Bobbi Brown on selling her brand and moving
Bobbi Brown has spoken about the 1995 sale of her namesake brand to Estée Lauder, describing it as emotional but stating she has moved on and finds some
Makeup artist and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown has publicly discussed selling her original cosmetics brand, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, to the Estée Lauder Companies in 1995. She described the sale as a "very emotional" event during a recent appearance on The Bossticks Podcast, a business-focused show hosted by Lauryn and Michael Bosstick.
Brown explained her current detachment from the brand that still bears her name. She stated she does not follow its social media accounts, though people often send her updates about it. When asked why she no longer follows the brand, Brown told the podcast, "Just because I do not care, and it is just important for me to move on."
Detachment from the brand
Seeing the brand make choices different from her own has made it easier for her to disconnect. "I think if you see something and you are like, 'all right, I would not do that'," she said. Brown elaborated that it would have been more difficult if the brand had evolved exactly as she had envisioned without her involvement. "That would have been torture," she noted. Instead, she finds the situation largely painless and even somewhat comical at times. She acknowledges the brand is no longer hers.
The post-sale journey
At the time of the 1995 sale, Brown signed a 25-year non-compete clause, expecting to work under Estée Lauder until retirement. Her departure from the company led her to launch Evolution 18, a line of beauty and wellness ingestibles. She later returned to the cosmetics market in October 2020 by founding Jones Road Beauty. That brand's initial launch focused on clean, high-grade color cosmetics designed for a natural look.
Expansion into fragrance
Jones Road Beauty has since expanded into other categories, including fragrance. The brand launched its first scent, The Shower Fragrance, in October 2023. Its second fragrance, described as "unconventional," is named BKLYN and launched in September 2025.
Brown has spoken about this layered career journey before. According to Cosmetics Business, she previously claimed the last two years at her namesake brand left her "miserable." She also processed the experience by writing a tell-all memoir titled Still Bobbi, which she described as cathartic. The publication has reached out to Estée Lauder Companies for comment on Brown's recent statements.
