Miriam Jacks in the Interview

You have been working in the beauty industry for over half your life – initially as a Make-up Artist, then as the owner of your own Beauty Concept Stores. Since 2011, you have been creating handmade Make-up brushes with JACKS beauty line, and now the next step follows: your first Make-up line.

What motivated you to take this special step?

I completed my training in Los Angeles in my early 20s, have since done makeup for many women, and worked with numerous brands. Over all these years, I have tried hundreds, if not thousands, of Make-up products and learned firsthand what women want: a fresh glow! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JACKS beauty line grew significantly, which made it financially possible for us to develop our own Make-up line. It was a long journey to get to this point, but it feels as if my entire professional career, with all its ups and downs, has prepared me for the development of my Make-up line.

How have you learned through your work as a Beauty Expert what women are looking for in terms of beauty and Make-up?

In recent years, through working with many celebrities, models, Make-up brands, and also through the numerous Make-up workshops I have held in my stores, I have gained deep insight into all aspects of the beauty industry – from formulations to packaging to the needs and desires of individuals. This has influenced many of my decisions in developing the product line.

What did you notice about it?

In recent years, through working with many celebrities, models, Make-up brands, and also through the numerous Make-up workshops I have held in my stores, I have gained deep insight into all aspects of the beauty industry – from formulations to packaging to the needs and wishes of individuals. This has influenced many of my decisions in developing the product line.

How did the development of your Make-up products work, and why did you choose a Berlin-based laboratory?

It was important to me to be able to work closely with the laboratory. I repeatedly involved our followers in the development process, which allowed me to pass our community's opinions and wishes directly on to the laboratory. You can take another look at the development process in our Instagram highlight "Production".

We are developing our Make-up line together with one of the oldest Make-up manufacturers, a family-owned company with a long history and tradition, as well as extensive experience. They even hired new employees for us who focus exclusively on clean, high-quality ingredients.

Why did you choose a natural cosmetics line?

In recent years, a lot has happened in natural cosmetics, but the market is still relatively small. Most women probably want high-performance Make-up that is also good for the skin. Some of our ingredients, like bisabolol, squalane, or niacinamide, would typically be found more in skincare than in Make-up. We have only developed products that I truly believe in and that I can wear every day with a clear conscience.

What were the goals for the products, aside from making them clean and high-quality?

It was important to us to develop a Make-up line that is affordable. We couldn’t make it super cheap because of the high-quality ingredients, but I think we found a good middle ground. I also wanted to create products that are very easy to understand, without super complicated names. “Back to Basics” is my motto when developing products. We want to appeal to customers who otherwise wouldn’t wear Make-up because it always feels too heavy to them and they’re completely overwhelmed by the market. We make Make-up uncomplicated and clean. The packaging is minimalist and is also intended to appeal to a broad audience.

What role do packaging and shipping play for you?

A big one, and I want to be honest about that: We’re not sustainable yet. Every product uses resources, and as a small brand, we don’t always have the choices we’d like when making decisions. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of greenwashing in the industry. That’s why we don’t make blanket promises. Instead, we explain specifically what we’re doing and are open about the fact that we’re learning and on a journey.

Why is transparency so important to you?

For me, authenticity and transparency are among my top five values. I have always been very careful to recommend products that deliver absolutely the best results. For me, the story and performance behind a product are the most important things. I would never recommend anything I am not 100% convinced of.

Most products are developed only for marketing purposes, not because someone really needs them. My approach is to create something I stand for and not to copy products. At JACKS beauty line, we want to be a brand that is transparent, so that everyone can trust its ethics as much as the performance of the products.

Describe the Make-up series in one sentence!

Never too much, simply timelessly beautiful and always glowy!

I love a beautiful fresh look with an even complexion – this runs consistently throughout the entire Make-up range. Even our semi-transparent powder lightly mattifies the skin without taking away its glow.

What are your favorite products from the series?

I love all the products! But I think two products will become our bestsellers. First, our Glow Foundation: I believe many women will love it and will even start enjoying wearing Make-up because of it. Our Glow Foundation creates a super natural result – without caking the skin, it intensely nourishes the skin and does not clog the pores.

And then our Pressed Powder. I just say: 'Photoshop in a jar!' The powder contains no skin-drying talc, but pure nourishing ingredients like squalane, so the skin does not dry out.