Bobbi Brown: Redefining Beauty & Business with Jones Road

Bobbi Brown has always been a trailblazer in the beauty industry, known for revolutionizing makeup with her natural, effortless approach. Decades after launching her eponymous brand and transforming the beauty world, Brown has embarked on a new journey with Jones Road Beauty, a brand that reflects her evolved philosophy and the changing landscape of beauty. Her views on beauty, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation continue to shape not just her work, but the industry at large.

For Brown, beauty is about more than makeup—it’s about authenticity and confidence. Over the decades, she has seen beauty standards shift, particularly with the rise of inclusivity. “Women today have a new definition of what beauty is. In the 50s and 60s, the standard of beauty was the tall, thin, blonde All-American girl. Today, we see the rise in the inclusiveness and expansion of beauty of all types.”

Despite the evolution of the industry, Brown’s core message has remained the same. “I believe in teaching women how to achieve the look that is best for them versus trying to attain some external standard of beauty. For over 30 years, my message has consistently been about being authentic and being yourself. What’s most beautiful to me is a person who is happy, confident, and who embraces who they are, flaws and all. That’s the new standard of beauty.”

This philosophy is central to Jones Road Beauty, the new venture Brown launched in 2020. Unlike her first brand, Jones Road reflects both her personal growth and the evolution of the beauty industry itself. “Everything about Jones Road is different than my first brand, mainly because everything about the business has changed. We have better product ingredients, so we can now create clean formulas that actually work. Also, everything about distribution has changed—we don’t need department stores because we sell online. And the rise of social media has allowed brands like Jones Road to engage directly with its customers.”

For Brown, the decision to launch Jones Road wasn’t about competing with her former brand or anyone else in the market—it was about filling a void. “When I began envisioning a new brand, I didn’t think about the competition. I was focused on the changing beauty landscape and developing the products I wanted but that didn’t exist yet.” Clean beauty has become central to this mission, though she views it as more than just a trend. “To me, it’s now table stakes. We now have access to much healthier, more efficacious ingredients, so why wouldn’t you make a clean beauty brand now?”

Clean beauty, for Brown, goes beyond a marketing buzzword. “When we were creating Jones Road, my top priority was to formulate the very best products I could make. So, we replaced all the standard ingredients with clean alternatives and tested them to be sure that the product still over-performed, smelled good, and looked amazing on the skin.” Sustainability is also a key consideration in how the brand operates. “We don’t have any plastic—no bubble wrap, none of that. We do as little packaging as possible, so we don’t waste anything. That’s how we define sustainability.”

Throughout her career, Brown has stayed consistent in her belief that trends should never define beauty. “I don’t follow trends. I’m very consistent and have always preferred a natural, effortless look. Even though many media outlets are calling the ‘no makeup makeup’ look a trend, I’ve been doing it for four decades.” In her eyes, the best beauty trend is confidence—whatever makes someone feel good in their own skin.

Her entrepreneurial success is as much about resilience as it is about creativity. Brown has always encouraged others, particularly women, to jump into their ventures without waiting for the perfect moment. “One lesson I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that if you wait for the ‘perfect time’ to do anything, nothing happens. I don’t wait. I create.” Her approach to business is all about flexibility and the ability to adapt. “Sometimes, the vision shifts slightly during the process and that’s okay. You have to remain flexible and have the confidence to change direction when things aren’t working out. I don’t believe in failures. I just see them as a sign to try something different.”

Balancing creativity and business is something Brown has perfected over the years. “I’ve always said the world doesn’t need more beauty products, just better products. Working on my first brand as long as I did was the best business training I could have gotten. I learned everything from product development and distribution to PR and marketing. It was like getting an MBA.”

Her experience informs everything she does with Jones Road Beauty, which she describes as her most personal project yet. “Jones Road has been the ultimate creative endeavor because it’s a reflection of who I am today. It’s the products I wanted for myself that I couldn’t find anywhere else—an edited, indispensable collection of clean, high-grade formulations designed for all ages, skin types, and skin tones.”

With a career defined by empowerment, authenticity, and innovation, Bobbi Brown remains one of the most influential figures in the beauty world. As she continues to build Jones Road Beauty, she remains dedicated to her core philosophy: “Whatever makes you feel the most confident is the best trend to follow.”

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.