International Women’s Day CEO Spotlight - Alicia Grande 💕
Being a female-founded brand, there is not a day that goes by that we don’t celebrate hard-working women, but this International Women’s Day, we’re giving a special shoutout to the lady who started the lash craze herself - our CEO & Founder, Alicia Grande! 🎉
Since 2008, Alicia has taken the beauty industry by storm, finding beauty solutions that help women enhance their natural features and inspire confidence through meaningful beauty transformations.
So let’s take it back … how did Alicia get started in beauty and what inspired Alicia to create the #1 Lash & Brow Serum Brand in the US*?
Alicia has been obsessed with beauty from an early age. As a teen, she spent years experimenting with products, and researching trends. She loved talking about beauty so much that she hosted her own beauty- themed radio show. She knew she wanted to be a part of the beauty industry because few things have beauty’s power to lift moods and boost one’s confidence.
After giving birth to her two children, Alicia was experiencing postpartum lash loss and wondered how she could get her once luscious lashes back. After discovering a lash serum that helped enhance her lashes, she knew she had to share it with the world, and with the last name Grande - there was no better spokesperson for GrandeLASH-MD!
Creating GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum was more than just a mere beauty fix for promoting the appearance of longer-looking lashes, it was a way for women to take charge of their most authentic selves (and lashes!) without needing to take a trip to the salon. It’s beauty your way, on your own terms, and in your own hands.
Alicia spent years traveling the US attending trade shows to promote GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum to spas & salons around the nation. From there, the serum caught on like wildfire.
Now the #1 Lash & Brow Serum Brand in the US* has over 10 million bottles sold, 35,000 raving 5-star reviews and cult-followers who can attest to the formula’s efficacious results. It really works 🙌
It’s safe to say that many things have changed for Alicia since 2008, but one thing that remains is her mission to empower women to live bolder and more confidently. By employing a staff that is over 95% female from different backgrounds and ages, Alicia’s passionate about giving young women the tools for success and leading them towards making their dream a reality. (Fun Fact: Our Global Sales Director was once an admin at Alicia’s dentist office! Hey, Sarah!) Alicia has mentored her employees, allowing for many success stories along the way - and some fun team bonding trips in the Hamptons! 💖
But her passion for empowering women spans far wider than just her employees - Alicia created Grande Gives Back, a philanthropic initiative aimed at partnering with organizations and non-profits that empower women, aid with cancer research, and fight social inequality.
To date, Grande Gives Back has raised over $800,000 to various charities, many of which center around women’s health and women’s equality. Following the pandemic, Grande Cosmetics & Grande Gives Back raised over $100,000 to restore businesses built, run and led by women.
Throughout our partnership with Working For Women, we have also donated 192 pieces of clothing to women in need through Bottomless Closet, a clothing drive organization.
Alicia is also on the Advisory Council for the Katz Institute for Women’s Health, a network of experts devoted to every aspect of women’s health including providing access to more women’s wellness services, health education, clinical programs and cutting-edge research.
“Historically healthcare, medicine, science has had a male model for health…we assumed whatever worked for men worked for women also,” said Dr. Stacey Rosen the Senior Vice President at Northwell Katz Institute of Women’s Health in an interview on WPIX. “It’s no longer that male model for healthcare for us.”
The Kat’z Institute for Women’s Health is “changing the conversation for women’s wellness” and Alicia is proud to be a part of that conversation! “My mission is for women to feel confident on the outside and be healthy on the inside!” says Alicia 💖
Through our longstanding partnership, Grande Gives Back continues to support the Katz Institute through fundraising events and product donation. Together we have raised over $40,679 for women’s health!
A moment of applause 👏
Coming from humble beginnings, the industry has rewarded Alicia for her hard work winning over 100 significant beauty awards as a brand from leading publications such as ELLE, NewBeauty, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, Shape, and Harper’s BAZAAR.
This year, Alicia was also named an Honoree of C.E.W’s Female Founder Awards for superstar entrepreneurs who redefined what beauty means today ⭐
Alicia serves as a constant reminder that hard work, dedication, and passion does get rewarded. With her growing empire, Alicia’s passion of empowering women stands as an important pillar of Grande Cosmetics’ mission 💕
To Alicia, all the hard working women at Grande Cosmetics, and the beautiful women around the world, 🌎 today is your day! Happy International Women’s Day!