Janet Gurwitch is an American businesswoman and investor. She is the founder of Gurwitch Products, the manufacturer of Laura Mercier Cosmetics. She founded the company in 1995 and launched the Laura Mercier line in March 1996.
A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, and graduate of the University of Alabama, [1] Gurwitch began her career at Foley's department store in Houston, Texas, rising to the position of senior vice president of merchandising. She then moved to Neiman Marcus and served as the executive vice president from 1992 to 1995. As EVP, she was responsible for the merchandising strategy for all 35 stores.
She founded Gurwitch Products in 1996 in order to market a boutique line of cosmetics carrying the name of French make-up artist Laura Mercier. She sold Laura Mercier to Alticor in 2006 and remained CEO until 2008.
From 2009 to 2019, Gurwitch served on the boards of Drybar, Urban Decay, Tatcha, First Aid Beauty, La-Z-Boy and Dollar Shave Club. [2]
Today, Gurwitch is an operating partner at Advent International, a Boston-based private equity firm, where she serves on the board of Olaplex a hair care products company. [3] (NASDAQ: OLPX) She is also currently an investor and board member [4] of the Houston Astros baseball team. [5]
Gurwitch was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in November 2023.
Alticor is a privately owned American corporation run by the DeVos and Van Andel families. It was established in 1999 to serve as the parent company for a handful of business ventures, most notably the multi-level marketing company Amway and Amway Global, and a manufacturing and distribution company, Access Business Group.
KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strategic partners, hedge funds. As of December 31, 2023, the firm had completed more than 730 private equity investments in portfolio companies with approximately $710 billion of total enterprise value. As of December 31, 2023, assets under management (AUM) and fee paying assets under management (FPAUM) were $553 billion and $446 billion, respectively.
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it remains. Revlon was founded by brothers Charles and Joseph Revson, and chemist Charles Lachman. Revlon products are sold in 150 countries and the company has many global locations including Mexico City, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sydney, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and a wedding registry.
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. is an American discount closeout retailer consisting exclusively of supermarket locations that offer deeply discounted, overstocked, and closeout products from name-brand and private-label suppliers. The company has stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Delaware.
aPriori Capital Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions. The firm was founded as an affiliate of Credit Suisse and traces its roots to Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, the investment bank acquired by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2000. The private equity arm also manages a group of investment vehicles including Real Estate Private Equity, International Private Equity, Growth capital, Mezzanine debt, Infrastructure, Energy and Commodities Focused, fund of funds, and Secondary Investments.
UTEX Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturer of sealing products.
The Limited is an American clothing brand sold exclusively through Belk. The Limited began with operating retail stores between the early 1960s and the late 2010s. In 2017, it became a brand owned by the private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
Laura Mercier Cosmetics is a French and American cosmetics and skin care line that was founded in 1996 by celebrity makeup artist Laura Mercier.
Gurwitch Products is a Houston, Texas-based subsidiary of Shiseido that produces, manages, and markets cosmetics and skincare products. Gurwitch produces and markets products under two brands, Laura Mercier Cosmetics and RéVive Skincare.
Laura Mercier is a French makeup artist and businesswoman.
Kendra Scott is an American fashion designer. She is the executive chairwoman, designer, and former chief executive officer of Kendra Scott, LLC. In 2017, she was named Ernst & Young's National Entrepreneur of the Year.
Drybar is a California-based chain of salons that provides a hair styling service known as blowouts. The company was founded in 2010 by Alli Webb.
Nykaa is an Indian e-commerce company headquartered in Mumbai. It sells beauty, wellness and fashion products through its website, mobile app, and over 100 physical stores. In 2020, it became the first Indian unicorn startup headed by a woman.
Regent, L.P. is a multi-sector private equity firm based in Beverly Hills, California. Many of Regent's investments have been in the software, technology, consumer products, retail and media space. Its founder and chairman is Michael Reinstein.
Gregg Renfrew is an American entrepreneur and businessperson. She established The Wedding List in the United States, which was later acquired by Martha Stewart in 2001, making it the first acquisition under the Martha Stewart Living brand. In March 2013, Renfrew launched Beautycounter, a beauty brand focused on creating safer skincare and cleaner cosmetics products.
Sycamore Partners is an American private equity firm based in New York specializing in retail and consumer investments. The firm has approximately $10 billion in aggregate committed capital.
Arhaus, Inc. is an American retail chain that designs and sells home furnishings online and through its retail stores and catalogs. The company is headquartered in Boston Heights, Ohio.
Bluemercury is a chain of American beauty stores founded in 1999 by Marla Malcolm Beck and Barry J. Beck in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The stores sell cosmetics, as well as in-store facials and spa treatments. In addition to selling products from other brands, the company developed its own M-61 skincare line in 2012 and Lune+Aster make-up line in 2015.
Lee Michael Feldman is an American lawyer and businessman. Feldman is the managing partner of the private equity firm, Twin Lakes Capital Management, LLC. and the former chairman of GVC Holdings, the FTSE 100 Index gambling conglomerate.