Emily Weiss

She turned a $20 blog into a billion-dollar beauty empire.

At 24, Emily Weiss was editing beauty interviews in the early hours of the morning before her day job at Vogue.

By 28, she had launched a beauty brand that would become a cultural phenomenon.

And by 36, she was the CEO of a billion-dollar company, Glossier.

But it all started with a hunch.

In 2010, while assisting on Vogue photoshoots, Emily noticed a gap: beauty content that felt real, inclusive, and personal.

So she created Into the Gloss, a blog where she photographed the beauty cabinets of everyone from Karlie Kloss to everyday women.

It wasn’t long before her authentic storytelling attracted millions of readers and a loyal community.

In 2014, Emily launched Glossier with just four skincare products.

No flashy campaigns. No celebrity endorsements. Just trust, transparency, and a mission to democratize beauty.

It worked.

Within five years, products like Boy Brow and Cloud Paint sparked 10,000-person waitlists.

Flagship stores drew lines around the block.

And the brand hit a $1.2B valuation.

By 2022, it was Sephora’s #1 fragrance seller, outpacing Chanel and Dior.

But Emily’s journey wasn’t without challenges.

The pandemic shuttered Glossier’s beloved stores.

Controversy over workplace culture tested the brand’s values.

Emily faced personal and professional crossroads… stepping down as CEO in 2022 to focus on motherhood and a new chapter as executive chairwoman.

Yet, today, with over $100M in annual retail sales and an all-female executive team, Glossier continues to thrive.

Emily’s secret? Listening.

From customer comments to TikTok trends, she believes the best ideas come from the community she built.