Cosmetics pioneer Bobbi Brown knows that just because one chapter of your life ends, it doesn’t mean the story is over – or even close to being over.
Brown — who revolutionized the beauty industry with her namesake brand — helped popularize the idea that even with makeup, women should look natural. When she sold her company to Estee Lauder in 1995 for a reported $74 million, she didn’t worry about signing a 25-year non-compete agreement. She was in her 30s at the time and thought that by the time the agreement expired she would be in her 60s and want to be retired anyway.
Boy was she wrong.
In 2020, Brown (who worked for her brand as an employee for more than two decades) launched a new direct-to-consumer beauty line – Jones Road – the day her non-compete expired. She was 62 years old.
Jones Beauty has developed a massive fan base – especially on TikTok – around Brown’s concept of minimalistic and cruelty-free beauty products.
Brown recently told Know Your Value founder and “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski that at age 65, she feels like this is her best decade yet.
“I am different in my 60s than I was in my 50s, and I’m going to tell you how much better 60s are than 50," said Brown, who was honored on Forbes and Know Your Value’s “50 Over 50 list.” The list, which came out this week spotlights dynamic female entrepreneurs and leaders over the age of 50 who have achieved significant success later in life, often overcoming formidable odds or barriers.
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Brown added, “… My 30s were so interesting because I sold the company. I had two kids. You know, I lived out of the city, I was learning new things. I was crazy. My 40s were interesting. I had a baby, and things got more settled. But then they were super, super busy. And my 50s were like, 'OK, I still feel good in my 50s. I look good. I’m still working.’ And my 60s were the ‘Oh my gosh, it could be anything you want it to be.’ And there’s honestly something really freeing when you turn 60 and you’re just like ‘OK watch me. This is what I want to do, and this is how I want to live my life.’”
Brown said one of the things she loves most about running a new company in her 60s is that she now has the freedom and confidence to do everything on her own terms. She doesn’t hire consultants or focus groups. She relies on her people and herself. As Brown put it, “makeup is not to be decided on by committee.”
She also said her greatest accomplishment after 50 has nothing to do with fame or money.
“It has been helping women of all ages to feel comfortable in their skins and to empower people to let them know that I really do believe that you could do anything you set your mind to. And you could figure it out,” said Brown. “I don’t care if you’re in your 20s. I don’t care if you come from certain situations where it doesn’t look like you have everything handed to you. There are some amazing success stories. And you know, there are people who have been handed everything that have literally flushed it down the toilet … It’s what you do with what’s handed to you that matters.”