Behind every great woman is, very often, another great woman. And there is certainly one behind the enormous success of Victoria Beckham's burgeoning beauty empire. This week sees the launch of the brand's first serum - a collaboration with prominent stem cell and biomedical scientist Professor Augustinus Bader - and it's bound the be another sell-out. Sarah Creal may not have her name on the bottle but, as CEO and co-founder of Victoria Beckham Beauty, she is the mastermind behind making it happen.
Meeting Victoria
A former Estee Lauder executive, Sarah is a beauty magnate in her own right, and met Victoria while orchestrating her collaboration with the brand. ‘My job was to bring some razzle dazzle to the make-up section,' she tells Grazia. 'The first meeting was set up and I had to go to her house in LA. My Uber driver left me at the bottom of the driveway. I got to the front door and there was a welcome mat the size of my bathroom outside, with a humongous ‘B’ on it, so I knew I was in the right place. Victoria met me at the door; she has a real talent for making people feel comfortable. I’ve worked with a lot of famous people and, believe me, that is a rare trait. I very quickly became excited when I walked into the dining room and saw a huge table full of 15 years’ worth of products she’d collected. She took me through every single one, explaining what she liked about it and what she’d change. I was probably there for four hours, taking notes.’
Beauty Brand Beginnings
After leaving Estee Lauder, Sarah joined forces with Victoria, and was very frank about the mountains they had to climb. ‘Right out of the gate, I said to Victoria that nobody is going to believe a fashion designer can produce great skincare, that’s the biggest challenge,' she explains. 'We needed help, and we needed great technology. I met a lot of people, tried a lot of products and knew that Professor Bader was the man to approach. I said to Victoria, “I think you should just call him,” and she did. That’s the amazing thing about working with her. When Victoria Beckham calls, people pick up the phone. We had a meeting scheduled in for just over a week later.’
A Brand New Serum
Victoria Beckham Beauty By Augustinus Bader’s Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum (at the that-must-contain-actual-science price of £180) is born of a passion to provide what both Sarah and Victoria believe is lacking on the beauty shelves today. ‘There hasn’t been the real deal in skincare, in my opinion, for around 30 years,’ asserts Sarah, ‘it’s been that long’. For Victoria, too, there was a gap in the beauty market that she was keen to fill. ‘I felt there was a big opportunity to create what I wanted for myself: a clean serum that repairs and defends my skin and gives it a healthy glow, but doesn’t use anything harsh,' she tells Grazia. 'I couldn’t find one that worked for me and delivered on all my criteria.’ According to Sarah, this soon changed when she sampled their new release. ‘She’s been testing the lab samples and she sent me a video to say, “Sarah, this is so exciting, I’ve just bathed myself in the formula, it’s so beautiful." We’re formulating products that we want ourselves, products that will hopefully make other women feel great too.’
Shop: Victoria Beckham Beauty By Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum, £180
Shop: Victoria Beckham Beauty By Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum, £180
1 of 1Victoria Beckham Beauty By Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum, £180
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