01 / Career record
Early life
Charlotte Emma Bow Tilbury was born on 10 February 1973 in Kensington, London, to the artist Lance Tilbury and production manager Patsy Dodd; the family moved to Ibiza when she was nine months old. At thirteen she returned to London to attend a Rudolf Steiner boarding school in Sussex, where she began experimenting with makeup and giving friends colour advice, and later studied at the Glauca Rossi School of Makeup.
02 / Career record
Learning the trade
Tilbury began assisting the makeup artist Mary Greenwell, whom she had met at eleven and has called "an incredible mentor." Early editorial work for Vogue, LOVE and Vanity Fair, shot by photographers including Mario Testino and Mert and Marcus, built a client list that came to include Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian, Gisele Bündchen and Amal Clooney. She went on to become show makeup director for fashion weeks in New York, Milan, Paris and London, working with houses including Prada, Alexander McQueen, Cavalli and Chloé, and served as creative director for Helena Rubinstein.
03 / Career record
Building a beauty brand
In October 2012, Tilbury launched a YouTube channel and blog, Charlotte’s Beauty Secrets, building the following that supported her next move: in 2013 she introduced Charlotte Tilbury Beauty at Selfridges in London, anchored by her "Magic Cream" formula, developed over years of backstage work, and a "makeup wardrobe" concept that marketed individual products as complete looks. Her Covent Garden flagship opened in 2015, and the brand went on to win more than 300 awards, including the CEW Best British Brand of the Year across multiple years.
04 / Career record
Scale and recognition
In June 2020, the Spanish fashion and fragrance group Puig acquired a majority stake in the business, with Tilbury remaining chair, president and chief creative officer and a significant minority owner. She was appointed MBE in 2018 for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry and won a Special Recognition Award at the Fashion Awards in 2023; her estimated net worth reached £350 million by March 2025. In 2024 she became the first female brand-founder sponsor of F1 Academy, and she continues as a contributing beauty editor for British Vogue.
05 / At a glance
Quick facts.
- —Trained under makeup artist Mary Greenwell, whom she met at eleven
- —Show makeup director for New York, Milan, Paris and London Fashion Weeks, working with Prada, Alexander McQueen and Chloé among others
- —Launched Charlotte Tilbury Beauty at Selfridges, 2013, built around her own "Magic Cream" formula developed backstage at shows
- —Sold a majority stake to Puig, June 2020, while remaining chair, president and chief creative officer
- —Made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, 2018, for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry
- —First female brand-founder sponsor of F1 Academy, 2024