As the main beauty consumer, women have not become the dominant force in the development of this industry, and to this day, women are still rarely entering the decision-making level of the industry, and only 3 of the top 20 beauty companies in the world have female CEOs.
Nonetheless, female players in the beauty industry are also facing unprecedented opportunities of the times. Feminist thought has led to the awakening of women's consciousness, so that more women no longer limit themselves to the role of family caregivers, but to broaden their boundaries and become anyone.
As women continue to enter the workplace and achieve success through their own hard work, there are more and more outstanding professional women entering people's vision, and their existence is a force in itself, inspiring more women to challenge the unknown and the impossible.
Among them is a group of female entrepreneurs, who have brought a new atmosphere to the beauty field with their professionalism, persistence, sensitivity, sincerity and natural advantages of being close to women, showing what is a real woman from a female perspective and conveying what is beauty in the eyes of women, rather than following the female image that has been constructed by patriarchal society for many years.
From the leader of the "pure" beauty trend to the creator of revolutionary beauty tools, from the forerunner of "skin care with makeup" to the vanguard of national beauty, these 8 female entrepreneurs show us the infinite possibilities of female power.
In 1997, when Olivia and her mother Sylvie Chantecaille founded the brand, the concept of "skin care with makeup" did not exist, sustainable practices had not yet been put on the agenda of most brands, and after 25 years of development, Chantecaille still adhered to the original intention, bringing confident beauty to women and creating social value in beauty.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: As a female participant in the beauty industry, how do you see the significance and role of female power in the industry?
Olivia Chantecaille (O.C.): Women are like a tribe, we work together, support each other, encourage each other to do our best, and push us forward together as women. Back when my mother and I started Chantecaille, there were only a few women in the industry, such as our buyers in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, and I was impressed and grateful for their support. I always see women supporting each other, especially in the business world, where women always reach out to help and inspire others.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: As a female entrepreneur, what are the obstacles and advantages brought to you by female identity in the face of capital and cooperative enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain?
O.C. I greatly admire women's ability to find positive and interesting solutions, and as female entrepreneurs, we don't lose easily and move towards our goals step by step. In addition, we have an innate ability to communicate naturally and sincerely with our customers, which gives us an advantage in understanding their needs, concerns and desires and in connecting.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is also becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Chantecaille, what do you want to bring to women?
O.C.: We hope to help women accept their identity and appearance by enhancing their own beauty, and encourage them to appreciate themselves. We embrace the sparkle that shines on everyone, from freckles, wrinkles and even scars, without hiding or disguising anything.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: How do you think the women's entrepreneurial environment has changed compared to when you first started?
O.C.: Today, society's tolerance for working women is relatively improved, and the working environment is becoming more and more suitable for the needs of women, especially working mothers. It is encouraging that society recognizes women's roles and responsibilities outside of full-time housewives, and is more accepted and supported, and less scrutinized! Now women can reach their fullest without feeling depressed.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: Looking back at your own entrepreneurial experience, what experiences or suggestions would you like to share with the new generation of female entrepreneurs?
O.C: We must be truly aware of what we as Creators have brought to the world. We are now more connected than ever, and with that comes the responsibility, and we have a responsibility to bring goodwill into the world, no matter how small, something young entrepreneurs must take into account when creating products, services and brands.
Cui Xiaohong's entrepreneurial story begins with a rebellion against a stable technical job, and the opportunity for Chinese consumers to begin to express their personality with makeup. In the 2000s, when domestic beauty had not yet received much attention, she opened the market with a pioneering grafted mascara and incorporated her unique style into the language of the brand, and to this day, this innovative gene is still injecting a steady stream of vitality into Mary Deja.
Cui Xiaohong: First of all, the most important consumer group in the beauty industry is still women, and women understand women the most, and women's innate sensitivity and expression ability are natural advantages, so I believe that women's power can create the best, most beautiful and richest life for everyone in the industry.
Cui Xiaohong: The advantage is that as a woman, she can go deeper into the hearts of women, have a deeper insight into the way of life they yearn for, and can more appropriately pass on good products and good lifestyles. When faced with capital and the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, whether it is to C or To B, the requirements for consumer demand for insight, explosiveness and creativity are also getting higher and higher, and this is precisely the advantage of women.
And the obstacle is mainly women for the balance of family and work, women naturally have a strong sense of responsibility for the family, need to allocate some time to the family, children, if there is not enough time, often produce self-blame, and this emotion will affect the work. But for me, this has been overcome, because I have established a kind of identification and understanding of my family's identity in the industry at the first time.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Mary Deja, what do you want to bring to women?
Cui Xiaohong: I hope that the women around me are more confident and more creative, and that women can express themselves very boldly. I hope that in the future era, I can create a more artistic life for us.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: You had 11 years of experience in technology management before starting your own brand, what made you decide to go into unfamiliar territory and become a beauty entrepreneur? What is the biggest challenge?
Cui Xiaohong: I think it's the past life - it's a rigorous, logical, and challenging life, but it lacks beauty, lacks creativity, lacks a link to life, and this feeling in the dark makes me enter the beauty industry. Everyday contact with beauty and products is a very happy thing. It is precisely because of my past experience that I cherish every product, every delivery, every commitment, every day, every year today.
The biggest challenge for me is that the brand is still rusty in the field of life and art, so every day I am accelerating my learning, hoping to enter the professional field as soon as possible and become a real leader.
Cui Xiaohong: I think there are more and more female entrepreneurs in this era, whether from capital or from the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, everyone has begun to look at female entrepreneurs with a more appreciative eye, and the current environment is more inclusive and free for women, and there are more resources to support.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: Looking back at your own entrepreneurial experience, what experiences or suggestions do you want to share with the new generation of female entrepreneurs?
Cui Xiaohong: Endless life, tossing and turning, make your every day more abundant. To live a rich life, to live a good life.
20 years ago, the now-popular beauty egg was an unproven entrepreneurial project. From an invention to a beauty brand of today's scale, Rea Ann Silva, with her diligence and focus, has created a new category in the beauty industry, changing the way makeup is applied from professional makeup artists to ordinary beauty consumers, so that more people can get beauty in a simpler way.
Rea Ann Silva (R.A.S.): The role of feminine power in the beauty industry is very important, traditionally women are consumers of cosmetics, in this sense we are more competitive than men, we can talk directly with women, but creating and promoting a product for women means that men need to learn more from women's experience. Women also have the natural advantage of using their strength and confidence efficiently.
R.A.S.: If you had asked me this question 20 years ago, I would say it would have been harder to be a female entrepreneur, there were very few female entrepreneurs back then, and I had to prove myself and keep explaining myself to men. Today, as a woman, I have a big advantage in the beauty industry, especially in the cosmetics industry, because women are still the main target group, and my customers and suppliers trust me because I develop products that I will use myself. But to this day, I still have a feeling that it's harder for women to seek financial investment than for men.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Beautyblender, what do you want to bring to women?
R.A.S.: I want all women, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, skin type, disability or not, to feel beautiful! My goal is to simplify and upgrade women's quality of life through the makeup tools and cosmetics I create, so that they can live their best selves regardless of age.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: From a professional makeup artist to an entrepreneur, what are the biggest challenges of this role reversal?
R.A.S.: Spreadsheets, demand plans and estimates have been challenges for me until now! I had no business background, and when I started Beautyblender, I didn't know anything about starting a company. But I'm a creative person! I learned a lot along the way, and by hiring professionals with skills I didn't have, Beautyblender got where she is today.
R.A.S.: When you have a whole new category of unverified brands, it's very important to find allies who support and understand your ideas, and at that time, I can't keep explaining and describing, trying to get a man to understand what Beautyblender is. Today it's different because more women are decision-makers who understand my background and the products I create.
R.A.S.: The advice I would like to give to any young female entrepreneur is to stay passionate, stay focused, and understand that this is a zigzag journey, not a straight line, and that every failure can be your best lesson. For the next generation of entrepreneurs, my special advice is to learn about the metaverse! It is the future.
Before "pure" became a hot keyword, Tata Harper had already founded an all-natural and non-toxic luxury skincare brand, and now that "minimalism" has become popular, she still adheres to the "extremely complex" skin care concept. Her intransigence and intransigence give the brand authenticity, and also convey to more women to follow the heart and become their own strength.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: How did you start your entrepreneurial journey and why did you choose to become a beauty entrepreneur?
Tata Harper : When my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer, I helped him make lifestyle changes, and I also started avoiding unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. But I was never able to find skincare products that would give me an all-natural and extravagant experience, so I started my own brand – no one should sacrifice their health for beauty.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Tata Harper, what do you want to bring to women?
T.H.: Growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia, I was surrounded by a vibrant Latin culture that had a profound impact on my upbringing in a unique cultural context. When I was a little girl, I grew up in a family of female entrepreneurs who loved beauty and freedom, and from an early age I wanted to be able to help women embrace their own personalities and become the best version of themselves.
My aesthetic ideology is based on authenticity and sincerity, which are the core beliefs and values that run through our brands and products. Our aesthetic is shaped by the visuals we see and the messages we read. Now, we see that the standard of beauty is being challenged from many sources. At the most basic level, people have begun to challenge what beauty is, what beauty means, and our attitude towards beauty.
This seems to be the first time that advertising and marketing are aimed at different ages, genders, races to promote, in the past, people in magazines and advertisements saw blonde women in their twenties, but when society tells people that beauty is only one way to present, how can individuals feel confident or beautiful? When we start talking about beauty in different ways and showing different types of beauty, people's perceptions start to shift.
To be sure, that old, unrealistic standard of beauty is fading. Brands have begun to express their diversity and inclusion through the models they use, the products they make, and the way they advertise them, which is an important step in reshaping our view of beauty. Through the way of beauty, let the individual have a more sense of existence, but also let their own feelings be given a strong driving force, this is the power of beauty, let us embrace and love the true self.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: How do you think the women's entrepreneurial environment has changed compared to when you first started?
T.H.: The skincare industry is mostly dominated by men, so I want to give full play to my strength and voice as a woman to create products that are suitable for women and serve women, which is why I have always admired female entrepreneurs who are trying to make changes for the beauty industry. The first female-led enterprises will become the beacon and benchmark of the future, and we should give each other the greatest support, in helping each other, paving the way for more female entrepreneurs in the future, and creating more opportunities for them to realize their self-worth.
The fashion and beauty industries have the ability and responsibility to innovate their business models to enable socially responsible supply chains that create more opportunities to empower and hold women accountable for their impact. I see a lot of indie brands doing this, and we're the ones who are changing and steering things.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: Looking back at your own entrepreneurial experience, what experiences or suggestions would you like to share with the new generation of female entrepreneurs?
T.H.: From the very beginning of the company, I was reluctant to compromise or take shortcuts. If I had chosen to do so, Tata Harper wouldn't be what it is today. I'm always trying to find the best, most creative solutions and won't settle for a poor answer. I want to do more things that will help people live better lives and contribute to making the world a better place. All in all, always seek answers, be curious, and use what you do to improve the lives of others. BINC
Author: Lee
EDIT: Horse Spurs
Image source: Network