Beauty Boss: Judith Sánchez López, Senior Vice President & General Manager of JAFRA USA JAFRA Cosmetics

Judith Sánchez López.

This week’s Beauty Boss is Judith Sánchez López, Senior Vice President & General Manager of JAFRA USA JAFRA Cosmetics—a thriving global beauty brand that was founded in 1956 by Jan and Frank Day. JAFRA’s products are backed by world-class Research and Development, and the company continues to expand and add new products to its inspiring innovations and trend collections. To this day, JAFRA creates beauty products and business opportunities that cater to all that women need, allowing them to explore, discover, reinvent and reveal their true potential.

Following a successful 28-year career rising through the ranks of JAFRA Mexico and JAFRA Global, López became the company’s SVP and General Manager. She brings a broad cultural perspective and expertise to the U.S. market with her experience leading visionary programming, spanning multiple concentrations, for markets around the world. She has successfully achieved international market growth through the development and leadership of high-performing teams. López also spearheaded the launch of the JAFRA Foundation—an innovative social responsibility program that sponsored 2,000 elementary school children with special needs over four years, allowing them to finish their education.

We chatted with López, who shared how she got her start with the company, secrets to success, favorite products, and more. 

How long have you been with JAFRA?

I’ve been with JAFRA for 29 years since I joined as an intern in Mexico. In the U.S. it’s been almost two years: first as CMO, and now as General Manager of the U.S. market.

What inspired you to join the company?

Early in my career in Mexico, I was working in education but at a high level—I was working with the Secretary of Education. It’s a role that had a huge impact in my country because I was involved in deciding what was going to be taught in our schools. When I learned about JAFRA, I saw that same opportunity to learn—the same opportunity to evolve—and I saw that, here, you have all the tools. The only thing that can stop you is yourself. What I really love about JAFRA is that you truly get to touch lives, and if we work hard and we do our job right, we truly are teaching people how to become entrepreneurs. When I saw people doing things they thought they couldn’t—really surprising themselves—that’s what inspired me, and still does, every single day. 

And so, why did I join JAFRA? Because of the mission and because that mission is true. You can see it and you can feel it, and we provide the tools and the products to make things happen. It’s not just a mission that’s just hung on a wall—we have the opportunity to touch hearts around the world. That's what’s really amazing for me and in this moment in time, we have the opportunity to teach the next generation of leaders in the United States or in Mexico or around the world. 

Tell us about your journey in the industry.

Beauty is a completely different world from education. I was working with the Secretary of Public Education to develop the curriculum for students and teachers—it was an important job and I was doing important work. It wasn’t easy for me to leave it when JAFRA invited me to join as a trainee, but I saw it as an opportunity—like an internship. When I first joined JAFRA in Mexico, it was a test program—a beta, if you will. The goal was to find five people that could be trained to become the leaders of JAFRA within a single year. I’d have to learn every area of the company—one or two months here, another month there. I had special projects with specific goals that I’d have to achieve in order to move on to the next area of focus. It was fast and challenging, but so interesting—and of course we got the grunt work that no one wanted to do—arranging chairs, making photocopies, no office, no desk, no phone—like I said, we were pretty much interns! It was a tough year, but I learned so much and it was just the beginning of my journey.

Following that first year I moved through the ranks, transforming in my role as JAFRA evolved as a company. I joined the Training Department as a coordinator and quickly moved up to manager. At that moment in time, JAFRA was owned by Gillette, and one of their goals was to expand in Latin America. I became the manager of three new territories: Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia. Following successful launches in those countries, I moved into sales, where I found my niche. I was working directly with the field as a Regional Sales Director for one of our largest territories. I spent time in communications where I was overseeing the development on our brochures—we were printing almost a million brochures every month!

When I became Commercial VP of JAFRA Mexico, I oversaw communications, sales, and all the strategic areas of the company (program and marketing). It was my responsibility to grow JAFRA Mexico, and during my tenure, I took us from 150,000 consultants to nearly 500,000 in the market. As Senior VP, I opened Brazil in 2008, bringing 30,000 new consultants into the company. In April 2018, I was invited to become the CMO at JAFRA and to move to California. In that role I led the strategy for new product development, branding, and digital in the U.S., Mexico, and Indonesia. I was exposed to markets I had never really encountered before—new customers, consultants, and consumers—and with it, a new challenge and opportunity to learn how to solve the needs of the four very distinct markets: Mexico, U.S., Indonesia, and Europe?”

March of last year, I took over leadership of the U.S. market, because it was truly a blank canvas for growth. It’s where JAFRA began, and it seems fitting that I’m here now, nearing my 30th year with the company. In the past year we have seen tremendous growth, and I’m incredibly proud of my team and what we’ve accomplished. Today, we face a new challenge with everything going on in the world, and I have a team that very quickly jumped into action. Again, we are changing the name of the game and it's beautiful. I’m just very grateful for that, and grateful for our consultants and leaders. So that's what I'm saying—JAFRA is like magic. It’s more than selling. It's more than entrepreneurship. We’re a family. People you can rely on and know they really believe in you and are there for you. It’s beautiful. So being able to be part of that, it’s a huge responsibility.

What are some of your responsibilities in your current role?

My main responsibility at JAFRA is to grow the U.S. market…and we’re doing it! Even in challenging times we are growing. It’s my job to make sure we have the right products at the right price, at the right time, and that we have an opportunity that’s competitive and appealing for people across the country. What’s really interesting about this market, in particular, is that we are marketing to two very distinct audiences: the general and Hispanic market. It’s a challenge, but a very exciting one. The markets are very different, from language and basic demographics to things like culture and even adoption of technology. 

In the last few weeks, my role has shifted. We had to rethink how we approached the business and how this global crisis would affect both of our markets. We had to take care of our people and our business, and that includes our corporate team in Westlake Village, our distribution team in Dallas, our call center, and our consultants from coast to coast. We have consultants who have been with us for more than 50 years! Some that have been part of JAFRA since we launched in 1956—and it’s been an incredible journey to see how they grow and adapt.

We shifted our business to keep our people safe and to survive. I’m not the only one responsible, but as the leader of this market, I am the example—if I panic, everyone panics. It’s my job to stay calm and clear the path so that my team can succeed through anything.

JAFRA’s ROYAL Defy line is formulated with breakthrough Royal Jelly RJx and amplifies the power of nature’s royal jelly to help skin look younger for longer.

Does JAFRA have a hero product?

Royal Jelly. JAFRA was launched in 1956. Our founders, Jan and Frank Day, worked with a chemist to develop the best product they could at any cost—and that was JAFRA’s Royal Jelly. It’s our core product and it’s the foundation of our luxury skincare and makeup line today. 60+ years later we’re still carrying the classic product, which is our original formula—I still use it. I mentioned that we have people who have been with us for more than 50 years and you couldn’t guess their age. They’ve been using Royal Jelly all these years. It’s truly amazing.

With advances in technology, we have been able to make our royal jelly stronger than ever. We call the new formula Royal Jelly RJx and it’s in every product in our JAFRA ROYAL line. It has all the incredible anti-aging benefits of our classic royal jelly, but has a patented delivery system that makes it more powerful and more effective than ever. I consider myself lucky to work for a company that sells products that I truly believe in.

What are your favorite products from the brand?

Ha! It’s a long list. At the very top is the newest line in our JAFRA ROYAL skincare family—Defy. From the packaging, to the textures to the results, the product is just gorgeous. I also still use our Royal Jelly Classic line. Every year we release a limited-edition decanter with our original Milk Balm. It’s another beautiful product that is also effective. It looks and feels luxurious and when you use it, you really feel like you’re pampering yourself.

Our Ginger & Sea Salt Body Rub is a must-have and our Tender Moments baby line—I still use it! I use our lavender baby perfume on my pillow at night. And don’t get me started on our JAFRA ROYAL Lipsticks! Our lipsticks are so creamy and smooth, they last, they smell amazing, and they have all the skin-caring and anti-aging goodness of Royal Jelly RJX. I’ve been with JAFRA forever, so of course our products are just part of my DNA.

Where are JAFRA products sold?

We sell JAFRA through our consultants and online on our website. We have 40,000 consultants all over the U.S.—around the world we are 600,000 strong. Each one of our consultants is essentially their own small business. We provide the products, and they develop their own marketing and client relationships. We train them to be knowledgeable about the products, and the technology and processes used to develop them—from lipstick shade and fragrance notes to our proprietary Royal Jelly RJX—so that they can do more than just sell products but also build relationships, be informative, and help their customers make the best decisions on products that suit their needs and lifestyle.

Future plans for the brand?

There are so many things I’d love to do with JAFRA. My first goal is to tell JAFRA’s story in the United States—to bring this brand back home—so that everyone knows who we are. JAFRA first launched in Malibu—we recently reopened our founders’ home, which was where they created the first JAFRA products. They packaged them and developed all their marketing right out of their living room. 2021 will be our 65th anniversary and we plan to celebrate that in a big way. 

We’re also working to develop sustainable products and development processes, ensuring that our products are clean and safe for the environment. It’s not a small task and will take some time, but I’m working with our global leadership to make sure we are always moving forward and doing so responsibly.

One thing that I would never change, though, is this company’s mission—to transform lives. I have stood by that for nearly 30 years and will continue to do so. That will never change.

JAFRA’s Ginger & Sea Salt Body Rub features an invigorating blend of sea salts and emollient-rich ginger root extract to exfoliate and smooth every bit of your body.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired every day at this company. The women leading this business out in the field have incredible stories of triumph and success. People who didn’t think they had a chance in life, who have rewritten their story with JAFRA. I follow all the business leaders and CEOs with valuable words of wisdom, but what really touches my heart is when I receive a letter from one of my consultants, like this one that said: “I thought I was not able to do it. And I just did it.” That is what really inspires me. I’m surrounded by strong women and men—in the office, in the field—people who overcome obstacles daily. I truly am blessed. 

Secret to success?

That’s a tough one. I think everyone has to find their groove—figure out what works for themselves. For me, I find a lot of peace in meditation. With so many things going on, meditating and praying help me stay focused. I reflect on my day every night before bed, and I try to be very honest with myself and I try to think through on how I can be better.

I also surround myself with people like my life coach, team—people I trust, and I really listen to them. Sometimes there are things you don’t see about yourself, your approach, your vision, and it’s important to have someone who can show you a different perspective and to be open to it. Nobody’s perfect. I don’t want to do things just because I want to. I want to do things that are right and it’s so valuable to have people who are honest and brave enough to challenge me.

The very last thing is to always ask, “What if?” No’s are just roadblocks. I face every “no” with a “what if?” and find my way around it. 

Beauty secrets?

It’s funny doing this interview right now. It’s really changed my thinking. At the start of the year I would have told you to find your perfect shade of lipstick—the one that makes you feel like a superhero, and to just own it. Wearing something that makes you feel beautiful can truly change your mood—and that’s a simple transformation that starts on the outside and works its way in.

Today, though, my mind immediately goes to taking care of yourself—your mind, your soul, and wash your hands! Never ever skip it! One thing that is constant, however, is probably not really a secret—it’s a practice—and that’s to find something that makes you feel good about yourself. Take the time for self-care and work on the inside first, that’s where true beauty begins. 

Wellness tips?

It’s a hard time to answer that question. With such a drastic change in lifestyle, I’m still working on finding my rhythm again, but I’m allowing myself the time and the forgiveness to do that. Having patience with yourself is one of the most important keys to mind, body, and soul wellness. Obviously filling your belly with good things, filling your mind with goodness and positivity, and for me being part of the beauty industry, taking care of my vessel, my skin, is part of my holistic wellness as well.

Best advice?

Be yourself and find your own voice. Learn from success as well as failures. Be inspired by great people, but always be yourself—authenticity is the key to finding happiness in success. Find something you believe in, that’s good for you but also good for others. Sure, you can simply say, ‘I want to have a million dollars.’ But then what? I'm not saying not to strive for your financial goals of a million dollars, but, for me at least, happiness in success comes from giving back. Think bigger than yourself and you will leave your mark on this world.

Favorite ways to relax?

Meditation, for sure. I also like to curl up with a good book or surround myself with nature—and sometimes both at the same time! It’s something I love about California. There’s so much natural beauty to take in—the hills, the ocean, the incredible sea birds—having access to all of this is amazing. Maybe coming from Mexico and living in a big city, I could never look out my window and see a rabbit or a squirrel scurrying by. It’s not something I ever imagined would be part of my life. It’s a blessing, really. 

For more information, visit jafra.com and follow on Instagram: @jafracosmetics

[Images courtesy of JAFRA]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk