The story of Anastasia Soare, known as Anastasia Beverly Hills, has all the ingredients of a Hollywood film with a happy ending. Arriving in the United States penniless and without mastering the language, the young Romanian was determined to live the American dream. A visionary, the self-made woman built a beauty empire by creating a pillar previously unexploited by the cosmetics giants. Between mathematical formulas, studies of the work of a certain Leonardo da Vinci and super models, the “queen of eyebrows” has risen to the firmament.
You left Romania with the firm determination to succeed in the United States. What convinced you that you too could become a successful entrepreneur?
Anastasia Soare : I lived in Romania under one of the most ferocious and repressive communist regimes. I only had one idea in mind: to leave the country at all costs to settle in the United States, precisely in Los Angeles. For what ? In my head, the USA was the country of freedom, of opportunities, of success regardless of your origin, your religion, your gender. I knew that here if you worked hard, you could one day reach the stars. Paris, London, Berlin…Europe did not convey this “American dream”, for me the possibilities remained limited.
In some way, were you inspired by the story of your compatriot, Olympic champion gymnast Nadia Comaneci?
Absolutely ! She was and remains the heroine of generations of Romanians. He’s a living legend! In her field, she was able to change the course of her destiny as well. Today, we are close friends and it is a real joy to have her in my life.
When you don’t speak the language of your host country, you have no savings and you are looking to succeed in business, where do you start?
Many professions were necessarily closed to me so I headed into the world of beauty by working as a beautician. A field where gesture and know-how are more important than words. Also, I understood that I had to strategically choose my place of practice, so I worked in the Beverly Hills area to rub shoulders with those who made Hollywood. You also have to accept a reality: work hard, seven days a week!
When did you have this vision that would change the world of cosmetics and beauty in a different way?
After a few months of work on site, I began to wonder about the total absence of aesthetic treatment on the eyebrows. For me, it was insane, we were still in Hollywood, in the temple of glamour! I, who came from Romania, already treated this area before any institute treatment. One day I had redefined my own eyebrows at home and the next day everyone was telling me that I looked different, more beautiful, that something had changed. We thought it was my hairstyle or something else, but no one could pinpoint exactly where the change was coming from. I still laugh about it today!
From that moment, I understood that there was a real subject to investigate. In my youth, I had studied art, literature and architecture and I said to myself that there was the key in these three disciplines to explain the ability to harmonize a face – through proportions – as we do. could make a work of art aesthetic and attractive. I returned to the library to study all these notions around the “golden ratio” (the Golden Ratio) dear to Leonardo da Vinci. Or how the tiniest shift in location could sublimate an object. Behind the Golden Ratio®, there is a mathematical formula that I wanted to transcribe on humans to define the perfect balance of a face.
I patented my discovery then tried to convince my employer at the time of the need to use the Golden Ratio® in our work. But he didn’t believe it! From there, I redoubled my efforts to open my own space, which was very small, in order to offer this new technique to my customers. I didn’t have to stray far from Beverly Hills and the first clients who began to ask me to treat their eyebrows. Word of mouth worked more and more because I had also created my own accessories and makeup since nothing existed!
At the time, how did you explain this skepticism among the cosmetics giants who never understood the importance of investing in this field?
Mouth makeup, complexion, eyelashes worked so well that these pillars focused all the attention of the sector. Nobody was interested in this niche.
What was your biggest challenge?
Resisting those who told me to stop dreaming, and there were many of them! For them, if no one in the industry was interested in this area, then there was no reason to make an offer. I believed that the beauty of eyebrows was understood as a mathematical formula, that science had to be combined with beauty. Also, it was a real challenge to convince the celebrities because they referred to the expertise of their make-up artists who did not include in-depth work on the eyebrow area. When you’re a visionary, you have to expect a lot of skepticism. Besides, when I think about it, I say to myself, where did I find all this strength, this energy, this conviction to never give up?!
I believe that my goal of making this new theory understood by all women transcended me. A woman who feels beautiful will feel confident, ready to move forward in all areas of her life.
These are the super models who contributed to your fame in the beginning
At the beginning of the 90s, we must re-situate what the phenomenon of super models was with the leaders, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell… They were the queens that everyone was chasing! In my little cabin in Beverly Hills, I started taking care of Cindy Crawford and quickly, I had her colleagues. For the record, an illustrious unknown called Jennifer Lopez had just arrived in Hollywood and I also took care of her. Today, JLO is still among my clients. Every day, I told myself that if I could convince one person, it was a win
Twenty-five years later, Anastasia Beverly Hills is a cosmetics empire. You are ranked in the Forbes 100 of the most powerful billionaire businesswomen. How have you managed this other challenge of maintaining your leadership over the years?
I was inspired by a wonderful woman: my mother. She taught me to never take no for an answer. At the start of my entrepreneurial journey, I made mistakes which, each time, were a lesson for me. I have also always placed the consumer at the center of my concerns by creating products based on their needs. Thanks to my rich experience in salons, I have accumulated a great deal of knowledge through contact with a very diverse clientele who I have learned to listen to. Our sense of innovation allows us to maintain our rank because we create new products more than any other brand. We work to understand the texture of each person’s skin in order to adapt products to as many people as possible.
I have always closely followed each stage of the manufacturing process in the laboratory: nothing comes out if the formula and the product do not meet the level of requirements that I expect. My clients deserve the best. So I never take anything for granted.
I think there was also the digital shift that my daughter Claudia was able to take. In 2012, she understood the challenge of being present on social networks by getting closer to our community, particularly on Instagram. Eleven years ago, no beauty brand was exposed like this on the platforms. In fact, when we launched our makeup line, we knew full well what customers’ expectations were.
What do you say to these people who want to look like celebrities?
I tell them that there is an even greater goal to achieve, that of working to become the best version of themselves!
How do you plan to get involved in the next decade?
Beyond business, I want to work to have an ever greater impact on communities. “Give back” is very important to me. There is nothing more rewarding than giving without expecting anything in return, to mobilize in favor of a cause that moves you. I finance a shelter for women and children victims of physical and sexual violence, it is very important for me to help the less fortunate among us. When they manage to make a new start it gives me immense happiness.
I also want to reach out to all women to encourage them to believe in themselves, in their dreams. To this end, I carry out various networking actions to facilitate connections and create synergies in the business environment.
