Season 5 Episode 11:

 

Lily Garfield, Founder of Cos Bar, the original multi-brand luxury beauty retailer

Lily Garfield is a beauty industry leader and pioneer, and the Founder of Cos Bar, the original multi-brand luxury beauty retailer. The first of its kind, Cos Bar offers a highly curated selection of prestige cosmetics and skin care products, defined by its dedication to uniquely personalized service. Founded in 1976, Lily first established the 200-square-foot Aspen store as a best-in-class, local destination, and grew it into a thriving national retail operation and industry tastemaker.

Lily grew up in New York City and possessed a fascination with healthy, beautiful skin from a young age. Her first job was working behind the beauty counter at Bloomingdale’s, and after three short weeks, she was asked to work for the company at the corporate level. She became one of the first female Account Executives, traveling across the country setting up new department stores.

When Lily moved to Aspen three years later, she was alarmed to find that there were few skin care products available to help combat the harsh climate of the Rockies. She set out to create an independent beauty boutique, synonymous with the highest quality, carving out an entirely new category and establishing the concept of specialty beauty retail in the US.

After a year in business, Cos Bar had quadrupled its sales.
Lily opened Cos Bar’s second location in Vail 10 years later, and a third boutique in Santa Fe, when Leonard Lauder himself called and asked her to open one there. In 2012, Lily brought Cos Bar and her renowned cosmetic expertise to Target stores nationwide as part of The Shops at Target, featuring a range of limited edition beauty essentials and accessories for less than $20 each.

With 20 stores across the country, Cos Bar is still defined by its Founder’s spirit of invention and innovation. Lily resides in Aspen and North Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a member of the Board of CEW-Cancer and Careers and the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors, and serves as Co-Chairman of Cos Bar USA. She is the recipient of the 2012 WWD Retailer of the Year and the 2017 CEW Retailer Recognition of the Industry.

Learn more about Cos Bar | Browse & Shop | Contact Lily

Follow Cos Bar on: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok

Our Non-Profit Spotlight is: MD Anderson. You can learn more at www.mdanderson.org

The View in Your Mirror @ Cos Bar