Vol. 7 - Saba Bokhari, L'Oreal
You better 'Bokhari' up and read this as it is gold! Today's i sit down with L'Oreal legend and Red Lip Rundown maestro Saba Bokhari in what is a truly insight packed convo!
Meet Saba:
Saba Bokhari is a L’Oreal legend having been an influential figure at the company for nearly a decade. Until recently she held the position of Director of Advocacy & Influence in L’Oréal’s Professional Products Division before getting an incredible promotion to her new role of Brand & Consumer Engagement Lead for Pureology, Mizani and L’Oreal Technique.
Her career has spanned across the fashion and beauty space including stints at renowned brands Marc Jacobs, Sally Beauty and, most notably, L’Oréal and along the way having her content featured in top publications such as Allure, Teen Vogue, Yahoo! Beauty, Good Morning America, Glamour UK and many more.
But even that is not enough as she is currently undergoing her MBA at NYU Stern School of Business concentrating on honing her skills in luxury marketing, leadership & change management, and brand management.
She is a force of nature and someone so deeply knowledgeable on the beauty space. Not to mention and all round legend! Enjoy!
The Interview:
What drew you to the beauty industry?
I've loved beauty since a young age. I was always rummaging around my grandma's and aunt’s beauty products both of whom were big fans of Clinique at the time. I had a particularly disastrous incident playing around with her mascara. Imagine a child figuring out how to use mascara? Long story short - disaster.
What really changed a lot for me was getting a toy vanity for my third birthday. It was one of those Fisher Price vanities and it sparked my love for beauty. I ended up going to makeup school while I was in college, I worked at Sephora, I had a beauty blog - I was just really into it and so I pursued it further and further!
What do you wish you knew before entering the fashion industry?
I'm really happy with my journey in the industry. I love the digital marketing space. But I think what a lot of people don't realize is that there are so many ways to enter the beauty industry and there are so many ways to play a vital role in brands beyond the marketing function.
A lot of people see social. They see the coverage. They see the PR. They see the day-in-the-life of an influencer marketing girl. And that is what sticks with them.
But the big brands, and even the indies, have finance teams, supply chain teams, research teams, product development teams. There are so many ways you can engage in the beauty industry beyond just marketing, with each route being fascinating.
So there are just so many ways to play in the industry that, if you’re passionate about it, you should pursue.
Best piece of advice you have received?
A piece of advice that sticks with me is from a mentor of mine at L'Oreal. His name is Chris Motta. It is:
“be the CEO of your role”
It hasn't steered me wrong.
When you approach your role with that mindset, it's a really great way to stay strategic and stay engaged regardless of your level. I think by being the CEO of your role, you can focus on impact and having that ownership over what you're working on.
Moment you are most proud of in your career to date?
I think a standout moment is probably our L'Oreal Professional Products Protégé Program event.
It was an influencer activation that my team and I hosted in LA, and it was our first of its kind divisional event. We had personalized styling sessions, relationship building dinners, we had curated gifting, and most importantly, we had so much engaging hair education from our brands’ pro stylists. I think it was really a moment where we prioritized experience and relationship building, and it was super satisfying to be able to bring consumer influencers, our pro stylists, and the L’Oreal Professional Products division team together.
There was something really magical about seeing an idea go from idea to IRL, in strong partnership with the team and partners, and in such a way that brought together everything that I love from hospitality, brand building, beauty, education, all into one incredible program.
Marketing campaign you wish you had come up with?
There is this brand that I'm obsessed with & have been for so long - it's called Vacation. (I’m obsessed with the co-founder, too - he exudes Vacation.)
There was a beloved product that was so popular in the 80/90s called Bain de Soleil Orange Gelée that got discontinued, but it had such a fandom around it.
Vacation brought the product back, with more sun protection, but keeping as much of what people loved about it in place. The way they did this was by rallying fans of the original product, advocates, perfumers, tastemakers, skincare loving beauty editors and more and brought them together to recreate it.
I think it is one of the best content marketing, product development stories I’ve ever seen. And I love their aesthetic - the nostalgic 80s look.
A book you think all aspiring fashion leaders should read?
Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara
It’s one of my favorite books ever. There are so many lessons that beauty marketers and marketers in general, people in general, can take away from that book. It's innovation, a personalized approach to hospitality, resilience and the willingness to go the extra mile for something that you believe in.
I was inspired by so many of the stories. I actually brought out a birthday cake for one of our creators at an event a couple years ago. It's a little touch that means so much.
I really love the lessons from that book. And I think regardless of which industry you're in, I think it's super valuable.
What’s one skill, or area, you are actively working on to improve? And why is it important to you?
I think learning is a constant. You need to have that sort of mindset to continue to grow in your career.
One area that I'm really focused on improving is using my voice. And I know that's kind of weird - for a number of years, I operated with the mindset of put your head down, do the work, and then it'll be noticed. And I think it's because it was how I was raised. It's the norm in my culture.
Then I realized that's not how it works, and that you need to be more vocal. And even though it's felt really unnatural for me, I've worked really hard to communicate my work both internally and externally. Doing so has opened up a lot of doors and opportunities that I was dreaming about earlier in my career.
I'm currently in business school at NYU and I think that helped in that process as well.
1x resource you use to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving industry?
If I can choose just one, I would say Vogue Business. I love that publication. I feel like their reporting and their stories are just so of the moment and really helpful and valuable for me to reference.
Your one to watch? An individual in the space killing it?
Lia Haberman: she's incredible and so ahead of the curve.
She talks about creator economy shifts, social media platform updates and so much more. She is rapid fire. She's so quick with it. And she just has her finger on the pulse of everything.
Her passion for the space is so inspiring. I was at a dinner with her last year and she's just so kind and so passionate, which I love. I also saw her at Duel and Building Brand Advocacy’s event in New York - I remember seeing she was going to be speaking at that event and I freaked out.
She is brilliant and I just love her newsletter/substack. I think she's definitely one to watch.
Brand / product you can't live without?
It's the Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain 01: Always red. It is what I'm wearing right now. I love wearing a red lip - it's kind of my brand.
My industry newsletter is named Red Lip Rundown for a reason. The red in the branding is this red. My heading on Linkedin is that red. Big fan of that red. So I don't think I could live without that product.
Industry hot take?
This one's a spicy take!
I think a lot of brands could benefit from going back to the basics and clarifying what their brand stands for and what actually makes them different. At the moment, generally, I'm seeing a lot of clout chasing and it drives me wild.
I think it boils down to short-term thinking from brands. Meaningless campaigns. Meaningless partnerships. Meaningless celebrity features. It’s short-term thinking.
Brands need to be thinking long-term: they need to be thinking about long-term brand equity, about what makes sense for their brand. I could really sound off on this.
Follow Saba
Saba is a truly excellent follow and a true fountain of knowledge.
Connect with her on Linkedin and definitely subscribe to her incredible newsletter the Red Lip Rundown!
Til next time x