The Interview —

Jane Iredale, Founder of Iredale Cosmetics

Before starting jane iredale, I had a career in the entertainment industry as a casting director, producer, and writer. I spent so many years working with women whose careers depended on having a flawless complexion, and the heavy makeup they were using to cover up skin problems was actually aggravating their skin concerns, instead of improving them. So I started thinking about a solution—a makeup with true skincare benefits. I have always been interested in fashion, wellness, beauty, and personal expression, so the leap into makeup was a very natural one for me to make.

It’s changed in a number of important ways. First, women aren’t slaves to what the fashion houses and beauty editors dictate but are figuring out what suits them best. The consumer is leading the way these days. Plus she is much more conscious of what’s in her makeup. When we began, almost nobody read labels. Now our customers want to know the ingredients and where they’re sourced. Cruelty-free and vegan have become an integral part of product offerings. We’ve gone from putting anything on our faces that looked pretty to having a checklist before we’ll even consider buying a product.

One of the major challenges was skepticism. After all, why would people believe that a mineral powder could do all I was telling them it could? A foundation, concealer, sunscreen, and skincare. It required a lot of hours standing at trade show booths covering red noses and knuckles. It was the plastic surgeons who first saw and understood the benefits of clean beauty and they are still some of my biggest supporters. Some of the surgeons used to keep our Amazing Base in their assistants’ desk drawers—now they have their own aesthetic centers!

Since I’ve gone from CEO to founder, now I spend my day doing a lot of reading to stay up with what’s current in ingredients and formulas, and helping with product development. I have the time now to get more involved with things that have always been important to me—supporting farmers and the environment primarily.

Right now sanitizing wipes, if I could find them. At a more normal time, saline solution for my contact lenses.

I always take my makeup off at night. I use our Magic Mitt and then apply our BeautyPrep Face Moisturizer. Sometimes I just clean my face and then let it be, thinking that it deserves a break once in a while. In the morning, I rinse my face in the shower, no soap, then apply our HA serum. I let that absorb and then layer on BeautyPrep moisturizer. I never go out without sunscreen which means my PurePressed Base. Very simple and no fuss.

I don’t think a day has gone by since we launched that I haven’t worn PurePressed Base in Warm Sienna. I wear it for coverage and for sun and environmental protection. It has never let me down.

Frankly, I haven’t seen any trends. I’ve been sheltering in place. If I’ve heard about a trend, it’s that women aren’t wearing makeup right now because they have other things to think about.

Do a lot of homework and identify where your products can fill a specific need. Make a list of what’s essential for you to start and set goals for your growth. Then use your contacts in your business or related businesses to get as much input as you can. Every time you use a professional for hair, skin, or nails, ask questions. They will be happy to educate you about the business. When you start you will have to put in a lot of hours. The phrase “build it and they will come” isn’t true. They will only come if you can offer them something they don’t already have, and you put a lot of work into letting them know you have it. For me, it was a good three years before I felt that I was on a roll. I wouldn’t advise starting out with a whole line but starting with a few great products and build on those. Unless you have a lot of financing, producing a line is extremely expensive. When I started there was no social media. If there had been, I would have used that as much as possible because it’s a very good way of getting attention. But it has to be done cleverly and often. 

We always have something in the works. Two things I’m excited about. One is the relaunch of our Lip Fixation. Lovely colors and a new stay-fast formula. It won’t rub off on your mask! And also the relaunch of our Powder-Me SPF. It’s always been a popular product and has been in the line for years. Now, we’re repackaging it in a refillable brush with refills. I think it will make it easier to apply and increase the fun factor. You can feel good about wearing it too, because we use physical sunscreen actives so when we can vacation again, you’ll know it’s reef safe.