2015 Hot 20: Shashi Batra, Organic Beauty Guru

2015 Hot 20: Shashi Batra, Organic Beauty Guru

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You don't usually hear the words "green" and "glamorous" uttered in the same sentence, but Shashi Batra, one of the founding members of Sephora USA and former President of Victoria Secret Beauty, is about to change all that.


Earlier this year, the retail guru opened the first brick-and-mortar outpost of his organic beauty emporium, Credo, on San Francisco's Fillmore Street. “I'd always dreamt of working for a mission-driven company," explains Batra, 49. “So, once I found the right resources and partners, I started one myself."

Led by a total commitment to sustainability and transparency, Batra is positioning Credo as a leader in what he calls "the naturals 2.0 movement": eco-beauty that is both 100 percent green and savvy about product presentation (hence earning Credo the New York Times headline, "San Francisco's New All-Natural Boutique Isn't For Hippies"). The creams smell amazing; the elegantly packaged mascaras don't scream farm-to-table, though they are. Fashion-set favorite, Tata Harper, has a spa in the back of the store offering services from $25 express treatments to $250 Red Carpet facials. No wonder Credo is billing itself as a Sephora for natural beauty brands.

Credit Batra's visionary take on green beauty to being the father of teenage girls. “The millennials get it. They grew up recycling and they demand intelligent products and services," Batra says. “That's why the staff at Credo are all certified aestheticians. And every one of them feels passionately about our cause."

For 2016, Batra is gearing up to expand Credo nationally while developing local partnerships in the Bay Area that are relevant to Credo's sustainable mission. Beauty that feels as good as it looks? Count us in. // credobeauty.com

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