Jamie Kern Lima

Jamie Kern Lima (née Jamie Marie Kern; born c. 1977) is an American entrepreneur, investor, New York Times-bestselling author, motivational speaker, and media personality. She is the co-founder of IT Cosmetics, which she and her husband Paulo Lima launched in 2008 with approximately $1,000 in savings from their small apartment. She built IT Cosmetics into the largest beauty brand on the QVC network and the number-one prestige makeup brand in the United States before selling the company to L'Oréal in 2016 for $1.2 billion—the largest acquisition in L'Oréal's history at the time. Following the acquisition, Kern Lima became the first female chief executive officer in L'Oréal's more than 100-year history, a milestone in the global beauty industry.

Before entering the cosmetics industry, Kern Lima had one of the most eclectic pre-entrepreneurial backgrounds of any major business figure: she was a waitress at Denny's, a grocery bagger at Safeway, a winner of the Miss Washington USA pageant (1999), a contestant on the first season of the CBS reality television series Big Brother (2000), a former Baywatch appearance winner, and a television news anchor in Washington and Oregon. She learned in her twenties that she was adopted, adding another layer to her personal narrative of overcoming adversity and defying expectations.

With an estimated net worth of approximately $670 million as of June 2025, Kern Lima has been included on Forbes' list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women" since 2017. She is the author of two books—the New York Times bestseller Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable (2021) and Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life (2024)—and has appeared as a guest Shark on Season 16 of Shark Tank. She is an active investor in more than 15 companies and a philanthropist focused on women's leadership, entrepreneurship, and education.

Early life and education

Jamie Marie Kern was born circa 1977 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in both Seattle and San Rafael, California. Her early life was characterized by economic modesty and significant personal challenges that would later form the foundation of her inspirational public narrative. She was the first member of her family to attend college, a distinction that reflected the family's working-class background and made her eventual academic and business achievements all the more remarkable.

During her college years, Kern Lima supported herself through working-class jobs, including waitressing at Denny's and bagging groceries at Safeway. These experiences, which she frequently references in her motivational speaking, grounded her understanding of the challenges faced by ordinary Americans and informed the accessible, inclusive brand positioning she would later bring to IT Cosmetics. In her twenties, Kern Lima made the profound discovery that she was adopted, an experience she has discussed publicly as both emotionally destabilizing and ultimately empowering, contributing to the themes of identity, self-worth, and belonging that permeate her written work and public speaking.

Kern Lima attended Washington State University, where her academic performance was extraordinary: she graduated as valedictorian, the highest-ranking student in her graduating class. She subsequently pursued advanced business education at Columbia Business School, one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the world, earning her Master of Business Administration in 2004. The combination of her valedictorian undergraduate record and Columbia MBA provided a rigorous business foundation that would prove essential in building and scaling IT Cosmetics, negotiating with retail partners and investors, and ultimately structuring the $1.2 billion sale to L'Oréal.

Early career

Beauty pageants and entertainment

Kern Lima's early career path was remarkably diverse and included significant achievements in entertainment and beauty competitions. In 1999, she won the Baywatch College Search, a promotional competition associated with the popular television series Baywatch, which resulted in an appearance on an episode of the show. That same year, she was crowned Miss Washington USA, and she subsequently competed in the Miss USA 2000 pageant held in Branson, Missouri. These experiences in the competitive world of beauty pageants gave her firsthand exposure to the cosmetics industry, beauty standards, and the challenges of maintaining professional appearance under lights and cameras—challenges that would directly inspire her later creation of IT Cosmetics.

After her pageant career, and after considering a career in finance (reflecting her Columbia MBA aspirations), Kern Lima applied—on a dare—to be a contestant on the first season of the CBS reality television series Big Brother in 2000. She was cast and became the last female houseguest remaining in that inaugural season, gaining national television exposure and experiencing the dynamics of reality television production that would later inform her understanding of media, audience connection, and authentic self-presentation.

Television journalism

Following her reality television experience, Kern Lima transitioned to a career in broadcast journalism. She began as a morning news anchor at KNDU in the Tri-Cities, Washington area, working as both a reporter and anchor. In 2006, she relocated to Portland, Oregon, where she joined KPTV as a news anchor and reporter.

It was during her television journalism career that Kern Lima first confronted the problem that would inspire IT Cosmetics. Working under harsh studio lights, she battled rosacea and hyperpigmentation—skin conditions that made it extremely difficult to find makeup that could provide adequate coverage without appearing cakey, heavy, or artificial on camera. Despite trying dozens of products from major beauty brands, she could not find a solution that met her needs. This personal frustration, combined with her business education, beauty industry knowledge from her pageant career, and media experience from both television and reality TV, converged to create the opportunity that would transform her life.

IT Cosmetics

Founding and early struggles (2008–2010)

In 2008, Kern Lima and her husband Paulo Lima co-founded IT Cosmetics (the "IT" stands for "Innovative Technology") with approximately $1,000 from their personal savings. Working from their small apartment, the couple collaborated with plastic surgeons and dermatologists to develop makeup formulas that blended skincare-grade ingredients with cosmetics—an approach that was relatively novel at the time and that addressed the gap between the skincare and makeup industries that Kern Lima had personally experienced.

The company's early years were marked by repeated rejection and financial struggle. Major beauty retailers rejected IT Cosmetics products, and Kern Lima has recounted being told "no" by numerous buyers who did not believe that a product-based beauty company founded by a former news anchor would succeed. The rejections were particularly difficult because they came at a time when the company's financial resources were extremely limited, and each failure represented a significant setback.

QVC breakthrough (2010)

The pivotal moment in IT Cosmetics' history came in 2010, when Kern Lima secured a 10-minute segment on QVC, the television home shopping network. In what has become one of the most famous moments in QVC history, Kern Lima made the bold decision to wipe off her makeup live on camera, revealing her bare face—including her rosacea and hyperpigmentation—to the viewing audience. She then demonstrated the application of IT Cosmetics' concealer products, showing in real time how effectively they covered her skin conditions while maintaining a natural, non-cakey appearance.

The authentic vulnerability of the demonstration—a CEO on live television exposing the very skin condition that had inspired her products—created an immediate and powerful connection with viewers who had struggled with similar problems. Every product offered during the segment sold out before the end of the broadcast, validating both the product's effectiveness and the power of authentic marketing.

Growth and QVC dominance

Following the breakthrough QVC appearance, Kern Lima built IT Cosmetics into the dominant beauty brand on QVC's network through more than 1,000 live appearances on the shopping channel over the following years. Her on-air selling approach was distinctive in the beauty industry: rather than relying on professional models, she frequently demonstrated products on herself and on women with real skin concerns, maintaining the authentic approach that had made her initial appearance so compelling.

IT Cosmetics became the largest beauty brand on QVC's entire network, a remarkable achievement given QVC's extensive beauty portfolio. Beyond QVC, the brand expanded into traditional retail through partnerships with major retailers including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, and department stores. By 2015, IT Cosmetics had achieved more than $182 million in net sales and was growing rapidly, attracting the attention of the world's largest beauty companies.

L'Oréal acquisition (2016)

In 2016, L'Oréal, the world's largest beauty company, acquired IT Cosmetics for $1.2 billion—the largest acquisition in L'Oréal's history at that point and one of the most significant exits in the history of the beauty industry. The acquisition validated not only IT Cosmetics' products and brand but also the inclusive, problem-solving approach to beauty that Kern Lima had championed from the beginning.

As part of the acquisition, Kern Lima was named CEO of IT Cosmetics under the L'Oréal umbrella, becoming the first female CEO in L'Oréal's more than 100-year corporate history. This milestone was significant not only for Kern Lima personally but for the broader beauty industry and corporate world, highlighting both the opportunities and the persistent barriers for women in executive leadership at major multinational companies.

As the majority owner of IT Cosmetics at the time of the sale, Kern Lima personally received approximately $410 million after taxes from the transaction, instantly placing her among the wealthiest self-made women in America and on Forbes' list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women."

Kern Lima remained as CEO of IT Cosmetics until August 2019, when she announced her departure from the company to pursue other interests. During her three years as CEO under L'Oréal's ownership, she worked to maintain the brand's DNA of authenticity, inclusivity, and problem-solving while expanding its global reach through L'Oréal's international distribution network.

Post-IT Cosmetics career

Author and speaker

Following her departure from IT Cosmetics, Kern Lima reinvented herself as an author and motivational speaker, channeling the personal story of overcoming adversity into a broader message of self-belief and worthiness. In March 2021, she published Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable through Gallery Books, which became a New York Times bestseller. The book chronicled her journey from waitressing at Denny's through the rejections of IT Cosmetics' early years to the billion-dollar L'Oréal sale, framing it as a story not just of business success but of personal transformation and the power of self-belief.

In February 2024, she published her second book, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life, through Hay House, which explored themes of self-worth, belonging, and personal transformation in greater depth. The book reflected Kern Lima's evolution from business storytelling to a broader focus on personal development and emotional wellness.

Investor

Kern Lima has become an active investor in more than 15 companies, deploying capital from her IT Cosmetics windfall into startups and growth-stage companies that align with her values around innovation, inclusivity, and positive social impact. Her investment portfolio reflects her expertise in consumer products, beauty, and direct-to-consumer business models.

Shark Tank guest Shark

Kern Lima appeared as a guest Shark on Season 16 of Shark Tank, bringing her unique perspective as a founder who had experienced both the struggles of early-stage entrepreneurship and the complexities of a billion-dollar acquisition. Her presence on the show provided aspiring entrepreneurs with access to an investor who understood the emotional and practical challenges of building a consumer products company from scratch.

Philanthropy

Kern Lima has committed significant resources to philanthropic activities, with a particular focus on organizations that promote women's leadership, entrepreneurship, and education. She has donated millions of dollars to organizations supporting female entrepreneurs, including mentorship programs and funding opportunities for women-led startups. Her philanthropic focus reflects her personal experience of being underestimated as a woman in business and her desire to create pathways for other women facing similar challenges.

Personal life

Jamie Kern Lima resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Paulo Lima, who has been her business partner since the founding of IT Cosmetics, and their two children. Paulo played a crucial role in the early days of the company, contributing to product development, operations, and the daily work of building a startup with minimal resources.

Kern Lima has been open about her personal journey, including the discovery that she was adopted, her struggles with rosacea and self-confidence, and the emotional toll of the years of rejection that preceded IT Cosmetics' success. This transparency has made her one of the most relatable and inspiring figures in the American business world, resonating particularly with women who have experienced being underestimated or dismissed in professional contexts.

Publications

• Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable. Gallery Books. March 25, 2021. Template:ISBN. (New York Times bestseller)
• Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life. Hay House Inc. February 20, 2024. Template:ISBN.

Legacy and influence

Jamie Kern Lima's impact on the beauty industry and on the broader conversation about women in business extends far beyond the financial success of IT Cosmetics. Her willingness to appear on live television without makeup—exposing the very skin condition that society pressured her to hide—challenged the beauty industry's reliance on unattainable images of perfection and helped pioneer the "real beauty" and inclusive beauty movements that have since become mainstream.

The IT Cosmetics business model—developing products in collaboration with dermatologists and plastic surgeons, marketing through authentic demonstrations rather than airbrushed campaigns, and building a brand around solving real problems rather than selling aspirational fantasies—influenced a generation of beauty entrepreneurs and contributed to the broader shift toward "skinimalism" and science-backed beauty products.

Her personal narrative—from adoption, to Denny's waitress, to beauty queen, to reality TV contestant, to news anchor, to billionaire entrepreneur—is one of the most compelling in modern American business, demonstrating that success does not require a linear career path or privileged starting point. Her emphasis on self-worth and believing in oneself despite external rejection has resonated with millions of people worldwide, making her one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the entrepreneurial community.

External links

• Official website
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• Jamie Kern Lima on LinkedIn
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