Whether in business together or inspired by each other, these dynamic mother-daughter duos prove that beauty in the bloodline runs strong.
Anastasia Soare
Founder and chief executive officer, Anastasia Beverly Hills
Claudia Soare
President, Anastasia Beverly Hills
Claudia Soare may be the president of Anastasia Beverly Hills, but her rise to the top was by no means preordained just because the brand’s founder, Anastasia, happens to be her mother. “When your parent is successful and you’re the kid, one of the biggest pet peeves is to be thought of as a nepo baby, — it drives me nuts,” said Claudia. “I’ve had to work twice as hard to prove to people I deserve to be here.”
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“I can attest to that,” laughed Anastasia, noting that she tasked Claudia with working in every department of the company – from marketing to product development to sales to finance — to gain a deep understanding of its inner workings. “I was harder on her than any other employee. Way stricter.”
Claudia Soare didn’t just survive — she thrived, spearheading the brand’s foray into social media, understanding the importance of the influencer ecosystem long before many others even understood Instagram.
“You have the strength of two generations — she connects with younger consumers way better than I do,” said Anastasia. “I grew up in Romania, I went to school there, I learned different things. She brings the new of America, of understanding this generation.”
Being able to carve out her own identity has been crucial to Claudia’s growth in the company, personally and professionally. “You have to step outside of your parent’s shadow and not be afraid to say, ‘this is what I do.’ A lot of people feel the need to be the mini-me and that doesn’t work. You have to be your own person.”
Each describes the other as strong, smart and determined. (“When I grow up I want to be Claudia — she is super smart, super focused, super organized,” said Anastasia.) Inevitably, though, conflicts arise. “But we scream and we get over it,” said Claudia. “It’s cultural. You get it out and you move on.”
Working together wasn’t always in the cards. When she was younger, Claudia Soare wanted to be an artist or an actress. But Anastasia wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s the best gift in life — I feel so lucky to have a purpose, to do something I love and Claudia is the same,” she said. “To me, that is success.”
An G. Hinds
President and chief executive officer, Catherine Hinds Cos.
Rachel Liverman
Founder and chief executive officer, Glowbar
Although Rachel Liverman didn’t launch Glowbar, her concept of “fast facial” bars that is redefining the aesthetics category, you could say it’s been in development for quite some time.
“When she was in the sixth grade, Rachel printed out cards on her computer for her own waxing business,” remembers her mother, An G. Hinds, president and CEO of Catherine Hinds Cos., the aesthetics institute and skin care manufacturer that was founded by her mother, Catherine. “Rachel grew up at the dinner table talking about people, connections, hard work.”
And while the adult Liverman opted for facials rather than hair removal as the central premise for her business, the apple doesn’t fall far from the proverbial tree. “I often say Rachel is like the best of my mother, who was a true entrepreneur and pioneer in the field of aesthetics, who loved to create things, combined with me, because I’m much more of an operations systems person. I like structure and the way everything works,” said Hinds.
Still, it wasn’t a given that Liverman would toe the family line — especially since she didn’t particularly like getting facials growing up. “I was like the cobbler’s son with no shoes —I hated the experience,” she said. “I used to say to my mom, ‘I wish there were a 30-minute option.’”
Enter Glowbar, whose premise is results oriented, customized facials in just 30 minutes.
Truth be told, Hinds was skeptical that an efficacious facial could be done in a half-hour. But not only did she help provide funding, writing a check for $50,000 (which Liverman used to create Glowbar’s branding), she’s also become a top customer.
“She my cheerleader,” said Liverman.
“And an ambassador,” added Hinds. “She opened one near my house and I’m there every month. I talk to everyone.”
“She’s a mentor, a sounding board, a cheerleader. She won’t stop talking about Glowbar, that’s for sure,” said Liverman.
There are differences between how the two run their businesses — Hinds has never taken outside investment, for example, while Glowbar closed a $10 million round in 2023 — and the duo have their share of mother-daughter disagreements. (“We are real and authentic and we love each other more than anything and it hasn’t always been easy,” said Liverman.)
The duo bond over mani-pedis and beauty still dominates the dinner table conversation.
“We are enormously respectful of each other. I’ve always trusted that she was going to make good decisions and she has,” said Hinds. “Rachel is my favorite person on the planet and I think she’s just remarkable.”
Sabina Chazanas
Formulator, DedCool
Carina Chaz
Founder, DedCool
While it might seem as if the Fates couldn’t write it any better — born to entrepreneurial parents who started a natural beauty product line out of their kitchen in the ’80s, first visit to Grasse, France, at seven weeks old, toured the Santa Maria Novella Museum in Tuscany as a toddler and a lab rat by the time she was a teenager, cutting straws, mixing potions, testing lip balm flavors with her friends — Carina Chaz never set out to be a beauty entrepreneur.
In fact, Chaz, who founded the buzzy clean fragrance brand DedCool, was decidedly cool to the notion of running La Natura, the family manufacturing business. “When you’re young, you’re still trying to figure out who you are, and my parents would always say, ‘one day this will be yours,” Chaz remembered, “and I remember thinking, ‘cool, but I’m not sure I care about a lotion or a potion that much.’”
There was one aspect of lab life that she loved, however, and that was scent, and during college, Chaz had an epiphany: She wanted to start a fragrance brand, one that would make clean scents and could sit alongside luxury brands like Le Labo and Byredo.
The project brought mother and daughter back to the lab together, with Sabina Chazanas using her expertise to help her daughter create a truly differentiated product. “Carina would come to my lab every afternoon and work on the project. We knew that if she didn’t want to take over our business, we had to give her an opportunity to express herself and her identity.”
Today, although DedCool’s business has outgrown La Natura’s manufacturing facilities, Chazanas is still at it, formulating bestsellers and championing her daughter every step of the way. “I always said follow your dream and never stop, because you can go very far. It’s all about hard work and having that ethic.”
While Sabina is an extrovert and Carina is more of an introvert, the former wears makeup while the latter prefers a bare face, working on DedCool has only made them more bonded — and appreciative of each other’s qualities.
“Coming from a strong female leader in the household has inspired me to be very forthcoming with my aspiration,” said Carina. “I have very large dreams and that stems from having supportive parents. I think a lot of people would say, ‘you’re crazy,’ but my mom said you figure out a way and we’ll empower you to follow your dream. I think without coming from a strong powerful mother I wouldn’t be in this position.”
Isabelle d’Ornano
Cofounder and chairman of the supervisory board, Sisley
Christine d’Ornano
General manager, Sisley; cofounder, Neuraé
Isabelle d’Ornano, who cofounded Sisley with her late husband Hubert d’Ornano, and their daughter Christine have a close relationship. It’s palpable in their conversation, which flows and sometimes overlaps, with one finishing the other’s thoughts.
Isabelle lauded her daughter’s business acumen and multitasking aptitude. Christine considers her mother as a creative powerhouse with tremendous vision and energy.
“The way my mother lives at her age is the way we all aspire to be,” said Christine. “She has the most active, curious mind, always helping others and is interested in others of any age. She is the heart and the soul of Sisley.”
Christine’s head for business resembles her father’s, according to Isabelle, who added: “Although she resembles me in everyday things.”
“We inspire each other,” said Christine, about her mother. “It’s great to be of different generations with different points of view.”
Their discussions range from culture to politics. “My mother cares a lot about faith and values, how you live your life, what’s important to you,” said Christine. “Such values are important in work, too, especially in a family business. It’s how we can make the difference.”
They’re always learning from each other, too. “I’ve learned so much from my mother that I can’t even start,” said Christine, ticking off examples like the value of work, a sense of duty and respect for others. “It’s a great strength to have a close family, and we really cherish it.”
Their relationship also impacts product development. “Sense of detail makes all the difference,” said Isabelle, who believes it’s key to listen to younger generations’ ideas. “It’s very valuable also to have someone who socially is in contact with so many people.”
“There are so many aspects where we are complementary,” said Christine.
Still, they don’t always see eye to eye. Isabelle has a penchant for color, while Christine is more of a minimalist. When, rarely, there’s a disagreement, one ultimately succumbs. Christine grew up infused with her mother’s conversations about Sisley.
“So we’re really not diametrically opposed,” she said. “We have the same vision of Sisley, what it represents.”
Aminata Ndiaye
Founder and owner, Aminata African Hair Braiding
Diarrha Ndiaye-Mbaye
Founder and CEO, Ami Colé
Diarrha Ndiaye-Mbaye grew up in her mother’s business. Literally. From the age of one month, her mother, Aminata Ndiaye, would strap her to her back as she headed to her hair salon in Harlem, a pioneer in African hair braiding.
“My mom — her middle name is work!” said Ndiaye-Mbaye. “There was no such thing as balance. It was flow of life.”
Throughout her childhood, Ndiaye-Mbaye spent afternoons in the salon, helping out, soaking up the atmosphere, internalizing the work ethic that infused her mother. “Everything was less about telling me, but instead, showing me, through her actions,” she said. “If I was sick until 4 a.m., she would still get up at 8 a.m. and go to work. I saw early on how she took pride in her work and her craft.”
Although Aminata Ndiaye recently moved back to her native Senegal, tapping her daughter, TKTK, to oversee the salon, her dedication to hard work shows no signs of slowing. She’s opened a salon there, too. “My advice is always to work hard. Make your business your friend,” said Ndiaye. “If you want your business to grow, you have to work at it.”
That wasn’t the only lesson she imparted though. Ndiaye-Mbaye also learned about the human side of doing business, lessons that she’s kept top of mind as she builds out her buzzy makeup line Ami Colé — named after, natch, her mother. “Being in my mother’s salon opened my mind to think everything was possible,” she said. “Everybody would come in — police officers, principals, celebrities. I saw all walks of women. It widened my aperture and gave me more creativity as to what was possible, seeing black and brown people, especially women, showing up as their full self.”
As an immigrant herself, Ndiaye worked tirelessly to help others in a similar position adjust to their new home. That, too, has had a profound impact on her entrepreneurial daughter. “Mom always valued every employee — she taught them how to show up in their household, what it meant to be assimilated in America, how to show up as a mother,” said Ndiaye-Mbaye. “She always led with compassion. I learned that to be a true leader, you need to be a great listener and I would like to think that today I lead with compassion.”
