Powerful Women: Sylvie Chantecaille

After I moved to New York, I started my first company with my friend Diane von Furstenberg. That was the first makeup, skincare, and fragrance company, and I was 27 at the time. Four years later I was hired by the Lauder family to create a new company for a different generation. That became Prescriptives. Fast forward 18 years later, and as all women approaching 50 do, I decided I wanted to do something for myself. With a deep knowledge in product, and a very personal one In homeopathy, Chinese herbs and medicine, I decided to create the purest product of high quality based on flowers and plants. I removed of all the formulas the ingredients that could damage the immune system. Creating products for women which can support them in their daily life has always been my main interest.

Health. Knowing that I knew more about product than most people in the industry. I was obsessed with quality and really cared about women. I knew how to create great products and always felt that the most important thing in a brand should be the quality of the products— not the advertising.

A good breakfast in bed. Then I’m in a really good mood! I need to concentrate and feel centered so I can look at everything in an extremely positive way which is why I definitely never watch TV in the morning. It brings my energy down.

There have been so many. Moving from Paris to New York made me feel like I could do anything on my own. Looking at women in Paris on the bus, in New York on the streets, in Tokyo on the metro, learning the differences and seeing all of their unique beauty was a defining moment in my career. Creating Prescriptives was huge. Another was having retailers offer me every one of their doors when I started my own brand.

Our Future Skin Foundation and our Flower Harmonizing Cream are major for us. Future Skin is still the best foundation on the market 18 years later. The Harmonizing Cream does everything— it’s not overly expensive and I don’t know skin that can resist it!

Be open, be nice, and work hard.

You mean our Bébé line!?

You can do everything right now! We are very good at multitasking. We are incredibly efficient, we can keep our eyes on the big picture and get the small tasks done at the same time.

The Queen of England! In spite of the incredibly hard job she’s had for a long time, she’s never lost her sense of humor.

Don’t be so critical of yourself.