Christine Pierson has spent nearly a decade shaping the story of Caudalie, where she leads communications, PR, influencer strategy and special events across North and South America. From her early days at Birchbox to her current role, she's become known for relationship-first partnerships and events that feel effortless because every detail has been considered in advance. Here, she shares how she brings the brand's French heritage to life, why she refuses to gatekeep creators, and the lost art of mentorship in the age of AI.

How did you get your start in the marcomms industry, and what drew you to the beauty space?

I started my career at a PR agency in New York, where I had the opportunity to work with beauty clients pretty early on. I loved the category almost immediately, but I also knew fairly quickly that I ultimately wanted to work in-house. I was drawn to the idea of being completely immersed in one business, understanding a brand from the inside out, and having the opportunity to help shape its story over time.

That led me to Birchbox, which, at the time, was an incredibly coveted startup to work at. There was this exceptional concentration of smart, creative, ambitious people, and I learned so much just by being surrounded by them. Because Birchbox was essentially a retailer and discovery platform, I was also exposed to so many different beauty brands, founders, products, and ways of building a business.

Ironically, that exposure made me even more certain that I wanted to go deeper with one brand. I wanted to understand every layer of a company and be part of building something over many years. That eventually brought me to Caudalie in 2016, and I think the fact that I've been here for nearly a decade says a lot about how much I found what I was looking for.

What does your role as Vice President of Communications and Special Events for North and South America at Caudalie entail?

I oversee communications, PR, influencer strategy, and special events across the Americas, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. What I love is the range. No two days look exactly the same, and I get to move between big-picture strategy and the smallest details that ultimately bring an idea to life.

One of my absolute favorite parts of my role is working with my team. There is something incredibly rewarding about building a team where people feel trusted to have ideas, challenge each other, take ownership, and grow. I learn from them constantly.

We're also a team that is always asking, "How can we make this better?" Even when something is successful, we want to understand what we learned from it and what we can do differently next time. I think being proud of your work and still being hungry to improve it can coexist. That mindset keeps the work exciting.

Caudalie has built a strong identity around natural beauty, sustainability, and skincare innovation. How do you approach bringing those values to life through communications and events?

I always say Caudalie is a PR person's dream because there are so many layers to the brand story. Our founders make it easy by continuing to create groundbreaking, science-backed products and staying ahead of the curve, from pioneering clean beauty to inventing Vinothérapie. Then you have our French heritage, the vineyards in Bordeaux, our sustainability commitments, and this incredible culture of hospitality that comes to life through our spas and boutiques. The stories are already there. Our job is to find fresh, culturally relevant ways to bring them to life.

Events are where that becomes especially tangible. A beautiful tablescape is table stakes today. For me, there has to be meaning behind it, a sense of connection and a reason someone will remember how they felt when they were there.

I always say that over-planning creates magic. We think through every detail in advance so that once guests walk through the door, we can let it go and allow the experience to feel effortless. The guest should never feel the planning. They should just feel incredibly considered.

As influencer partnerships and social media continue to reshape the beauty landscape, how do you build partnerships that feel authentic and aligned with the brand?

For me, it starts with relationships rather than transactions. Data absolutely matters, but there is still a very human element to identifying the right people for a brand. I'm genuinely interested in who someone is beyond their following.

I also believe strongly in not gatekeeping creators. We're all going to be in this industry for a long time. Someone who has a smaller platform today may have an enormous one five years from now, but more importantly, they may have an incredible point of view right now. If we believe in someone, I want us to give them access, introduce them to people, invite them into rooms, and give them space to grow.

Some of the relationships I value most in this industry are ones that have evolved over years. I think there's something really special about growing alongside people rather than only wanting to know them once everyone else does.

Trust and transparency have become essential in beauty marketing today. How do you strengthen credibility through communications, storytelling, and brand experiences?

I think trust is ultimately built through consistency and relationships. You can't manufacture credibility with creators and their talent teams through one campaign or one event. It comes from showing up over time, being transparent, following through, and building a proven track record of taking care of people. We want talent teams to know that when they put someone in our hands, they'll be incredibly well taken care of.

I also think access creates trust. Whenever possible, we want creators to get closer to the source, whether that means spending time with our founders, understanding the science, experiencing the vineyards, or meeting the people behind the brand. Our job isn't to tell someone exactly what to think or say. It's to give them meaningful access to the story and trust them to experience it and ultimately tell it in a way that feels authentic to them. That kind of trust takes time to build, but it creates much more credible storytelling in the long run.

What does setting a team up for success look like when you're executing a major event?

We have a very "we go together" mentality on my team. A huge part of setting everyone up for success is doing the thinking before we ever walk into the room. We play scenarios all the way through, then reverse engineer them to find the flaws. We identify the pressure points in advance so that when the event happens, the team can be present, confident, and focused on the people in the room.

That mentality carries through to how we work together. We arrive together, we work together, and we clean up together. No one is too senior to pick something up off the floor, carry a box, or jump in wherever they're needed. After every event, we bring it in for a team cheer because everyone is part of the win, at every level.

As technology changes the way we work, how do you make sure mentorship and development don't get lost?

In a world of AI, don't lose the art of actually teaching your team. Print something out. Redline it. Show someone what you changed and, more importantly, explain why you changed it. Don't just fix the work for them and hand it back.

The best mentors I've had did that for me. They took the time to show me where something could be sharper, stronger, or more thoughtful, and that's how I learned. They didn't just make my work better; they coached me to become better.

I think we have a responsibility to do the same for the generation after us. Technology can make the work faster, but mentorship is what makes people great.

As a beauty industry insider, are there any products, rituals, or routines that have become personal favorites in your own regimen?

I've spent my entire career in beauty, and ironically, I'm probably less trend-driven than ever. Give me tried-and-true French pharmacy selects over a trend-driven routine any day.

Beauty Elixir is probably the Caudalie product most intertwined with my life. There is one on my desk, one in my bag, and inevitably one floating around at every event. I've used it for so long that reaching for it has become completely instinctive.

My beauty philosophy is really about knowing what works for you and making a routine out of it. Great skincare, a really good getting-ready robe, monogrammed pajamas, a dry cappuccino while I'm doing my makeup, and a little morning dance party with my fiancé. I like what I like, and I'm pretty loyal to it. Working in beauty has made me more discerning about what earns a permanent place in my routine.

What advice would you offer to communications professionals looking to build a career in the beauty industry?

One of the biggest things I would say is to welcome feedback at every level of your career. The moment you decide you've reached a point where you no longer need feedback is probably the moment you stop getting better. I'm always asking my team what they think. I'm still looking at something we did six months ago and thinking about how we could improve it. I hope I never lose that.

At the same time, you have to learn how to put your blinders on a little bit. That's something my parents taught me early. This is an incredibly competitive and fast-moving industry, and if you spend all of your energy looking sideways at what everyone else is doing, you lose sight of your own mission and cloud your creativity. Look outward for inspiration, absolutely, but be competitive with yourself. Ask whether the work you're doing today is better, smarter, or more meaningful than what you did a year ago.

I'd also tell people to prepare obsessively and then know when to let go. I always say that over-planning creates magic. Do the work, anticipate the details, know the room, know the people, and have the backup plan, and probably a backup plan to the backup plan. Then, when the moment arrives, be present enough to actually enjoy your craft.

And finally, be generous. Don't gatekeep relationships, information, or opportunities. Introduce people. Stay loyal. Share what you know. Coach your team. Call on the voice in the room that hasn't been heard yet. We're all going to be in this industry for a long time, and careers have a funny way of coming back around. Your reputation isn't only built by the work you produce. It's built by your integrity and by how you make people feel.