Annie Lawless Jacobs is retaking the CEO reins at the namesake clean makeup brand she started nearly eight years ago, where she plans to reinforce its strengths as the prestige makeup category battles slumping sales, consumer caution and tariffs.
The Lawless Beauty founder is returning to a role she held for the initial six years of the brand until stepping back from day-to-day operations to concentrate on the creative side of the business. She succeeds Rachel Shelowitz, who occupied the post for under a year. Shelowitz, formerly president of Lawless and global SVP and GM for Lorac at Markwins, is pursuing a job opportunity in a different beauty category.
“She did a fabulous job. We had a shared vision, and we have had explosive growth in the last 12 to 24 months. I’m really yearning to put the pieces together between the creative process and the day-to-day operations and have that intimate involvement in the team again,” says Lawless Jacobs. “She’s ready to advance her journey and try new things, and I wish her all the best. I’m ready to continue to build and move forward.”
Expressing gratitude for her tenure at Lawless and pride in her efforts at the brand, Shelowitz says, “I am very excited for what Annie and the team will build from here. Lawless is full of great leaders, and the brand continues to resonate deeply with consumers. The sky is the limit.”
So far this year, Lawless has achieved double-digit growth while sales of prestige makeup, the largest category in prestige beauty, dipped 1% in the first quarter on a dollar basis, according to makeup research firm Circana. The brand has 150 stockkeeping units in its assortment priced from $15 to $52, including bestselling lip gloss, foundation and cream under its Forget The Filler hero franchise.
Lawless has been exclusive to Sephora since shortly after its launch. Today, it’s in over 350 Sephora doors in the United States with gondolas, plus a presence across the chain’s store fleet in the U.S. in Next Big Thing displays, Beauty on the Fly sections and installations within Kohl’s. In total, the brand is sold at 2,000 doors. It recently entered Sephora United Kingdom and is weighing additional possibilities for international expansion.
“We still have so much more runway with Sephora North America,” says Lawless Jacobs. “I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew.”
One of Lawless Jacobs’ main objectives at Lawless is to double down on the Forget The Filler franchise that began with Lip-Plumping Line-Smoothing Gloss in 2021. In February this year, the franchise was enlarged with Skin-Plumping Line-Smoothing Foundation. The product beat sales expectations by 33% in the two weeks following its debut.
Forget The Filler positions Lawless as a leader in plumping and skincare-infused makeup. The brand describes Skin-Plumping Line-Smoothing Foundation as containing 40% skincare ingredients such as maxi-youth, a fermented hyaluronic acid. Lawless highlights before-and-after images and clinical study results.
With consumers feeling the pinch financially, Lawless Jacobs says, “More than ever, it’s important for us to storytell what the values of our products are. People are going to focus on the core and what really adds value is the skincare component, clean ingredients and products that provide multiple benefits. With Forget The Filler gloss, you’re not just buying a gloss, you’re buying a lip treatment.”
“What’s really important is building something that can really stand the test of time.”
Glancing ahead, Lawless plans to strengthen its complexion pillar. Lawless Jacobs says the brand will introduce one to two A-level products annually complemented by shade extensions, holiday collections, collaborations and other smaller releases.
In April, Lawless unveiled a Strawberry Sugar Collection with lip gloss in strawberry milkshake, strawberry popsicle and strawberry shortcake varieties and promoted it at select Sephora locations with an ice-cream truck in partnership with ice cream brand Van Leeuwen. In late summer, it will roll out its next collaboration.
Behind the scenes, Lawless is diversifying its supply chain to reduce its reliance on China for packaging. “It’s pretty easy to turn the ship and move quickly to find alternative resources,” says Lawless Jacobs. “A big focus for us is making sure the supply chain is able to continue to be cost effective.”
Prior to entering the beauty industry, Lawless Jacobs co-founded Suja Juice in 2012. Three years later, Coca-Cola acquired a minority stake. Lawless Jacobs left the brand in 2016, and private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners acquired it in 2021.
Unable to use many ingredients in beauty products because of autoimmune conditions—Lawless Jacobs has eczema, celiac and Crohn’s—she developed Lawless to specialize in performance-driven makeup that suited her makeup preferences and ensured she would be comfortable with all its ingredients.
“I’m a glam girl. I love a full face of makeup. I love full coverage,” she says. “I have to focus on ingredients out of necessity. With autoimmune issues, you have to. I think our customer is that glam makeup-loving woman with a busy life.”
Lawless Jacobs senses glam makeup is poised for a resurgence. “For a while, the clean girl aesthetic was dominant, but I’m seeing people on social playing a lot more with makeup,” she says. “Our brand name Lawless is my real last name, but it’s also about you making the rules. There’s a rebellion against the idea that, if it’s clean, it has to be no-makeup makeup and sheer.”
Lawless’s primary customers are women aged 25 to 45 years old. Based in San Diego, it has 19 people on its team. In 2019, the brand received a growth equity investment from the firm Cult Capital.
Mergers and acquisitions in the prestige makeup category have been at a virtual standstill. Last year, Merit, Jane Iredale, Kosas, Rare Beauty and Makeup by Mario were among the makeup brands exploring deals, but no transactions occurred, although the publication Puck News reports Makeup by Mario is now vetting suitors.
Asked about how she guides Lawless in the challenging M&A environment, Lawless says, “What’s really important is building something that can really stand the test of time and doesn’t feel trend-driven or viral. I didn’t create this brand because I thought clean was going to be a booming category. I created this from true, authentic needs. Once you dig deeper in some of these brands, there may not be the longevity a strategic buyer feels they can sustain.”
