Her Story
About Isabella
My entire career has been in the beauty and personal care industry. I started in trade marketing during the first years of my career, but after collaborating with Marketing, I discovered that I truly loved it and made the transition to work with what aligns with my passion. I've specialized in product innovation, brand development, and marketing strategy, particularly in the fragrance and body care categories. During the past few years, I've been launching products and developing beauty products from end to end back in Brazil. Last year, I moved to the US and made this transition. After adapting to this new cultural environment, new language, and networking, I landed my current job in luxury where I've been for 6 months. In my role, I work to make the brand desirable not only for customers and the market in general, but the greatest challenge I face every day is building the brand and making it nice and valuable for everybody in my company. I have to talk to so many people across different areas to make this work, always thinking about the brand first and what we should do to make it interesting in the North American market. My most notable professional achievement was the Eau de Parfum launch, which was a record-breaking innovation and the biggest launch in the company at the time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Isabella
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people and the teams I've worked with. I've always been lucky to have managers that supported me and guided me throughout my career, but who always heard what I had to say. When I made my transition, I had a manager who supported me even knowing that she was about to lose me. She was always there to support me, give recommendations, and connect me with the right people. I think if you have the nice people around, you will thrive in your career. My manager back at the time was amazing and always supported me for every single task, every single conversation. We even became friends now, so I think she would be the best person to highlight as a mentor.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to always stay true to yourself. It's not easy to navigate the job market without losing your values, so always stay true to yourself. Because this way, you can get as far as you can without losing yourself. I think this is the hardest, but it's the best advice ever.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think always do what you love. Because if you love this kind of products, this kind of a lifestyle, you will know what to do. I feel like this is weird, but you feel connected with it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in the beauty market is that it's such a wild place when it comes to competitors. It's always hard to stay on top because it's a category where nobody is loyal. If you use your whole foundation or lipstick, you're not going to buy the same one. You'll probably test a few other things, something that is viral. So always building a community is a huge challenge, but I think it's the most important part. Since this place is so dynamic and fast-paced, and you get into Sephora or Ulta and get bombarded with so many things, I think building this community so they can get to the store or get online and know your brand, your values, and your quality in the products is the most challenging thing. As for opportunities, I think going back to the people is key. If you are so trend-oriented every single time, a lot of products look the same when it comes to ingredients, packaging, formulas, colors. If everything looks the same, what makes you be different than the others? So look back to your community, research what they think, what they believe, what they actually want, so you can put the people first, and then you develop your product, not just trend-based.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think always be loyal to your friends and your family. I think they are the most important thing ever, and nothing should get in the way of this. So when it comes to work, when it comes to any other thing, I think they are always the most important thing. What should you do to make them proud, and yourself? Always put yourself first, and then your loved ones, because you will always know what to do.
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