How 'rebelling' against norms led Allison McNamara to found Mara Beauty

Mara Beauty founder Allison McNamara was surrounded by beauty growing up — her father Michael McNamara is a longstanding executive in the space. But beauty wasn't an obvious career path for her, at least not at first.

"I was actually a television host and reporter before doing Mara," said McNamara, on the latest episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast. "I worked at Popsugar, and for a long time, I did everything from fashion to beauty to entertainment, and hosted a show that was taken from digital to linear television. … I thought I was going to be the next Ryan Seacrest."

After that show got canceled, McNamara had a rethink, which led her to revisit her childhood notebooks. There, she found page after page of beauty brand and product ideas.

"I thought of the idea for Mara and I didn't know what would become of it," she said. "I went on the journey of creating the business but had no true intention of like, 'I'm going to build this type of brand.' It happened organically," she said.

Mara Beauty officially launched in 2018, DTC first before launching in Credo. In the four years since, McNamara has been sure to keep a thoughtful eye on what she delivers: new, innovative luxury products with a clear sustainability component. "When I started the business, it was a side hustle. Now it's become a true business, which is really exciting. But at the same time, I have such a clear idea of the products I want to create and where I want to go."