Madame Violet Grey

by: Maxine Leonard

Cassandra Grey has built an entire business on the idea that taste can be trusted—provided it comes from the right people. As the founder of Violet Grey, she shifted the conversation away from brands and towards the artists, the image-makers, the ones who actually know what works.

In her interview with Beauty Papers, Cassandra Grey discusses the evolving beauty landscape through the lens of her highly curated platform Violet Grey, which she brought to London via an immersive installation at Harvey Nichols. She emphasizes a shift away from overwhelming choice toward careful editing, where beauty becomes more about storytelling, expertise, and emotional connection. This philosophy extends to the launch of her first fragrance, Madame Grey, conceived as a deeply personal, —positioning it not just as a product, but as a refined expression of identity.

ML: What shift have you seen in the beauty industry since launching Violet Grey?

CG: We launched Violet Grey in 2013, which—I mean—the biggest shift, the most obvious shift, and I guess it’s kind of a boring answer, was really the beginning of Instagram.

Before that, we didn’t have this platform or vehicle to express our taste or artistic expression, either as individuals or brands. And Instagram—now Snapchat, Substack, all the platforms—I think of them less as entities and more as a behaviour that’s not going away.

When I first started Violet Grey, the mission was to become a trusted source. I didn’t really know how to do that until I met the artists—the experts. It was all sort of based on people like Kate Lee, who was one of the first inspirations, this incredibly sought-after red carpet artist. And I was just like, what is in your kit? Because they’re the best beauty editors in the world—they get access to everything.

And then they have to edit it down to a suitcase they can schlep around LA in. And I didn’t realise—do they all have the same things? And they do. Hero products are hero products for a reason. You’ll always find new discoveries in every kit, but those core products are always there too.

When we started, those artists—even someone like Pat McGrath—were known within the fashion world, but not mainstream, pop culture celebrity. And that’s what really changed.

The artists, the image-makers, the people influencing beauty practices and purchases around the world now have a stage. People get access to them, to their authority, and that authority is what gives Violet Grey our authority.

So that shift has been pretty dramatic. People now have access to that level of expertise, that knowledge, the theatre of beauty, the glamour—and they really get to see it.

Before Violet Grey, I thought the most glamorous thing I’d ever experienced was being on a photoshoot, watching them work and seeing the image come to life. And now, because of social media, you can actually feel like you’re there, or at a fashion show.

So yeah, we now have access to a lot more—information, culture, everything.

ML: Violet Grey has such a distinct point of view. How did you develop and protect that aesthetic so early on?

CG: Well, first of all, thank you. It’s so important to me to be authentic and to trust your instincts. I love people, I love to collaborate, but I learned early on that it’s really hard to have two directors of the movie. A distinct point of view comes from having a director.

Your team influences things, great ideas come out of the room, but someone has to follow intuition and make the decisions. And for me, those decisions don’t even feel entirely mine—they come from intuition, or God, or whatever you want to call it.

So it became about how do we create this almost intangible allure that is authentic to my eye? How do I capture culture through that lens?

What I’ve always been drawn to is that attitude, that moment, that authenticity. I’ve mostly seen it in women, but some men have it too—Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt, Obama—that raw sex appeal, that effortlessness, that thing people now call “aura”. And I’ve felt that myself, in moments—it’s that rare sense of being completely in your skin, confident, unforced.

And on the commercial side, the products—the hero products, the techniques, all the tricks of the trade—can really help you access that feeling. Whether it’s theatrical expression or just wanting healthy, glowy skin or great hair, it can genuinely improve how you feel.

It sounds frivolous, but it’s not. It’s about confidence—confidence in yourself, in attracting people, in whatever you’re doing. And real confidence is authentic.

ML: The myth that beauty is unimportant is the real beauty myth, right?

CG: Yes. And just being surrounded by beauty matters. It’s like, you can buy a lamp or you can buy a lamp. It’s about what gives you energy and life. I love the idea of choosing a life surrounded by beauty and romance.

ML: Seductive.

CG: Yeah. Especially when the world feels like it’s going to hell.

ML: Yes. Frightening.

CG: But we continue.

ML: But we continue.

CG: Yeah. One day at a time.

ML: You’ve spoken about the UK’s artistic community. Do you think the message differs here in terms of beauty and identity?

CG: I really do. I’ve always felt that. I spent some time here in my early twenties. I had a short period of being single and was almost exclusively dating British guys.

ML: Never mind.

(laughter)

CG: So I lived here for about six months. I was obsessed. I had one boyfriend, then I got tired of him and got another—basically another cute British guy.

Because of that, I was exposed to house culture, dinner party culture. The humour is undeniable, and very much my kind of humour.

There’s also something about the relationship to language here. The way people articulate themselves, tell stories, have the art of conversation—it’s very strong. Americans don’t always have the same relationship to the language.

And I love the multi-generational socialising—having a 14-year-old and a 70-year-old at the same table, but the tone is the same. Everyone is treated like an adult.

There’s a real celebration of individuality—of weirdness—and that’s considered cool. And that translates into beauty and style. There’s a confidence in just being who you are.

London is one of the few cities I could live in. I love New York—it’s the best city in the world—but I could live in London too.

ML: How do you balance editorial authority with commercial pressure?

CG: In the beginning, I had a lot of naivety because I hadn’t been in commercial beauty or editorial. I was just approaching it from what I wanted to see and capture.

I’ve always been drawn to irreverence—Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton—that kind of tension, sex appeal, a bit of naughtiness, things not supposed to be associated with beauty.

And when we started creating imagery, people would say, “That’s not beauty.” Like beauty had to be a close-up of makeup. And I was like, no—beauty can be a flower, it can be anything. It’s an interpretation of an attitude that provokes an emotional reaction.

So I wanted to push boundaries and take risks, and I could because I owned the company. But as you start working with bigger brands—Chanel, Lauder—there’s more pushback. What you can do, what’s appropriate, what’s politically correct.

And the main question becomes: is this selling product? In the beginning, I was very clear—do not sell the product. Sell trust. Build trust, build affection, build advocacy, and then you can offer products.

That was challenging from a revenue perspective. It’s very seductive to just market everything, but it’s boring and not cool. And in the end, it worked. Now people trust us, and what they want from us is recommendations. The revenue becomes a byproduct of that trust.

Shopping is also entertainment now. It’s much more direct—like, I like it, I get it, I want it. Buy it.

ML: What does the future of beauty retail look like? Are we post-influencer?

CG: No. “Influencer” is just a bad word. The idea of someone you trust telling you what to buy—that’s not going away. Those people are the new retailers.

You don’t think of them as influencers—you think of them as editors, or friends. People curating for you.

There’s too much stuff otherwise. It used to be Bergdorf’s, Barney’s, Net-a-Porter—that edit. Now it’s happening through people, through platforms.

And it’s becoming frictionless—see it, want it, buy it. Done. I don’t even want to go to a site anymore. I don’t want to enter my card details. It should just happen.

Physical retail becomes more about experience, connection, community. But discovery comes through people.

ML: Violet Grey always felt more like a cultural platform than a store. Was that intentional?

CG: Yes. Completely. Hollywood is the most influential beauty culture in the world. At first I thought it was gauche, then I realised how powerful it is. Violet Grey was born out of that culture—and Instagram culture.

ML: What are the future plans for Violet Grey?

CG: I’m focused on Violet Lab, incubating new brands, and on Madame Grey, my fragrance house. It’s something I’m deeply involved in—the bottle is handcrafted, collectible, made in Normandy. I really wanted it to be an object of beauty, not just a product.

I love the first five years—building worlds, creating products.

My partners are scaling the business more traditionally—expanding retail, developing the technology, strengthening customer relationships, loyalty, all of that.

And honestly, I’m just trying to stay out of their way.

Violet Grey available at Harvey Nichols