Too Faced founders exit after 24 years

By Becky Bargh | Published: 6-May-2022

Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson will step away from the business they built up over two decades to pursue new opportunities

The founders of Too Faced, the American beauty brand owned by Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), have stepped down from the business.

On 30 June, Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson will call time on the business they co-founded 24 years ago to pursue new opportunities, according to a statement by ELC.

Both began their careers behind counters of the Estée Lauder brand before establishing their own colour cosmetics company.

ELC acquired Too Faced in 2016 for a record US$1.4bn at the time.

After the takeover, Blandino and Johnson moved into the ELC business.

“Jerrod and Jeremy started the brand with a simple yet compelling creative concept and transformed it into something that is truly extraordinary,” said William Lauder, Executive Chairman of ELC.

“We look forward to seeing where the next phase of their journey takes them and wish them all the best as they set out on new adventures.”

For many years, Too Faced has traded as one of the most successful beauty brands in the world.

In 2021, it was ranked number 15 in the top most popular beauty brands worldwide by Tajmeeli.

Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara was also named as the ‘most loved’ mascara by British influencers and was second in the top ten list of most mentioned mascara brands in 2019, according to My Marketing Insight.

Too Faced has also helped boost ELC’s sales of its make-up category, alongside MAC Cosmetics, Tom Ford Beauty and La Mer.

The show must go on

To replace the founders, ELC’s Tara Simon will step in as the brand’s Global Brand President.

She previously served as Senior VP and Global General Manager for the beauty business, which she took up in September 2020.

Prior to joining ELC, Simon served as the Senior VP of beauty retailer Ulta.

She has also held senior positions at Sephora, as well as Chief Merchant, SVP, Planning and Inventory, at salon and spa chain Beauty Brands.

“Tara has been a fantastic leader at Too Faced since she joined the brand two years ago, and I know that she will continue to leverage her brand building expertise to drive an emotional connection with consumers through inspiring products and unique experiences,” said ELC’s CEO Fabrizio Freda.

“I am confident that under Tara’s leadership, Too Faced is well-positioned for its next phase of growth.

“And we are so grateful for Jerrod and Jeremy’s outstanding work over the last six incredible years spent as part of the ELC family.”

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