Jennifer Lopez on building a beauty brand to help women ‘look and feel youthful’

The international actress-singer and entrepreneur always has a project in the works, but her eponymous brand JLo Beauty is equally a business and passion project. First launching in January 2021, JLo Beauty now boasts 11 products that include the Beso Balm Ultra-Hydrating Lip Mask, which debuted in November, and travel-size versions of the JLo Body collection, which debuted in 2022. On the retail front, JLo Beauty widened its distribution this year by partnering with Revolve, Macy’s.com and select Macy’s stores. In addition, it launched internationally through a Hydrafacial collaboration. Finally, the brand established a community of content creators who receive behind-the-scenes access, special invites, sneak peeks and first dibs. 

Lopez spoke with Glossy about her road to beauty brand founder, her evolving relationship with beauty and her long-term goals for JLo Beauty.

You’ve been considered a beauty icon since early in your career. Why did you wait so long to launch a brand in the category?

“For years, the No. 1 question I’ve been asked is about my skin, and so I felt almost an obligation to share what I’ve learned. It’s taken 20 years to realize this dream, because I knew that it had to be amazing because my name would be on it. I’ve been involved in all aspects of development, because JLo Beauty must authentically mirror my values and reflect who I am, what I believe in and how I live my life. We went through over 100 rounds of product development to come up with formulas that offer a range of benefits, including instant results as well as longer-term, clinically shown results.”

How is your relationship with beauty similar to or different than your relationship with fashion?

“My relationship with fashion is more evolving than with beauty. I’ll experiment here and there with fashion, but with beauty, [I have] tried-and-true routines that I stick to. I know they work for me, especially with my busy lifestyle, and I’m really loyal to them. … Whatever your age, you have earned the right to feel comfortable in your skin. Years of hard work and self-love taught me to unapologetically own every part of me — my body, my voice, my choices and even my mistakes. All of it makes me who I am. For me, it’s been less about my relationship with specific industries and more about aligning myself with people and brands that have a similar philosophy.”

What kind of impact do you hope JLo Beauty has on the beauty industry?

“I want to empower all women to live their dreams. It’s never too late or too early to be who you want to be. We launched skin and body care to ensure we’re giving our consumer everything she needs to look and feel youthful from head to toe, and we [plan to expand] to new categories in the future.”