This week, I checked in with makeup artist and brand founder Victoria Jackson and the executive team behind No Makeup Makeup, a new single-SKU brand born from Jackson’s success on QVC in the ’80s and ’90s with Victoria Jackson Cosmetics. No Makeup Makeup quietly launched last year with one $55 lightweight cream foundation compact and made its debut on QVC in January by selling more than $1 million worth of product.
Additionally, international fragrance house Interparfums made big moves this week, while former Allure editor-in-chief Michelle Lee joined Front Row accelerator and e-commerce agency amid a flurry of high-profile hires.
Makeup artist and brand founder Victoria Jackson is back with a product designed for mature women
After selling $1 billion worth of cosmetics on QVC in the ‘80s and ‘90s, trailblazing makeup artist Victoria Jackson is back with a new line called No Makeup Makeup.
“I’m very passionate about the ‘no-makeup makeup’ [aesthetic],” Victoria Jackson told Glossy. “I’m not doing this now because it’s trending; it’s been trending for me since the beginning of my career.”
A longtime advocate for light, non-cakey makeup, Jackson coined the phrase “no-makeup makeup” in the late ‘80s. Victoria Jackson Cosmetics, which launched in the ‘80s, was a trailblazer in direct marketing with success in infomercials and on QVC. Jackson created more than 600 products alongside her longtime team during the life of the brand.
Jackson shuttered the line in 2015 and took a step back from the beauty industry after her daughter, Ali Guthy, was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Neuromyelitis Optica. Jackson wrote three books on the subject — “Saving Each Other” (2012), “The Power of Rare” (2017) and “We All Worry, Now What” (2024) — and launched The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation to support N.O. research. Guthy is currently doing well, which inspired Jackson to return to the beauty industry.
“I knew that if I was going to come back all these years later, it was going to have to be with a clean version of the [bestselling Victoria Jackson Cosmetics] Cream Balm Foundation,” Jackson told Glossy. “I’ve always felt women wear too much makeup; this is about less. … It matches skin so well that it doesn’t look like you’re wearing makeup at all.”
No Makeup Makeup quietly launched direct-to-consumer in the summer of 2024 with a $55 cream foundation compact and $30 application brush, which can be bundled for $80. Jackson made her return to QVC in January by selling more than $1 million worth of product in under an hour. Jackson trademarked “no-makeup makeup” decades ago.
“Partnering with QVC has just been an incredible way to reach our customers,” No Makeup Makeup president Shauna Lahiri told Glossy. “We sold out in less than an hour. … The proof is in the pudding.”
No Makeup Makeup’s first launch is a lightweight, creamy foundation that blurs imperfections and sets quickly without additional products like primer or powder. While it’s made for every skin type, texture and age, the team has leaned into marketing toward mature women, who often struggle with the heaviness of many complexion products.
As previously reported by Glossy, the opportunity in the over-40 beauty market is vast. According to Mintel market research company, women over 40 spend more money on most personal care and beauty categories, including skin care, body products and hair care, as well as oral care and deodorant.
“Victoria came to me four years ago and said, ‘Kim, I’m not finished with beauty. Would you partner with me [on a new line]?’” Kim Wileman, co-founder and CEO of No Makeup Makeup, told Glossy. “I was so happy to hear it because I have literally received thousands of phone calls and emails to my personal email asking for [us to bring back the Victoria Jackson Cosmetics] foundation.”
However, the team knew the formula was outdated by ingredient standards. “Even though the formula is great and we love it, we can’t go back [to the market] with a mineral- and petroleum-based formula from the ’80s. … We knew we had to shake things up to be impactful,” Wileman said.
The new formula is vegan and free of fragrance sulfates and hormone disruptors. It’s also safe for sensitive skin. “We’ve created many award-winning products over the years, but this is the best product we’ve ever created,” Wileman told Glossy.
The line is solely funded by Jackson and currently sells DTC and on TikTok Shop, Amazon and Goop. The team is actively looking for international distribution.
With expertise in formulation and marketing, Wileman has been a secret weapon for Jackson through the years, including throughout the heyday of Victoria Jackson Cosmetics. She is also the founder of California innovation consulting firm Galla Beauty, which has made products for Tula, Farmacy, Stila, J. Lo Beauty and many more brands. Galla Beauty is not associated with No Makeup Makeup.
Her goal today? “We want women to unlearn everything they ever knew about makeup,” said Wileman. That is, she wants women to know they do not need a vanity of products and makeup application expertise to feel confident in their skin.
The cream foundation’s 13 shades blend into every complexion, thanks to something called Flexshade Technology, the team told Glossy. Beyond easy color matching, the sheer texture also resists settling into fine lines or pores.
The team is so confident about its ability to match every complexion that it doesn’t shade-match models before live selling; they let that be part of the viewer’s experience. The team does not plan to expand the shade range.
The formula was inspired by years of work on Victoria Jackson Cosmetics, which was famous for its compact palettes of color cosmetics and color-correcting complexion products.
Beyond Jackson’s previous success on QVC, Lahiri attributes the new line’s sell-out status to a few key factors: “[QVC immediately loved the product] because of the simplicity, applicability, lightness and ease of use. … It really resonates,” Lahiri said. “It does work for everyone, but our core is … between 35 and 65 years old, with most being between 45 and 55.”
Lahiri joined No Makeup Makeup ahead of its launch last year. Her CV includes CEO of Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty and CMO for Guthy Renker, a direct-to-consumer marketing company and celebrity beauty incubator launched by Jackon’s husband, Bill Guthy in 1988. Guthy Renker was an early seller of direct-to-consumer brands like Proactiv and Meaningful Beauty.
Up next for the brand includes international distribution, new products, and a robust educational push on social and across out-of-home marketing. “We have a path in front of us to reeducate the consumer to apply foundation,” Wileman said.
Executive moves:
- Front Row — an e-commerce agency and accelerator specializing in beauty, health, wellness and consumer brands — has made several executive changes. These include the appointment of Michelle Lee, former editor-in-chief of Allure magazine, as chief brand officer. Also included is Markus Leunig, former global CFO of The North Face, as chief financial officer. Additionally, Christopher Skinner has been promoted to chief revenue officer, and Kay Lee has taken on the role of chief technology officer.
News to know:
- International fragrance house Interparfums had a busy week. The group acquired the rights to the Maison Goutal fragrance brand from Amorepacific Europe. Meanwhile, Ferragamo launched its first scent with Interparfums. Called Fiamma, it is the first fragrance launched under Ferragamo’s latest creative director Maximilian Davis. Finally, Interparfums has extended its partnership with Coach until 2031 with plans to launch at least two new scents this year. The partnership began in 2015.
- The functional beverage category continues to show great promise. Poppi prebiotic soda, which launched in 2018 by founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, has been acquired by beverage giant PepsiCo for $1.95 billion. Poppi is known for offering both creative and classic soda flavors, like raspberry rose and cream soda, with 5 grams of sugar per can. A can of Pepsi Cola, for example, has 41 grams of sugar.
- Makeup artist Sir John is the new creative director and ambassador of K-beauty brand Medicube. Sir John counts celebrities like Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell and Serena Williams as clients and previously served as CD for L’Oréal Paris. Medicube’s bestsellers include its $480 Booster Pro device and $78 Collagen Swirl two-step skin-care duo.
- Chanel unveiled a large-scale consumer experiential activation in London’s Covent Garden called Coco Playground, which runs until March 30. The pop-up includes activations to promote Chanel’s longtime bestseller Rouge Coco lipstick, including a skateboard ramp, a photo booth, an ice cream shop, games and product testing stations.
- Retail sales rose 0.2% in February, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Prices also rose 0.2% during the month due to inflation, according to the Labor Department. As reported by CNBC, health and personal care was a bright spot with a 1.7% sales gain.
Stat of the week:
Inflation continues to be a concern for shoppers. According to an analysis published Thursday by Digiday senior editorial researcher Dania Gutierrez, 57% of consumers surveyed have permanently switched to store brands and 45% plan to delay non-essential purchases based on cost. She found that consumers are increasingly turning to strategic shopping tactics to stretch their shopping budgets.
In the headlines:
With $2.9 million in funding, vibrant plastic-free Mexican makeup brand Aora expands to the U.S. ‘White Lotus’ star Michelle Monaghan is U Beauty’s first celebrity face. Courteney Cox’s Homecourt expands into laundry. Recession Blonde: How economic uncertainty spurred the latest hair color trend. Sephora’s ‘next big thing’ is a dermatologist-approved skin-care brand [Facile].
Listen in:
Hair-care tycoon and self-made billionaire Carolyn Aronson joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss her latest ventures: a mass hair-care line called Cloud Haircare distributed through Walmart and CVS and a celebrity-fronted men’s line called Rewind It 10.
Need a Glossy recap?
Glossy 101: How does clinical testing in beauty and wellness work? Why design is everything for sexual wellness brands. How Sephora landed a role alongside Kate Hudson in Netflix’s ‘Running Point.’ How fashion and beauty brands are focusing on retention strategies for sustainable growth. Too Faced expands its mascara family after 12 years. K-Beauty makeup could be the next big thing if it masters inclusivity. Creatine is not just for gym bros anymore.
