Glossier founder and CEO Emily Weiss discusses her mission to reinvent the beauty industry, the importance of brand authenticity and her company’s emphasis on deep online engagement with its customers.
On what drew her to the beauty industry: “I love beauty so much because it’s an incredible conduit for connection. It’s an amazing icebreaker…. I was the person in high school who would do all my friends’ makeup before dances because I wanted an excuse to be hanging out with my friends…. It wasn’t that I was the best makeup artist or the most passionate or knowledgeable, for that matter, on makeup or skincare, but I loved that it could really create a catalyst for having a conversation with someone. In many cases, someone you’ve never had [a conversation with] before.”
On the brand and engagement with customers: “Something we don’t think a lot about is a trend. We are pretty much the opposite of fast fashion. We have a meticulous approach to quality and a meticulous approach to innovation and to longevity, in particular, when it comes to the quality of these products. A huge driver of our growth has been owned, earned, organic and peer-to-peer…. We continue to go towards this world of review being king…. Individual opinion being absolutely king. Your product has to be incredible if you want to stick around [and] if you want to be a company that’s going to stand the test of time.”
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