Chances are, there's a Beauty Creations product on your vanity, maybe a lipstick, an eyeshadow palette, or a mascara. This brand is found in millions of households. The mastermind behind it all is Esmeralda Hernández, who's worked hard throughout her career to ensure thousands of people have access to quality beauty products.
© CourtesyBorn in Mexico, Esmeralda emigrated to the United States with her mother at a very young age. The two of them, alone, began to build a new life together, starting a business reselling items at garage sales and flea markets. The practice allowed Esmeralda to develop a natural knack for business and to learn how to sell. After speaking with customers of all sorts, Esmeralda began to notice which items were in high demand. One of her most successful early business ventures was the sale of the Barbie dolls, buying them cheaply without clothes or accessories, and reselling them as well-dressed and put-together dolls. The idea was a hit, with her selling the dolls with ease.
As she grew up, she narrowed her focus on the beauty industry, focusing on the sale of perfumes, creams, and more, slowly starting to develop her business. But fate had a surprise in store; when she was 19, just before starting college on a scholarship she'd won, she learned that she was pregnant. Her school had to be put on hold, forcing her priorities to change.
"My Mexican heritage taught me the value of hard work, resourcefulness, and family."
© CourtesyEsmeralda threw herself into sales, and the first big leap came when she and her husband bought a shipping container full of hair straighteners. They sold it all in under four months. The pair continued with their sales, eventually opening their first wholesale store in Los Angeles, and gradually adding more and more products. She soon realized that cosmetics were the top sellers but she noticed that the lower-priced products didn't always meet her clients' quality needs.
In 2016, she founded Beauty Creations, the culmination of all she'd learned. The company makes affordable yet high-quality products, meeting the highest standards of the industry. This fast-growing beauty brand, alongside its parent company Bebella Cosmetics, is rooted in Esmeralda's humble but rich journey—a woman who dared to challenge the industry through hard work. With cruelty-free products and a broad range that includes lipsticks and exclusive collaborations, the young entrepreneur has given all women the tools to enhance their inner and outer beauty.
But it hasn't been an easy road. Like any brand creator, she's faced piracy. Esmeralda had to warn and educate her customers about avoiding unauthorized sellers, as they risked buying poor-quality counterfeit products.
"Knowing the names of every member of your company is super important to me, because at the end of the day, they're part of a big, beautiful family. And I think that's a fundamental part of my success."
© Beauty CreationsIn the beauty industry, where piracy and other forms of malpractice are common, Esmeralda hasn't let herself be defeated. Instead of focusing on the negatives, she pours her energy into giving her clients the best products she can by being involved in all parts of the development process. "I like being involved in the entire company. In the mornings, I park in the back and go straight to the warehouse," she said in an interview.
As the brand's CEO, Esmeralda visits her warehouses and spends time with her workforce, getting to know every facet of her business. "I check how many new orders we have, how the team is doing, how their families are."
Nearly ten years after founding Beauty Creations, Esmeralda Hernández has every reason to be proud. Her brand now reaches over 40 countries, including Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, China, Taiwan, and Australia.
