WWD Beauty Inc presents our definitive guide to the most powerful women in the U.S. beauty industry, listed alphabetically.
Beauty’s 50 Most Powerful Women
WWD Beauty Inc presents our definitive guide to the most powerful women in the U.S. beauty industry, listed alphabetically.
human-resources
human-resources
February 20, 2015
Beauty’s 50 Most Powerful Women
WWD Beauty Inc presents our definitive guide to the most powerful women in the U.S. beauty industry, listed alphabetically.
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1. Jen Atkin
Hairstylist
With a client list that includes J.Lo, Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and the Kardashians, this celebrity hairstylist defines the term trendsetter—literally. With the launch of her recent blog, Mane Addicts, Atkin is now bringing her all-star style to the masses. -
2. Pamela Baxter
President and Chief Executive Officer
LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics and Christian Dior Couture
A veteran of the Estée Lauder Cos., Baxter breathed new life into Dior’s beauty business, creating an innovative model for luxury brands in the market and expanding her footprint in both fashion and beauty in the process. -
3. Marla Malcolm Beck
Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer
Bluemercury inc.
This Harvard grad decided to put her passion for beauty products to work; over the last 15 years, she transformed Bluemercury from a single store in Washington, D.C., into a 50-unit chain that epitomizes niche beauty retailing. Macy’s Inc. was so impressed they just bought it for $210 million—in cash. -
4. Leslie Blodgett
Executive Chairman
Bare Escentuals
She’s back! After selling Bare Escentuals to Shiseido and taking a two-year hiatus from the brand, Blodgett has reinvented her role, both within the company and outside it. Not only is she beauty’s most successful sounding board, she’s also placed herself at the epicenter of where Silicon Valley meets Indie beauty and beyond. -
5. Julie Bornstein
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Digital Officer
Sephora USA Inc.
The most plugged-in woman in beauty, Bornstein quadrupled Sephora’s e-commerce business as head of digital and was rewarded with oversight of all of the retailer’s marketing activities—online and off. -
6. Gina Boswell
Executive Vice President, Personal Care, North America
Unilever
Boswell has helped transform Unilever from a consumer packaged goods giant into a bona fide beauty company, with powerhouse hair- and skin-care brands that are gobbling up market share in the supercompetitive mass environment. -
7. Thia Breen
Group President, North America
The Estée Lauder Cos.
The straight-talking, no-nonsense Breen has parlayed her retail roots into razor-sharp oversight of the North American market, which accounts for more than a third of Lauder’s $10 billion-plus in annual sales. Her impact on the U.S. market has only increased with her recent appointment as chair of the Personal Care Products Council. -
8. Bobbi Brown
Founder and Chief Creative Officer
Bobbi Brown
Editor-in-Chief
Yahoo Beauty
Pretty Powerful is not just her signature product platform. It’s also the perfect descriptor for Brown’s ever-growing influence in beauty, which now includes her product line, a video recording studio, a library shelf of books and her role as editor-in-chief of Yahoo’s beauty channel. -
9. Shannon Curtin
Group Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, Beauty and Personal Care
Walgreens Boots Alliance
The numbers tell the story: Curtin and her team oversee beauty in 8,229 stores as well as 26,000 beauty advisers. But that’s not all. Curtin—who got her start at Wal-Mart—most recently oversaw the launch of the Boots product portfolio in the U.S. and the publication of a consumer-oriented beauty magazine. -
10. Christine Dagousset
Global President, Fragrance and Beauté
Chanel
First the U.S., now the world. Dagousset solidified Chanel’s leading position in luxury beauty Stateside and is now heading up operations globally. Her secret: modernizing the codes of the house with spot-on launches and marketing campaigns while simultaneously reinforcing its historical relevance. -
11. Mary Dillon
Chief Executive Officer
Ulta Beauty
With one of the most diverse backgrounds in beauty—she was previously CEO of U.S. Cellular—Dillon has continued to drive Ulta to unprecedented heights, completing the company’s most ambitious store opening program in its history to bring its total to 765 by year-end 2014. -
12. Karen Fondu
President
L’Oréal Paris
A 30-plus-year L’Oréal veteran, Fondu established her brand’s positioning as a leader across categories with a series of blockbuster launches and a first-to-market approach when it comes to embracing new and emerging technologies. -
13. Maren Giuliano
Executive Global Whole Body Coordinator
Whole Foods Market
As the person who oversees the entire personal care operation of Whole Foods on a global basis, Giuliano sets the green standard in the natural products arena. Charged with reinventing the retailer’s approach to beauty, Giuliano has seen sales blossom. -
14. Muriel Gonzalez
Executive Vice President, Omni General Merchandise Manager, Cosmetics, Fragrances and Shoes
Macy’s INC. Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf’s, Lauder and now Macy’s: Gonzalez’s experience spans the industry. Now she’s overseeing the entire beauty universe of Macy’s, both online and off, and the power of her pen is unrivaled. -
15. Ann Gottlieb
Founder
Ann Gottlieb Associates
From fine fragrances to fabric care and everything in between, Gottlieb is the nose-to-know big brands call when they want to create a best-selling scent. -
16. Karen Grant
Senior Global Beauty Industry Analyst
The NPD Group Inc.
The go-to resource for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the prestige beauty industry, Grant has developed a sixth sense for what sells—and what sits on shelves. Ceo’s have her on speed dial. -
17. Lynne Greene
Group President
The Estée Lauder Cos.
Greene’s ability to recognize and capitalize on white space in the market helped propel Clinique to a top spot in the prestige market and the executive to a leading position at Lauder, where she oversees five brands. -
18. Mindy Grossman
Chief Executive Officer and Director
HSN Inc.
A retail veteran with stints at Ralph Lauren and Nike, Grossman has brought her trademark sense of style and smarts to HSN with an innovative omnichannel approach that has attracted some of the biggest names in beauty. -
19. Carol Hamilton
President
L’Oréal Luxe U.S.A.
Hamilton may have spent 24 years in the mass market, but her deft understanding of the dynamics of selective distribution has helped L’Oréal’s prestige brands in the U.S. outpace growth in the overall market. -
20. Christina Hennington
Senior Vice President, Health and Beauty
Target Corp.
Call her the (masstige) market maker: Over the past five years, the Target veteran has been elevating the mass retailer’s approach to beauty, adding upscale brands across myriad categories and creating innovative programs such as the beauty concierge platform.
