Working diligently behind the scenes, Michelle Freyre could thoroughly be accountable for the subsequent generation’s success in business. The Global Brand President of Clinique and Origins (it was under her reign that Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick became a worldwide success—again), she’s also an inductee of the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) and was named a company trailblazer within the 2022 Most Powerful Latinas (MPL) list. Freyre recently joined ELLE for a virtual panel, Making Our Beauty Mark: A Latinx Beauty Event, where Latinx industry trailblazers offered their insights and gave advice to attendees. Below, she sounds off on her profession path and the way she plans to take care of the Latinx community.
How does it feel to have so many accolades attached to you?
I all the time think it’s necessary to know peoples’ backstories. It all the time defines who we’re. I used to be born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My dad is Cuban, my mom is from the Dominican Republic, so I say that I’m fully Caribbean. Each of my parents escaped dictatorships in Latin America, and that shaped them, and subsequently shaped me as well. Considered one of the important thing things that was really necessary in my house after I was growing up was education. People can take away your money, but they will’t take away what’s in your brain. That mental curiosity has been with me ceaselessly. After I landed in Los Angeles, I had the chance to affix Neutrogena. It was form of an indie brand on the time, in a way. Landing in beauty for me was like, “Wow! This is actually not going to be a job.” I grew up in beauty as a Latina. It’s a giant a part of the culture. It’s a giant a part of who I’m.
When did you arrive at Clinique?
I admired it from afar. I joined Clinique virtually in the peak of the pandemic in June 2020. I tell people I joined when there was no vaccine. I used to be leading this global team who had never met me. So, that that was definitely interesting. But it surely has been an incredible journey. We’ve done a whole lot of transformation to modernize and evolve the brand. I work with probably the most talented, passionate, and dedicated group of individuals around the globe. It’s really a blessing, and we’re just getting began. After which last month, my scope of responsibility was expanded to incorporate one other unbelievable brand in the corporate portfolio with a wealthy history, which is Origins.
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Who were your mentors throughout your profession?
At the start, my parents were my first mentors. They’re extremely authentic people, strong-willed and really determined. They’ve passed through a whole lot of hardship, they usually are the primary ones to model what it means to be authentic. They’ve followed what they consider in and showed resilience. I even have been very fortunate to have great mentors and sponsors. My first two mentors were men. Now, I even have a girl mentor which has been amazing—that got here late in my profession. Jane Hudis is the chief president for lots of our brands. She understands what it’s wish to be a girl, a mom, a pacesetter. I haven’t had that before. And look, there are still not enough women in power. So the probabilities of getting a girl in power to mentor you [are few and far between].
What’s the very best profession advice you’ve ever received?
The president of Neutrogena once said, “You possibly can’t approach your profession vertically.” You actually must think concerning the zig-zagging of all of it. So, despite the fact that I began my journey in marketing, I ended up moving to sales, which was not a part of my original profession plan, along with his encouragement. But sometimes, that’s the very best. There are such a lot of nuances in our culture. I’ve experienced so many stereotypes about Latinx people, and what they need to seem like or act like. I experienced this in corporate America where I didn’t feel like I could wear a dress, or the red lipstick, or the red nails that I’m wearing now, because now I’m living as my authentic self. I didn’t think I could do any of that originally of my profession. It wasn’t until I actually decided that I’m going to live as my authentic self that I spotted my full potential.
How are you using your position to be a champion for others?
I feel an enormous responsibility. Obviously I even have a soft spot for Hispanic women like myself. I co-sponsored the mentorship program at our Hispanic worker resource group, since it’s really necessary for me that the Hispanic talent and I even have official mentors which might be raising their visibility in the corporate. Clinique is a beloved brand by Latinos—it all the time has been. I signed our first Latina brand ambassador, Melissa Barrera. We introduced our first Spanish-language ads, which can sound crazy, but that’s the way it is. And on top of getting a Latinx ambassador and speaking within the language, I’ve also focused on celebrating Latino cultural moments to attach more emotionally with the brand. So, for instance, our Mother’s Day campaign was focused entirely on Latinos. We also celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing powerful stories from the Latina community about being the primary of their families. Most recently, for Día de los Muertos, we introduced a limited-edition run of our Take the Day Off balm featuring like colourful and culturally significant illustrations from a Mexican illustrator, Melissa Zúñiga.
Clinique Day of the Dead Limited Edition Take the Day Off™ Cleansing Balm
Clinique Day of the Dead Limited Edition Take the Day Off™ Cleansing Balm
The Latinx community is so diverse. How is it possible to talk to all of us authentically?
I speak to the Latinx community in authentic ways, and rejoice how different we’re. We are available in different shapes, [with] different hair, different skin colours, and that’s the great thing about who we’re as a community. It’s so necessary to rejoice that and educate the world about it. Our culture is amazing.
Tatjana Freund is a Beauty Commerce Author, covering makeup, skincare, and haircare products and trends. She’s a fan of vodka tonics and creepy Wikipedia pages.
