September 21, 2021

Terry de Gunzburg | Founder of By Terry

1 hour 6 minutes

In episode seventy five of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to industry icon and By Terry founder, Terry de Gunzburg.

Terry de Gunzburg tells me that the rose is in her DNA.

Terry’s earliest memorable connection to beauty is her grandmother’s homemade rosewater. Terry herself spent her childhood applying rose petals to her cheeks to mimic the effect of blush, and today, the rose sits at the heart of one of her most iconic beauty creations- Baume De Rose.

In her very early 20s, during a seasonal break between leaving medical school and commencing art school, Terry decided to take a four week course in cosmetics as nothing more than a creative outlet. In week four, in a moment of both desperation and serendipity, Terry was sent to a Vogue Paris photoshoot when no other makeup artist was available. It was on that day that Terry decided her future was in beauty.

In 1985, Terry was approached by her a man she describes as her hero, Yves Saint Laurent, and became the brand’s Creative Director of beauty. It was here that Terry created a product that, quite literally, changed the way countless products were designed and used thereafter. A product that none of her colleagues wanted to launch, and a product that she spent three years convincing them was worth their time- Touche Éclat.

In 1998, Terry created her own business, a line of couture, made-to-order cosmetics and opened a boutique in Paris. Demand was overwhelming and waiting lists were years long, so she expanded and developed that line into the brand we now know as By Terry.

In this conversation, Terry shares the mistake that led to the creation of the now-iconic Baume De Rose, how she developed the first ever skincare in powder form, and the ways in which the beauty industry has changed since her time working with Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss and Guy Bourdin.