Bobbi Brown Is Back In The Beauty Business
The patron saint of ‘natural make-up’ has returned with her new beauty line, Jones Road.
Bobbi Brown, Jones Road

Three decades after Bobbi Brown Essentials first went on sale in Bergdorf Goodman, and exactly 25 years after her non-compete with Estée Lauder expired, Bobbi Brown, the patron saint of ‘natural makeup’ is back with her new beauty line, Jones Road.

 

Sell My Name, Sell My Name
Selling her company – and relinquishing her name – to Estée Lauder for a rumoured US$75 million in 1995, Brown eventually left the brand in 2016 to follow other creative pursuits. The 64-year-old kept herself busy creating a wellness line and designing a hotel, among other things. But mostly she counted down the days (1,460 to be exact) until her non-compete was up. She even created a necklace stamped with the date – 10.20 (according to allure.com).

 

On The Road Again
Brown is clearly as excited as we are to be back on top of the beauty game, with a new range that’s free from phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs and cyclic silicones, among many others. She says on her website, “Jones Road was born from a search for something that didn’t yet exist. Because it didn’t exist, I had to create it … I’m excited and honoured to share the results with you.”

 

Browned Off

However, she must feel some sort of way when she still gets stopped by Bobbi Brown Cosmetic shoppers asking her to change or add products over which she no longer has any say. “A founder cares about details, about people, things that maybe big corporations don’t care as much about,” she said back in 2018.

 

Founders Beware

It’s the kind of thing that happens often in an industry filled with companies that are named after their founders – and it’s something that business founders should be aware of. Just ask Jil Sander who stepped away from her brand three times in 13 years. Or Jo Malone, who ‘divorced’ her namesake company to Estée Lauder for “undisclosed millions” before starting again with her sophomore perfume start-up, Jo Loves.

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