Terry de Gunzburg has changed the face of beauty, carving out new product categories, pushing for more cuttingedge science and creating bestsellers
Terry de Gunzburg is beauty industry royalty. She’s a tastemaker, creating products we never knew we needed, like YSL’s iconic Touche Éclat. “It took me three years to convince the marketing team there,” she tells us. “It was the 90s and they kept saying, ‘What is this click pen? It’s not concealer, it’s not a foundation...’. Back then the term ‘highlighter’ didn’t really exist in make-up terms. But I was so confident it would sell.”
After 15 years at Yves Saint Laurent as international make-up designer, Terry decided to forge her own path, launching By Terry. “It’s important to be a trendsetter, not a follower,” says the 67-year-old, as she celebrates 25 years of her trailblazing brand. We met at London’s Edition hotel to reflect on a stellar career and By Terry’s latest innovations.
Terry, how did you get started in beauty?
I started studying medicine, because most of my family are doctors or scientists. I was a good student but it wasn’t my passion. I wanted to become an architect or interior designer, so I quit medicine and registered at the fine art school, Beaux-Arts de Paris.
During a four week break, I decided to do a make-up course. From there, I was booked onto a photoshoot for Vogue, because no other make-up artists were available. To cut a long story short, it was a success and I never went back to university. I’m incredibly fortunate to have worked with the very best photographers from the start.
After so much success at Yves Saint Laurent, why did you leave?
Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent’s partner, told me that Yves was going to retire and actually he died soon after retiring. It was impossible for me to carry on after years of working with him so closely. Yves was very introverted, but I shared so many wonderful memories with him. I wore red lipstick and high heels every day because we weren’t allowed to see him without them! I had this idea to create make-up’s version of haute couture – haute coleur, and Pierre encouraged me to do it for my own brand.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Of course, it’s my family. But also, becoming an entrepreneur and keeping my company totally private. It’s not a huge company but it��
