Bobbi Brown has spent decades as one of the most trusted names in beauty. In 2020, she launched Jones Road Beauty with a clear mission: makeup should be simple, skin should look like skin, and confidence outperforms any product on the shelf. The name has Hamptons roots, pulled from a road sign she spotted while driving with her husband, Steven. Ahead of Jones Road’s newest launches, Brown spoke about confidence, social media, and why she’d rather make fewer, better products than chase trends.
After such an accomplished career, what inspired you to start fresh with Jones Road, and what has that experience been like for you?
When I left my namesake brand in 2017, I really didn’t know what I was going to do next, but I had an empty calendar and started to work on projects I found interesting, including doing the first class as a makeup artist for the education platform, MasterClass. That project reminded me that what I love to do most is be a makeup artist and a teacher, and to formulate great products. I love teaching women how to use makeup to feel like themselves on their very best days. I also like to create products that are easy to use and over-deliver on their benefits.
Jones Road really started because I was looking for products for my own makeup kit that were clean, high-performing, and easy-to-use, and I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. So I started making them. I had this incredible opportunity to take everything I’d learned over 30-plus years in the beauty industry and start again with a completely clean slate.
It’s been so much fun because I get to do things differently this time. We’re nimble, we listen to our customers, and if something doesn’t make sense for us, we don’t do it. I have more freedom, and creatively, that’s incredibly exciting.
You’ve spent your career helping people feel more confident in their own skin. How has your own relationship with beauty and aging changed over the years?
I’ve always believed that beauty is about looking like yourself, and I believe that even more strongly now. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve actually simplified what I do. I wear less makeup, not more.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need to cover everything. Skin should look like skin. I want my skin to look healthy and moisturized. I want a little color in my cheeks. I want my eyes to look awake. I’m not trying to look 30. I want to look like myself, healthy and rested.
Confidence is the most powerful beauty product of all. As we get older, we know ourselves better, and we know what works. There is something very empowering about that.
Your philosophy has always centered on helping people look like the best version of themselves rather than someone else. In an era dominated by filters, viral beauty trends, and constantly changing aesthetics, do you think that message has become more difficult — or more important — to communicate?
That has consistently been my message for nearly 40 years. I don’t follow trends, and I’ve never believed that makeup should be about transforming yourself into something you’re not. Makeup should make you look like you on a really good day.
Social media is an incredible tool, and we use it to educate and inspire our customers. We use it to empower women and help them realize that they don’t need to follow every trend, and you don’t need to change the shape of your face because somebody on TikTok told you to. We want women to embrace who they are, flaws and all.
The Hamptons have such a distinct sense of style (effortless, natural, and outdoors). Do you think that mindset has influenced the way you approach beauty or shaped the Jones Road brand?
That effortless Hamptons sensibility is very much how I think about beauty. It’s healthy skin, a little color, maybe some freckles showing through. Your cheeks are slightly flushed, like you’ve just had a great workout, you’ve gotten some fresh air, and you feel good in your skin.
That’s really the Jones Road woman. She doesn’t want to spend an hour doing her makeup. She wants a few great products she can put on with her fingers and then get on with her day. And I love makeup that can take you from being outside all day to dinner at night with just a couple of things thrown in your bag.
Also, my husband Steven and I came up with the name Jones Road when we were driving in the Hamptons. We were in the car — Steven was driving, and I was in charge of directions, using Waze on my phone. I looked down at the directions and saw “Jones Road” on the map. I immediately said out loud, “Jones Road Beauty.” Steven immediately liked the name. I loved it because it sounded like a bespoke British brand. And we checked with our lawyer, and it was available. The Hamptons are a critical part of Jones Road’s origin story.
After decades in the industry, are there any beauty “rules” you once believed in that you’ve completely changed your mind about?
I’ve never been a big believer in beauty rules. If anything, I’ve gotten even less interested in them as I’ve gotten older.
I used to think you needed more products to create a polished look. Now I think the opposite. You need the right products. You don’t need foundation everywhere — only where you have hyperpigmentation and need to even out your skin tone. Always add products into your routine that are going to instantly make you look better — products that are hydrating and give your skin a bit of a glow; something a little sparkly that you can put on your eyes or cheeks and add a little more blush to your cheeks. Usually, that’s all you need.
You’ve often said makeup should make people feel good, not feel pressured. What do you wish young people today understood about beauty that social media doesn’t always teach them?
That you don’t have to fix your face.
I think young people are seeing themselves through filters and cameras constantly, and that’s very different from how I grew up. When you see a filtered version of yourself over and over again, it’s easy to start thinking that’s what you’re supposed to look like.
But real skin has texture. Faces aren’t perfectly symmetrical, and that’s normal.
Makeup should be fun. Experiment with it. Try a crazy eyeliner or a bright lip if you want to. But do it because it makes you happy, not because you think you need it to be beautiful. The most important thing is figuring out what makes you feel good.
You’re known for listening closely to your customers, whether that’s through social media, in-store conversations, or your online community. Has there ever been a piece of customer feedback that genuinely surprised you or changed the direction of a product?
What has surprised me most is how much our customers actually tell us what they need next. I’m constantly reading comments, talking to people in our stores, and listening to what women are asking for.
When I started Jones Road, I was developing products largely from a makeup artist’s perspective — what was missing from my kit? Now we have this incredible community giving us real-time feedback. They’ll tell us they want a different shade, a different texture, or an easier way to do something, and we listen.
That’s one of the biggest advantages of being an independent company. We can react. We don’t have to create something because a trend report says it’s going to be big next year. If our customers have a real need and I think we can make a better product than is currently out there, we make it.
From the Bright Skin Illuminating Drops to the Your Skin Foundation Stick and new Miracle Balm shades, Jones Road’s newest launches all seem to stay true to the brand’s natural approach to beauty. In an industry where trends move so quickly, how do you decide when a new product is worth creating, and what makes it feel like a meaningful addition to the line?
I don’t create products because something is trending. The world doesn’t need more beauty products — it needs better beauty products.
For me, there has to be a reason for something to exist. Is there something missing from my kit? Are our customers asking us for something? Can we make something easier or better than what’s already out there? And most importantly, does it make you look better without looking like you’re wearing a ton of makeup?
The Bright Skin Illuminating Drops give you that healthy luminosity without covering your skin. Your Skin Foundation Stick gives you coverage exactly where you want it, instead of feeling like you have to put foundation all over your face. And when we add shades to Miracle Balm, it’s because we’re finding new ways to give women that healthy, natural color that has always been at the heart of Jones Road.
I’m also incredibly picky. If a formula isn’t right, we don’t launch it. We don’t launch a new product until we’ve tested it extensively and that I’m confident that it’s better than anything I’ve tried on the market.