Unlike celebrity competitors in the same field, Millie Bobby Brown says the reason she started her beauty line is because she’s not an expert.
“I don’t know anything about beauty and skin care. That’s why I created this,” the actress told Allure of her Florence by Mills brand.
“I’m going to take you on this journey with me, so we can learn more about botanicals, serums, fruit and vegetable extracts, enzymes — things that are so important for your skin, but we don’t know about because we’re young.”
The 18-year-old “Stranger Things” star, who fronts the magazine’s September issue, said her goal was to become knowledgeable about the topics along with those who purchase her products, which seem to target a younger demographic.
“Everything’s anti-aging, everything is de-puffing. We don’t know what that means,” she admitted, speaking as a Zoomer. “I need to know more. And I know our generation needs to know more.”
But what Mills lacks in knowledge, she makes up for in ambition. She was around 14 years old when she came up with the concept of creating a beauty empire specifically by and for Generation Z.
“I was on a [long] plane ride, and I brought makeup to keep me busy. I realized that I found so much comfort in doing makeup. I loved not the idea of covering up who I was, but of creating different versions of me,” she shared, noting that by the time she landed, she “had a whole idea.”
After calling “a bunch of different people,” Brown began to lay the groundwork for Florence by Mills, which she named after her great-great-grandmother, whom she “never got to meet.”
“She was very, very independent and expressed herself unapologetically,” Brown shared. “I’ve been told I’m similar to her.”
And that’s the exact energy the young star said she’s brought to her line since its inception.
“I was quite young, but I think what was so special about my situation is that I got to really stand my ground on certain things,” she explained. “People push things on you — ‘This is what we’re doing, this is what’s selling’ — and I was like, ‘I don’t care what’s selling.’”
Unfortunately, the Netflix star had to learn the hard way that in order to actually make a sale, she couldn’t get away with merely pretending to use her products.
In 2019, she faced backlash for attempting to demonstrate how she uses her brand’s face mist, scrub, face wash, moisturizer and lip oil — but applied nothing to her skin throughout the social media video, as many pointed out that even her eye makeup remained intact.
“I’m still learning the best way to share my routines as I get to know this space better — I’m not an expert,” she subsequently explained in a since-deleted Instagram post.
“I thought doing a quick video replicating my personal process for that night was okay, but that’s not what was conveyed. I understand, I appreciate all of your feedback on this journey, please keep sharing your thoughts and I will too! ily guys x #loveandlight.”
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