Denee Pearson champions representation and inclusivity at the helm for NYX

LOS ANGELES -
The Global Brand President for NYX Professional Makeup, Denee Pearson, champions representation, inclusion and diversity at the helm. 

NYX Professional Makeup is a major player in the world of cosmetics, known for its affordable, cruelty-free and high-quality products. It was acquired by L'Oréal in 2014. It is a staple in both drugstores and standalone retail locations, and is in more than 40 countries worldwide. 

"We always say here, if you NYX, you know because if you've used NYX, you know what a powerhouse brand it is. You know it has the best colors. You know it has the best formulas. You know that it's also not going to break your pockets open so it's like you get all of the quality without breaking the  bank and that's the power of NYX," said Pearson. 

Pearson joined the NYX family six years ago. 

"I've always said with NYX, when I arrived  here, it felt like home. Home in terms of artistry, brand, color, expression, and team," said Pearson. 

Through Pearson's creativity, upbringing and experience, she has taken NYX to the next level as the Global Brand President, and is proud to be leading the company as a Black woman. 

"I'm proud for myself and for my family and for my mother and for where I came from but also I'm proud that I have such a responsibility to make sure that representation has impact," she said.

Pearson is excelling in the role. 

"I'm doing my duty. I'm making sure the products that are coming out are serving a wide range of shades and making sure who is both in front and behind the camera is also being inclusive and for me diversity I know is a word people use frequently, but diversity is not just in the color of your skin. Diversity is diversity of thought, diversity of upbringing, diversity of culture and making sure that all  of  that  sits  together  at the  table  to collaborate to make the best of, and that's really when we create our teams here, you see everyone because the input is what  makes it stronger versus just one standard across the board," Pearson said.

Pearson loves working with her team and said they are authentically themselves. 

"They're super creative and we laugh so laughter and creativity makes the best products. It's like soul food when you cook and there's love in your food, it's like  laughter in your makeup makes great makeup," said Pearson. 

Pearson and her team focus on quality daily for all consumers. 

"What's important for us [the team] is that not only do you deserve for it [products] to be accessible, you deserve for the quality to be good. You deserve for the shades to look great on your skin," said Pearson.  
Before joining NYX, Pearson remembers being a little girl in New Jersey with a love for makeup. 

"I remember being young, playing in makeup all of the time. My mother was always an old school mom, no makeup allowed. [She would say] you're too young, no nail polish, all of that. I remember going in and sneaking into the drugstores and doing it on my own and thinking I was so sneaky and no one would know. I would put on my foundation and of course it wouldn't match, it was too orange. The drugstore foundations weren't working for the skin, but it was always a part of my creativity, it was always a part of my expression," said Pearson. 

Then in 2001, Pearson started interning for L'Oréal. 

"I started out in what we call the field. I worked for Lancôme and I was a coordinator for the makeup artists' events. They would have a national makeup artist, they would allow women to come in, get a full, curated  makeup look, and makeover in the store. I remember watching Ross Burton, he was a  national makeup artist, doing makeup on women and it was beyond just of course looking good. It was like there were people in tears really happy. I realized then that beauty was just beyond the products, there's a level of confidence that came through it, like feeling empowered. I was like yeah beauty is where I wanna be," she said. 

Pearson worked her way through the ranks, landing at NYX in 2019 as the Senior Vice President of Global Brand Innovation, before becoming the Global Brand President. 

Under her leadership, NYX has secured major collaborations, including a limited edition collection in late 2022 with Avatar: The Way of Water, a 'Barbie' movie limited-edition collection, and collaborations with countless celebrities, including Cardi B. Cardi B starred in NYX's first-ever Superbowl commercial in 2024. 

"I think because we're an artistry brand, entertainment and artistry go hand in hand and I think that's what you're able to see, and also when we show up, we show up as NYX," said Pearson.

For example, when working with Barbie, NYX made sure the iconic pink shade would work on several skin tones. 

"For Barbie, 219 C is their iconic Pantone color, but that  pink that's on me might not  look the same that's on a fairer tone, but you still want when it's on your lips to look like Barbie's iconic color and so at NYX, we created one that was for a lighter skin tone and one that was for a deeper skin tone but both when they put it on, had the same Barbie shade, and that's a part of what our mission is, that everyone can experience artistry in the same way," said Pearson. 

That partnership is part of the reason why Pearson believes representation is so essential.  Pearson also shared some of her favorite products, and said NYX has a lot in store for 2026. 

"The secret weapon of NYX is Butter Gloss. It is every brown girl's favorite because of the shades. It has the right levels of nude but it's not just brown nudes, you have your rosy nudes, you have your coral nudes. I also live and breathe for Buttermelt. It is the creamiest blush. You don't get that white cast, that powdery cast. It's very buttery, and melts into the skin," she said. 

Pearson said with all of her success, her family still sees her as "normal Denee."

"My family treats me as I am and I love that as well as the team here at NYX. It's really about being authentically who you are and  being informal, being honest, having people who are surrounding you who are honest and real because that's when you get your best when everyone is able to be authentically one another," she said. 

If Pearson was able to speak to her younger self, she would tell her to 'have fun.'

"I would say enjoy it all, smile more, laugh more, and enjoy failure because it teaches you things, and makes you even better in the long run," she said. 

She also has advice for young women who want to pursue their dreams. 

"Being yourself is your superpower. I think that authenticity is what makes someone stand out, being who you are, not holding yourself back or thinking you have to become a standard, but really letting all of that light shine is the number one piece of  advice I would give to younger women," she said.