jane iredale Celebrating 30 Years of jane iredale

Thirty years ago, I would give a class and ask how many of the attendees read ingredient labels. I was lucky if two hands shot up out of 50 people. None of the attendees knew what they were putting daily on the largest organ of their bodies. It’s different now, consumers care more about clean beauty and are more conscious of clean makeup brands.

I’ve always been interested in what I put in and on my body so it was natural for me to investigate makeup ingredients once I decided to leave the entertainment world and explore the possibility of developing a non-comedogenic foundation that was good for the skin. In my 25-year career as a casting director, producer and writer in television and film, I saw multiple actors and models struggling to keep their skins healthy – bombarded as they were by makeup of all kinds, morning, noon, and night. I remember a prominent agent in New York telling me that she would never hire a model with bad skin. That struck a chord in me. So bad skin impacts self-esteem and careers. Here is an opportunity to enhance the lives of women. And that was to become my mantra and still is.

We started with Amazing Base (so called because every time I put it on someone, she said Amazing!). Amazing Base was a non-comedogenic foundation, concealer, and sunscreen all in one. This mineral foundation powder was formulated without talc, synthetic preservatives and dyes. It also gave superb coverage (the skin still looked like skin), and broad-spectrum sun protection that soothed skin thanks to the zinc oxide. Plus, dermatologists and plastic surgeons loved this mineral makeup!

It wasn’t long before their patients were asking if we had other products to go along with the mineral foundation. One plastic surgeon relayed the request from one of his patients and said, “I never thought I’d have lipsticks alongside my scalpels.” We started gradually, a few pencils, lipsticks, an under-eye concealer, and then came the big one. We decided to press the minerals. This wasn’t easy, but PurePressed Base was an immediate success and has been our bestseller ever since. Now it’s formulated in 26 shades and is available worldwide.

The international growth of our clean makeup brand has been meaningful to me. The idea that we can reach women of all ethnicities and improve their self-esteem gives me a sense of fulfillment and to be fulfilled in life is surely one of the most satisfying of all feelings.

I’m confident the brand will continue in that direction. We have always been known for our innovation in the clean beauty industry and that will continue as we develop products using newly created ingredients. The ingredient selection now is so much larger than back when we first began and clean beauty was relatively unknown. Now, laboratories are continuing to grow their innovation and are becoming increasingly conscious of environmental impact and sustainability. They also understood that we really can nurture the health of the skin with skincare and makeup working in tandem. Sunscreen is a perfect example. It isn’t efficient to put sunscreen on first and then layer it with skincare and makeup. Having sunscreen in makeup means that it’s the last layer we put on and, therefore, the easiest to maintain. It took me a long while to get that message across!

I look now at the clean beauty segment of the industry and marvel at the size. The innovation of clean beauty not only helps women but also the environment and animals. “No animal testing” has become one of the most important claims that a consumer looks for. I know we’ve had a substantial impact on that, and it helps me sleep at night.

My interest in what we put in and on our bodies was integral to my love of gardening. I love fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers for the table. The colours and fragrance have impacted our makeup line profoundly and so many flower colours have ended up in our blush and lipsticks. This spring’s collection is a perfect example – “Ready to Bloom.” Two beautiful PurePressed Eye Shadow Triples, Honeysuckleand Wildflower; two shades of luscious PurePressed Blush, Velvet Petal and Flourish, and my favourite Forever Peach Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain. Honestly, I wear Forever Peach or Forever Red every day of my life! Along with PurePressed Base in Amber and Copper Wind PurePressed Blush, I have a trio that never lets me down.

30 years! Wow! What changes we’ve seen. Consumers are reading ingredient labels, holding companies accountable, and turning down brands that test on animals. Transparency is key. We were the first cosmetic brand to list its ingredients on its website and now it’s commonplace. We’ve been part of a movement that has empowered and protected women. We’re proud of that. We’re grateful to have been part of it.

Thank you for 30 years of loyalty, for your support and feedback. The success of this brand has been a joint effort, and, with your help, one that will continue for at least another 30 years.

Jane Iredale

Founder of Iredale Cosmetics, Inc. Jane Iredale was born in England and moved to the United States as a young woman.

She first attended New York University, then obtained her master’s degree in English and Philosophy at the University of Albany-SUNY. During her undergraduate studies she started her career in the entertainment industry, working first as a casting director and then as a writer and producer in both New York and Los Angeles.

She moved on from film, television and theater to create her eponymous makeup line, jane iredale. With the launch of the mineral foundation Amazing Base, in 1994, she introduced a makeup line that would nurture skin, not irritate it; a makeup line that she could feel good about producing, and women could feel good about wearing.

The business is run from the charming town of Great Barrington, MA where the company’s campus comes complete with organic gardens and direct access to a riverside walking path. She lives in town with her husband, and dog, Cookie.