a combination of timing and — I don’t want to say luck —but timing and having the emotional intelligence to understand that women are different than they were, and even women of
a certain age didn’t and don’t want things that they had before. They wanted something different, and the younger generation, which, for me is the 30-year-olds, don’t want their mother’s makeup. They really want this new less-is-more approach.
Understanding that, how have you been able to successfully reach multiple generations?
B.B.: Things change. People complain that it’s not like it used to be. That’s not a winning attitude, because in life, everything changes. It’s the same thing with a brand. The way people wore makeup when I started was different. I like to consider myself ageless, which means I don’t think about it and I just do what makes sense.
Do you look back on the Bobbi Brown line from a product point of view and feel a sense of pride about the products you created?
B.B.: I’m incredibly proud of all the innovation that I was part of for so many years. That innovation really came from just making up ideas, like, wouldn’t it be so great if we tried this or wouldn’t it be so cool to do that.
If you look back to the original lipstick shades, would you wear them today?
B.B.: I would wear the colors, but I would certainly not wear a matte, rich lipstick!
Most people launch one business, maybe two. You wear multiple hats at any given time, as an author, a hotelier, an entrepreneur. You’re an organic businessperson.
B.B.: Who never went to business school and who got Ds in math! People have superpowers in life, and you don’t always know what they are, but I think my superpower is that I’m curious. I think of ways to do things in a different way than they’ve been done, and which, ironically, is simpler. The way I do things is simpler, more cost-effective, more time-effective and the result is it works better and it works for me.
What’s the through line between all of the businesses?
B.B.: It’s things that I think are interesting and fun and things I like to spend my time on. I developed the hotel with my husband, because he had a building and said, “Hey, do you think we should
do this?” And I was like, “Hmm, OK,” and that was it. The deal with Williams Sonoma came about because the CMO stays at The George every year for Thanksgiving, and I met her one year and she asked if I wanted to do a collab. I said, OK. I didn’t have agents or people to get in the way of making a deal, and so I made the deal with her and Lynette Brubaker. I always have someone by my side to help me get things done. Since early on, I’ve surrounded myself with a strong team of people. All of the years when I was part of the big brand, I had my team around me. We still talk about it to this day, how special it was, and we didn’t even realize.
What do you look for when you hire people?
B.B.: It’s usually someone who’s wide-eyed, smart and hardworking. I like people who are direct and who either want to learn or bring something to the table. I like doing things scrappy. I’ve always been a scrappy person, and I don’t have patience. I want things done now.
You’ve had great financial success but always stayed down-to-earth and maintained that connection with your consumer. You talk to them as if they are your friends. How did you maintain your naturalness?
B.B.: It’s not something I’ve thought about or contemplated. It’s just who I am as a person. When I think about it — being from Chicago — we weren’t raised with attitude or entitlement, we were raised to be really nice, menschy, care-about- people human beings. I never lost that. I’ve always admired people who are either very well-known or good at what they do, who are incredibly nice, normal caring human beings. Leonard Lauder is the biggest example of that. Yogi Berra was the same way. I was lucky enough to know Neil Armstrong. They’re the most normal guys.
What a pinch-me moment!
B.B.: My reaction is always — oh my god! This is crazy pants! Then, my next reaction is I wish Poppa Sam was here to see it — he wouldn’t believe it. I’m lucky my father is still alive and my mother lived long enough to see not only my success at work, but my success at home. Throughout my career there have been some incredible “pinch me” moments and I don’t take any of them lightly. There was the time I was in a car with Bruce and Patti, Springsteen, that is, and he was on the phone with [Bob] Dylan. That was like — really Bobbi! My only other job outside of makeup was selling shoes at Carson Pirie Scott in Chicago when I was a teenager.
Do you still enjoy doing makeup?
B.B.: I do — it’s my favorite thing to do. We do a Jones Road shoot every two months. People would scratch their heads if they came in and saw how we operate — those are my most fun days, because I get to be creative. What I love about my new world is we have a list of what has to be accomplished, but no agenda how. I look at the list, then I look at the models and see who would be good for what and then I just play. That’s really fun for me.
How will Jones Road grow in the year ahead?
B.B.: I don’t want it to be the biggest. I want it to be the best. Yes, we’re looking for different stores, but we are also getting a lot of inbound. Every time we open a store, people beg us, please open Dallas, Austin, Denver. We’re running as fast as we can, and everything has been successful. When things aren’t is when we’ll pause. How’s that for a strategy!
Evolution 18 was a rare miss. What did you learn from that?
B.B.: It was a really happy failure. There are many reasons why it wasn’t successful. It could have been the concept, the team, the distribution. I learned I can’t just put my name on something and make it successful. I learned that sometimes decisions that are made are the wrong decisions. I learned that I certainly never really understood Walmart, nor did my team. I learned a lot and it led me to the launch of Jones Road.
What would you tell the young Bobbi?
B.B.: Buckle up! It’s going to be an interesting ride. Just go with it and try to remember who you are and where you came from. And what matters in life.
Finally — you’ve had such a big impact on so many. Who’s had a big impact on you?
B.B.: My husband, my Aunt Alice, Leonard Lauder, Mickey Drexler, Richard Baker and Andrea Quin Robinson. Years ago, when Andrea went from being Vogue’s beauty editor to a job at Revlon, she asked me if I would come work for her and be the chief creative officer. I remember saying to her, “Oh my god, I don’t have a corporate bone in my body. I do not want to work in an office!” Little did I know! I had a couple of other job offers to help grow or run big companies and it never happened. That led me to start and do it my way. I still love it and I also really love giving back. A lot of founders reach out to me and I love talking to them. Giving back has been great for them and also really good for me. I still have things to learn.
