Interview: Jerrod Blandino of Polite Society

Jerrod Blandino is a beauty industry icon, known for revolutionising the makeup world with Too Faced, the playful makeup brand he founded alongside his partner, Jeremy Johnson, in 1998. The brand, which introduced the world to Better Than Sex Mascara and the iconic Lip Injection Lip Gloss, was acquired by Estée Lauder Companies in 2016 for a then-record $1.45 billion. In 2022, Blandino and Johnson exited Too Faced. However, not content with retiring, the entrepreneur channelled his knowledge, relationships, and passion for creating disruptive beauty products into launching Polite Society, a new beauty brand driven by his signature rebellious creativity, innovative spirit, and unapologetic positivity.

We recently caught up with Jerrod to discuss Polite Society, his ambitions for the brand, and his personal beauty must-haves.

What inspired you to create Polite Society?

After almost 25 years at Too Faced, I dreamt of creating a modern brand that would bring everyone together through our shared love of kick-ass, efficacious, and trendsetting makeup—a brand that wasn’t afraid to shake things up and push a few buttons in an industry that had become a little too safe. I wanted to create a clean brand that acted dirty. The traditional “clean beauty” aesthetic tended to be more sheer and natural, as opposed to hyper-femme, sexy, and fashion-forward—which is my kind of beauty. But I eat organic; I use non-toxic cleaning products in my house, so why wasn’t there a clean, non-toxic beauty brand for people like me?

What product makes the best introduction to the brand? 

Well, as the guy who put lip plumper on the global map, I think our best-selling product, B.I.G. Mouth, is a great place to start. It’s the most powerful plumper available on the market—without a doctor injecting you—and it’s also totally clean and non-toxic. Our More than a Pretty Face foundation is also the perfect place to start. It optimises Polite Society’s formula-first philosophy, combining powerful skincare actives with long-term benefits in an amazing medium-to-full coverage foundation. It delivers the appearance of perfect skin instantly in a weightless, comfortable formula.

What has been the biggest highlight? 

Being free to create products I love, with the people I love, in the industry I love—that’s everything. Polite Society is built by a team that’s over 95% made up of people I’ve worked with for many, many years.

What advice would you give to those wanting to launch their own beauty business?

Find a unique point of view, stick to it, be authentic, and be smart enough to learn as much from your mistakes as you do from your successes. The beauty industry is more crowded today than when I started Too Faced, so it’s imperative to carve out a unique position—otherwise, the noise will swallow you up.

What’s next for Polite Society?

Launching the most innovative bronzer to hit the market in years—almost mistake-proof and actually good for your skin. It features self-blending pigments and vegan hyaluronic acid in a first-of-its-kind formula that transitions through both powder and liquid phases during creation. This unique process allows for potent skincare actives to be infused, delivering a hyper-real, seamless effect.

What does your daily skincare routine look like?

It’s extensive, and I often switch things out depending on how my skin is behaving, but there are a few things I’ll never be without: Neo Cutis’ Bio Serum, Eighth Day’s Face Serum, BeautyStat’s C Serum, La Prairie’s Caviar Eye Lift, and a secret new product I’ve created that will launch later this year.

What is the biggest beauty lesson you’ve learned?

Stick with what works and edit out all the noise. Too much is not a good thing.

What person or brand would you love to collaborate with? 

A fragrance or candle with Snif could be cool. I can envision a collab with soda brand Poppi to make flavours of our Polite Pouts. I would love a Polite Periwinkle luggage with BÉIS because we’re taking over the world!

What’s not getting the attention it deserves in the beauty industry right now?

I’d say eyeshadow for sure. What happened to the love for eyeshadow?! It seems everyone is just sweeping one subtle shade over their lids, if anything, these days. I miss the creativity and textures of shadows. Baby, let’s bring back the glitter days of yore.

Polite Society is available at Ulta Beauty, as well as online at politesociety.com. The brand is not yet available in the UK.