Gloss Angeles Podcast Summary
Episode: Sarah Creal on Developing Some of the Beauty Industry’s Most Iconic Products
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson & Sara Tan
Guest: Sarah Creal, Beauty Brand Founder, Product Developer
Release Date: November 14, 2025
Episode Overview
In this insightful episode, long-standing beauty journalist hosts Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan welcome industry icon Sarah Creal. With an illustrious 30-year career, Sarah shares stories behind developing some of beauty’s most influential products—at brands like Prescriptives, Tom Ford, Prada Beauty, and her own award-winning, pro-age brand targeting women 40+. The conversation delves into product innovation, challenges of entrepreneurship, formulating for underserved demographics, her take on the term "aging gracefully," and how the culture of beauty is evolving for the next generation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Mission Behind Sarah Creal Beauty
[03:06–04:13]
- Sarah's brand exclusively targets women 40+, rebuffing industry trends of chasing increasingly younger consumers (e.g., Gen Alpha/Beta).
- Refuses to use models under 40; explicitly labels her brand for "Babes 40+."
- Quotes:
- “Babes is a mental state...it’s for people who are 40 plus. I put it on the package to keep not only myself honest, but anybody that should come into the brand... I feel like this particular segment has been so underserved, and it’s really my mission to serve them.” – Sarah Creal [03:30]
Investor skepticism:
- The beauty investment world is dominated by men, many of whom didn't believe older women wanted to look at other older women in marketing.
- "I just don't think that older women really want to look at other older women." – Unnamed Investor, quoted by Sarah [04:27]
- Sarah bootstrapped her business because of this perspective.
- “I put my own money in. I went to friends and family, so really bootstrapped it.” – Sarah Creal [05:20]
2. Sarah’s Top Five Most Iconic Product Developments
[06:05–21:45]
1. Magic by Prescriptives
[07:07–09:49]
- The original optical blurring lotion—no color, just instantly better-looking skin, using five-sided mirrored particles for skin "perfection."
- “It’s like a cloaking device for your face...nobody had ever done any kind of optical diffusing anything at that point.” – Sarah Creal [08:13]
- Magic created a whole category of skin-perfecting products.
2. The Foundation Brush (Prescriptives)
[10:21–11:46]
- Sarah invented the first paddle-shaped foundation brush after experimenting with art supplies.
- "If you actually use a paintbrush with foundation, you might get a smoother application than fingers...So I whipped out this brush I bought at Blick’s, and I had cut it myself." – Sarah Creal [11:20]
- Paved the way for all foundation brushes that came after.
3. Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate
[14:38–15:19]
- Created the original contour/highlight cream palette, inspired by the idea that supermodel beauty is all about facial symmetry.
- “Who is Tom Ford? ...He is sort of the male gaze, looking at women and determining what is beautiful...So that became kind of my premise, and architecture of the face became the foundation of that brand.” – Sarah Creal [14:38]
- Developed with Charlotte Tilbury pre-her own brand.
4. Victoria Beckham x Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer
[16:36–17:07]
- One of the very first designer/skincare scientist collaborations.
- “For Victoria, I said, we need somebody to partner with who is serious business...That was great because it delivered a lot of what Magic had done, but it had efficacy and potency that Augustinus Bader and his TFC8 brought.” – Sarah Creal [16:40]
5. Eyes Up Creamy Kajal Longwear Liner (Sarah Creal Beauty)
[17:44–21:45]
- Clinically tested specifically on women 40–65 and with sensitive eyes.
- 2 years to develop; laboratory pushed back as the brand is "too small."
- “Frankly, this is one of the benefits of being 55...If somebody had said this to me when I was 35, I would have said, okay, you’re right. But being 55, I didn’t...” – Sarah Creal [19:05]
- “Now the sales are proving it out.” – Sarah Creal [21:10]
- Sold out on launch and highly-rated.
3. Product Philosophy and Evolution in Luxury Beauty
[26:54–41:16]
Sarah's Approach & Consistency
- Always asks, “What does SHE want?” Women are the focus of every development.
- “I’m really interested in creating products that she doesn’t even know she needs. She tries them, and that’s it. She’s like, oh my God, where has this been all my life?” – Sarah Creal [26:47]
Defining Luxury Beauty Today
[39:47–41:16]
- “Luxury has to be efficacious...Time is the number one luxury.”
- "It has to have a sensorial surprise...even someone who’s not well-versed in beauty, they might not be able to put words to it, but they know it when they feel it."
- “Don’t give me something that’s like, you know, 2010 wants its heavy jar back.” – Sarah Creal [40:38]
Most Surprising Product: Moisture Source Liquid Moisturizer
[41:22–45:00]
- Innovation: a bi-phase liquid moisturizer—unique, deeply hydrating, doesn’t rely on “heavy creams” and their binding agents which can block moisture absorption.
- “One dose hydrates for 24 hours...If you use it for four weeks, it increases your baseline hydration by 45%.” – Sarah Creal [44:12]
- Data-driven: surveyed 2,000 luxury beauty shoppers 40+ to validate needs.
4. Thoughts on Aging & Beauty Language
[45:02–48:38]
- Sarah’s research found women 40+ don’t mind "anti-aging" but hate “mature skin.”
- Rejects the idea of “aging gracefully”—calls it a patriarchal expectation.
- “It’s just another patriarchal bullshit box to put women in…Like, we are going to tell you how you should age. I’m like, no, you are not.” – Sarah Creal [46:06]
- “A friend of mine said, ‘I feel like I’m aging like somebody kicked me down the stairs...it is the furthest thing from graceful.’” – Sarah Creal [47:17]
- "My hope with this brand...is the overall elevation of women and what they want to do. It’s their choice." – Sarah Creal [47:33]
5. Career Origin Story & Advice for Aspiring Beauty Professionals
[26:56–34:45]
- Studied British literature, not chemistry. Dreamed of making beauty products from age 13.
- Persistence & resourcefulness: landed first counter job at Clinique (Bergdorf Goodman) with only a literature degree.
- Got into product development by writing a left-field cover letter predicting that skincare ingredients would cross into makeup for aging boomers—a then-novel insight.
- “Sometimes you really have to think outside of the box and outside of the rules.” – Sarah Creal [32:27]
- “If you don’t take the shot, you will never know.” – Sarah Creal [33:46]
- Encourages listeners: Do your homework, but don’t be afraid to start.
6. Working with Industry Legends
[22:56–39:28]
Prada Beauty (1998)
- “So ahead of its time”—preservative-free, unit-dosed, multi-national development, “pharmaceutical” standards.
- “Miuccia Prada was a dream to work for, she just had such vision and passion for skincare.” – Sarah Creal [23:27]
Victoria Beckham
- VB had 15 years of beauty products laid out when Sarah visited her home; “incredibly passionate, prepared, and collaborative,” with a confidence to put people at ease.
- “She has an ability to set people at ease that is god given.” – Sarah Creal [35:23]
Insights from Launching Brands
- Working at a startup versus a major house was a major shift in mindset: required flexibility, learning, and partnership between brand and expertise.
7. Beauty, Aging, and the Next Generation
[48:38–51:52]
- Sarah’s daughters are 16 and 18.
- Concerned about how young women balance body confidence with the external expectations/pressures (clothes as "currency").
- “I tend to think that there is sort of a very intimate relationship between the amount of clothing that girls this age are wearing and the reduction of women’s rights. I think it’s intertwined, because as a woman’s outer becomes more about her value because she has fewer rights...” – Sarah Creal [49:13]
- Ultimately wants her daughters to make their own choices, but to be aware of how cultural forces work.
8. Beauty Advice for Her Daughters (and Listeners!)
[52:04–54:21]
- “Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. And Moisture Source.”
- “You have one skin in this lifetime. Preserve it.” – Sarah Creal [52:19]
- Sarah personally uses her own SPF formula: Brilliant Repair Shield (SPF 50 with patent-pending clear zinc).
- Packaging is crucial: products are designed to visually evoke what they do (e.g., Moisture Source looks like water; SPF like a sun).
Notable Quotes and Moments
- On Investors & Ageism:
- “I had three meetings...with institutional investors who said to me, ‘I just don’t think that older women really want to look at other older women.’” — Sarah Creal [04:28]
- On Aging Language:
- “Aging gracefully makes me want to actually level people. ...It’s just another patriarchal bullshit box.” — Sarah Creal [46:06]
- On Luxury Today:
- “Time is the number one luxury...It cannot be, it is not where we are as a culture. We are on the move.” — Sarah Creal [40:40]
- On Breaking Into Beauty:
- “If you don’t take the shot, you will never know.” — Sarah Creal [33:46]
- On Pioneering Product Categories:
- “Nobody had ever done any kind of optical diffusing anything at that point. It was a first.” — Sarah Creal [08:28]
- On Raising Daughters:
- “I never, ever say, don’t wear that. ...It is their journey.” — Sarah Creal [51:06]
- On Agency and Choice:
- “What I am here for is the overall elevation of women and what they want to do. It’s their choice. As long as they’re doing what they want to do, I am happy.” — Sarah Creal [47:33]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 03:06 – Sarah on marketing for 40+ women and industry pushback
- 07:07 – The invention of Magic by Prescriptives
- 10:21 – Birth of the foundation brush
- 14:38 – Developing Tom Ford’s signature aesthetic & products
- 16:36 – The Victoria Beckham x Augustinus Bader partnership
- 17:44 – Developing her best-selling Kajal eyeliner
- 26:54 – Sarah’s mission: “Women at the forefront”
- 39:47 – Redefining luxury beauty in 2025
- 41:22 – Moisture Source: the bi-phase liquid moisturizer
- 45:02 – Language of aging: "Anti-aging" vs. "mature skin"
- 46:06 – “Aging gracefully” and Sarah’s fiery rejection
- 52:04 – Beauty advice for her daughters
Conclusion
This episode is a goldmine of beauty industry insights. Sarah Creal exemplifies what it means to innovate with empathy and agency—pushing back against industry stereotypes, advocating for underserved women, and pioneering products that change both consumer habits and cultural narratives. Her story is an inspiration for beauty lovers and budding entrepreneurs alike, reinforcing that experience, curiosity, and conviction are the truest forms of luxury in the ever-evolving, ever-youth-obsessed world of beauty.
Find Sarah Creal Beauty at SarahCreal.com, Sephora.com, and select Sephora stores.