Name: Lynn Tilton
Job Title/Description: Owner and CEO of Jane Cosmetics
Website: http://www.janecosmetics.com
Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/janecosmetics
What does your current job at Jane Cosmetics entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Lynn Tilton: Jane is one of the 75 companies that I own, and it’s one of the four beauty companies that I own and also serve as CEO. So, my role at Jane is to be the Chief Executive Officer, and I also own the company; it’s part of a platform that’s the largest female-owned business in America.
Really this company and this product line give me the ability to send a message from my heart that kindness is the new cool and that beauty unites us in appreciation and awe. I hope that it shows women that they can be whatever they want to be, but that starts with us being kind to one another. So this brand is my opportunity to reach back to younger women to try to give them the benefits of my wisdom and my journey.
What is the best part of your job?
LT: I think for me, I’m a lover of product, and it’s really across everything. I love product, and every company begins with product. There are only two things people want from product: Design and disruption. They want to be enveloped in elegance and inspired by science and technology. And that’s what we’re trying to do here, is give people true innovation they haven’t seen before while giving them in beauty.
Outer beauty leads to confidence, which leads to inner beauty and generosity and spirit. That’s why I think cosmetics unite us in terms of the confidence that comes from beauty.
Jane Cosmetics has had a lot of stuff come out recently! Can you talk about projects you’ve been working on as well as give us any sneak peeks of what else to expect?
LT: We originally launched the brand very, very quickly. It’s made in America, which is really important to me. And we started out with a lot of color because we wanted to empower women to express their individuality. But now we’re starting to look at our customer and who she is, and now we’ve really tried getting away from darker packaging and really into the lilac orchids that showcase the beauty of [the Jane girl’s] spirit.
We have some really exciting products coming out in the next couple of months. First we have a split lipstick, which everyone loves, because it’s two shades in one that you can mix together. It really holds color but also soothes lips. That product has been doing really well amongst editors and such.
We also have a crushed velvet volumizing mascara. It’s got a great brush that really separates the lashes. It also comes in different colors, like cobalt, burgundy and purple. They’re fun and hold color. It’s just a great product to add to the collection.
It’s been amazing to see people going crazy over our formulas, and it’s really awesome to bring that to the market.
I also saw that Jane has a wonderful Buy One Give One campaign. Could you talk more about that initiative and what it hopes to achieve?
LT: With these products, you get to have this incredible beauty brand, but you also get to do something good. For every product you buy, we give one to a shelter for battered women. Jane’s tagline is “compassionate is contagious,” and it is a philanthropic brand.
So not only are you buying the product that you want to use, but you’re actually helping a woman less fortunate in your community. We’re hoping this will really catch on. We’re all women, and we all need help at some point. This is hopefully teaching women that there’s more to be gained through giving, and that confidence and that inner beauty is really what allows us to have the confidence in who we are.
In other words, the product itself should be enough, but the added bonus of giving should be extra spectacular in this equation.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
LT: I think it’s probably the importance of marketing. It’s creating the community and giving people something to be a part of. It’s not just about product, but how you bring people to that product. How do you make them part of your community?
If there’s one thing I still want to accomplish in the beauty industry, it’s that interactive relationship with my end consumer. How do I bring that inner makeup artist and education to a young woman or girl?
That’s one thing I’m still learning, and I’m trying to bring that into the technology. We want people to not just use the product but also feel comfortable when using the product.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
LT: I think the beauty industry is all about passion, especially passion for product. I think one of the great things is that you can be a creative force and still go into business when you go into beauty. You can be someone who really loves design and still be a businessperson. That’s what beauty offers.
It’s all about mixing the qualitative and quantitative; you need to understand that it’s great to follow your heart in beauty, but you also need to remember that it’s a business and you need to make money!