By Terry

By Terry is a French luxury cosmetics house founded by the makeup artist Terry de Gunzburg, with its first flagship store in Paris's Galerie Véro-Dodat. The line blends makeup and skincare, a positioning the company sums up in its tagline "Skincare-first Luxury Makeup." Most sources, including the brand's own about page, date the founding to 1998 [1]; one editorial profile records it as 2000 [3]. The brand remains active, selling directly online and through retailers in more than 45 countries [6].

Terry de Gunzburg came to cosmetics by an unusual route. She trained at the Carita beauty school in Paris and worked as a makeup artist alongside photographers such as Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin before moving into product development. For 15 years she served as International Makeup Designer at YSL Beauté, where, the company says, she created the brand's Touche Éclat highlighting pen in 1992 [1]. De Gunzburg has described that launch as a turning point, recalling that "convincing Yves Saint Laurent to launch Touche Éclat after three years was a pivotal moment for me" [5].

She founded By Terry as what the company calls a bespoke "couture" beauty line offering made-to-measure cosmetics, opening the Galerie Véro-Dodat flagship at the outset. The founding year is given as 1998 by the brand and by most editorial coverage [1][4], while Beautylish places it in 2000, a date that may reference the first product launch or wider retail rollout [3].

By Terry presents itself as luxury makeup built on skincare, oriented toward what its about page describes as "radiance and a healthy, but invisible complexion" rather than heavy coverage. De Gunzburg frames the aim as a complexion that looks treated rather than painted, saying she wants "women to feel like they are treating their skin with something exclusive and luxurious and special" [3]. In a Marie Claire interview she set out a broader mission "to be a leader in makeup that cares for your skin, the environment and for who you are to suit all people," and noted that her formulas are "designed to be illuminating, not shimmery" [5]. The company summarises its values as quality, rarity and luxury.

The brand's signature object is the lip balm Baume de Rose, introduced in 2004. By the company's account it began as a laboratory error that doubled the rose butter in a balm formula; By Terry describes the result as "the Rolls Royce of lip balms" [1]. Editorial coverage lists it among the brand's most recognised products, alongside the Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder and the Crayon Blackstar eyeliner [5].

A later development was the Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder, which the company says anchored a Hyaluronic range described as the first full line to use hyaluronic acid at every stage of a routine [1]. By Terry has also reworked de Gunzburg's YSL-era highlighter concept into a product called Touch-Expert Advanced, and its broader makeup offering includes the Densiliss complexion line of foundation, concealer, blush, powder and primer. The company has not published vegan, cruelty-free or other certification claims in its public materials.

By Terry has remained founder-led. De Gunzburg's daughter, Marion Assuied, was appointed chief executive, a move that allowed de Gunzburg to concentrate on creative direction [3]. No authoritative source identifies a current corporate parent for the company.

The brand has been the subject of feature interviews in the beauty press, including Marie Claire Australia, which characterised it as de Gunzburg's "cult-favourite brand," and Beautylish, which profiled it under the heading "Quality, rarity, luxury." Both outlets single out Baume de Rose and the Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder as the products most associated with By Terry.

By Terry is an active brand. Its direct-to-consumer site runs current seasonal campaigns, and the label is stocked internationally through retailers including Sephora, Nordstrom and Revolve [6]. De Gunzburg continues as creative director while Assuied leads the company as chief executive.