“The La Perla Beauty maxim ‘confidence is beautiful’ means a lot to me personally. I think if you have confidence in yourself, you stand taller – there’s then a certain energy that shines through, and it draws people in. When someone really and truly believes in themselves- that is beauty to me. It's a positive energy that comes from the inside, not the way you look on the surface.
"Sustainability has been central to La Perla Beauty from the very beginning. We’re unique in that we combine a truly artisanal, luxurious beauty brand with a responsible ethos. When we develop our products, we are always asking ourselves questions: is that material recyclable? Is this ingredient responsibly sourced? That's as important as ensuring it is providing pleasure in terms of aesthetics and touch. It’s so important to the La Perla Beauty team that we are constantly doing our very best to be sustainable and luxurious in every possible way."
What does it mean to you to work for a brand that’s ‘by women, for women’?
Oh, it’s heaven! We're a strong female team, and we develop products that we all genuinely love. We'd never launch something that we don't all agree is fabulous to use. Together, we produce things that bring women pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, we are a very diverse company and don’t discriminate. Every member of our team, whatever their gender, has an impressive depth of experience in making beauty products of the highest quality.
What are your favourite La Perla Beauty products?
Definitely the fragrances. Perfume has always made my heart sing, and ours are extra special!
You’re an expert on roses. Has this influenced your work on fragrance development?
It's true, I absolutely adore roses! I planted them with my father as a child and have grown them wherever I’ve lived ever since. I have a very personal idea of how roses smell. I have had a very close collaboration with our perfumers to refine how the rose facets in any of our fragrances are expressed, to bring to life my memory and my love for their effect.
How important is craftsmanship and luxury to you?
It’s an enormous part of what we do here. We're thinking of it every day. It's in the detail... for example, when we shot images of our ingredients, we were inspired by drawings of flowers from the 1900s. That's typical of the level of attention we put into everything.
What role does sustainability play in your personal life?
Well, I’m zealous about separating the recycling, and I've been doing it for about twenty years. Otherwise, my approach is to use things until they fall apart. From electronics to clothes, if it works, it stays! This attitude definitely drove the idea of creating refills for our La Perla Beauty products, so we can reduce single use material in our products as much as possible.
Where in the world do you feel most at home?
I've travelled all over the world during my career, so home is where my husband is!
Why is sorority important?
I think it's the best thing that womanhood can offer. It’s in the little things... like when you listen to a friend, or help a woman who is struggling with a buggy. Or maybe mentoring a younger woman who is just starting out in her career. Sorority is a strong bond and a feeling that deep down, we understand each other.
Which celebrity would you love to invite for dinner?
I adore Iris Apfel. She seems so wise, funny and creative, and she must have some amazing stories to tell from her life. I would just love to gossip through a dinner party with her!
What is your beauty tip?
Happiness. Nothing is more beautiful than laughter lines!