Im Gespräch mit Jane Iredale, Vorsitzende und Gründerin der Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics
What does beauty mean for you personally?
Beauty is something that connects with you inside and lifts the spirits. It can be a flower, a person, a piece of music. It’s a very personal experience. I think female beauty, male too, is completely dependent on inner beauty. We’ve all had experiences where someone initially appears very beautiful to our eyes, but after a while the impact wears off. I think this is because we’re let down by something inside them. Conversely, the opposite can happen where someone grows more beautiful.
You started your buisiness in 1994. I heave read that before this you were very successful in the film buisiness and even worked together with ver
y famous people. Still, you turned your back on film to develop the first cosmetics which are actually good for the skin. How did you feel when starting this new business?
I was never scared even though I staked everything I had on it. I had such confidence in the products and I knew this was something that women wanted and needed. I never missed my show business life. In fact, it was a relief. I’m so much happier doing what I do now.
So you never had the desire to return to film?
No, although the experience I had has been very useful in my job now. Especially that we are doing more and more on You Tube. In film, I learned so much about being a professional and getting the job done to very strict deadlines. I think it has made me a much better company owner than I would have been without it.
Did you have any obstacles to overcome? And if – how did you manage to overcome them?
Whenever you take a risk, there are obstacles, I think. But I love to solve problems so I suppose obstacles keep me interested. I always look forward, not over my shoulder. There’s an excitement about never quite knowing how the day is going to be. I’m the ultimate multi-tasker so my mantra is “bring it on!”
Is there anything that you would have liked to have been more prepared for at the beginning of your business?
I suppose I would have liked to have been more prepared with the design aspect. I was so focused on performance and ingredients that I didn’t pay much attention to what the product went in, as long as it was easy for the consumer to use. Now I understand that design is a very important part of the process and I’ve developed a team of talented women around me who have added so much to the brand.
Did you ask anyone for advice? If yes, who?
I asked a lot of people for advice and I still do. In a sense, the consumer is giving me advice every day through Face Book and other forms of social media. People like you also give me advice and I value every word.
What makes you happiest at the moment?
Reading reviews about our products that have changed peoples’s lives. It means so much to me. I have to admit that walking my dog and smelling the flowers in my garden also makes me very happy.
Jane Iredale beim Vogue Foto Shooting
I really like the techniques of your make-up artists. How do you find them? Do they go through a special schooling before they start working for you?
All our makeup artists are trained on our products before they work in public. Many of them have made the trip to the United States to work with our educators. It also helps that they feel passionately about the products.
Have you got a motto that keeps you going? And if so would you share it?
My motto in business is “Always do what you say you are going to do.” This gives you a sense of completion that is very satisfying. It also builds a sense of trust around you. I believe that trust is the most important foundation to a successful business and relationships of all kinds.
What really amazes me is that the distribution of your minerals went from “top to bottom”. The Amazing Base, the first product you produced found it’s way to plastic surgeons, because it was the perfect make up to cover laser resurfacing and other such procedures. After that dermatologists and finally at the end of the chain make up artists and cosmotologists. The sequence of marketing your product was very unusual. How long did it take for it to get to the “normal users”?
Yes, it was unusual but it had the advantage of giving the product a lot of credibility. It was about five years before we felt we had a strong foothold in the aesthetic market. It wasn’t until the advent of social media that we began to meet the consumer directly. This has been invaluable to the development of the line. And, frankly, there’s nothing like getting direct feedback from women who use our products every day. Good or bad, what they say makes us a better brand.
Upon meeting you , I was so impressed with your vitality , your energy and your great appearance. As well as your inner peace, considering all of the turmoil around you. ” How does she manage to stay so slim? ” was a question that I often heard 
asked. What I asked myself is , how does she manage with all the stress she has everyday. Are you a self- disciplined person? You are my role model.
Thank you for your kind words. No, I’m not a very disciplined person. For example, I know I should exercise more but I really dislike gyms. I much prefer to play sports like tennis and golf, but I don’t get much time for that. I’m fairly disciplined about food. I don’t need to diet, I inherited good genes from both parents, but I do care what I put in my body. I NEVER eat junk food and I avoid sugar as much as possible. Not that I’m a saint. Sometimes I indulge but generally desserts don’t leave me feeling well. And I’ve never had a soda. Once I knew what was in them, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to put that in her body. I do like wine, however; rose is my favorite although I know red wines are better for you. As to stress, it’s easy for me to remind myself of the difficulties many women in this world face, that my issues and challenges seem so small. I often look at the sky and try to imagine the immensity of the universe, then I feel very inconsequential and the stress just fades away.
Thank you so very much for this interview!
Jane Iredale im April 2013 in Köln mit Marina Wessolowski (rechts)
Die Erfolgsgeschichte von Jane Iredale
(Quelle: care concept GmbH)
Jane Iredale ist die Vorsitzende und Gründerin der Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. Sie versorgte die Schönheitsbranche als Erste mit einer vollständigen Make-up-Produktlinie, die auf Mineralien basierte und erkannte das Potenzial eines Angebots gesunder Make-ups für den medizinischen Sektor. Sie arbeitete mit den in aller Welt berühmtesten plastischen Chirurgen und Dermatologen an derEntwicklung ihrer Produktlinie. 
Bevor sie 1994 ihr Kosmetikunternehmen gründete, arbeitete Jane Iredale für Film, Theater und Fernsehen.
Sie begann ihre Karriere als Besetzungschefin und arbeitete für Fernsehspots mit Models wie Lauren Hutton, Jacqueline Smith und Cybil Shepherd sowie später für Filme und Fernsehauftritte mit Schauspielerinnen wie Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close und Sarah Jessica Parker zusammen.
Unter anderem unterstützte sie Francis Ford Coppola bei der Produktion von The Outsider , Steven Spielberg bei dem Film The Colour of Purple und sie arbeitete für alle größeren Fernsehsender, unter anderem für die BBC.
Schließlich gründete Sie ihre eigene Produktionsfirma und produzierte über fünfzig Sendungen für die Sender PBS und HBO. Zwei ihrer Spielfilme wurden von TV Guide zu den besten Filmen der jeweiligen Jahre ernannt. Ein Film wurde mit dem begehrten George Foster Peabody Award ausgezeichnet. Sie gewann auch einen Emmy als Autorin einer Filmserie.
Während ihrer gesamten Karriere hat sie mit den besten Visagisten der Branche zusammengearbeitet. Janes Erfahrungen, die sie bei der Zusammenarbeit mit Frauen sammelte, deren Karriere von einem klaren Hautbild abhängt, ließen sie erkennen, dass Hautunreinheiten und Empfindlichkeiten nicht nur persönliche Laufbahnen gefährden, sondern auch das Selbstbewusstsein zerstören können.
Dies brachte sie dazu, eine Make-up-Produktlinie zu entwickeln, die einen Beitrag dazu leistet, das Leben von Frauen zu verbessern, indem sie die Gesundheit ihrer Haut unterstützt. Im Mai 1994 führte Jane Iredale ihre einmalige Skin Care Make-up-Linie ein. Dies war die erste umfassende Produktserie auf dem Markt, die nicht nur Abdeckung bietet, sondern auch Vorteile für die Haut mit sich bringt.
