Manucurist is a family story, a mother-daughter collaboration that became a women-led venture. So, with Mother’s Day approaching, we wanted to catch up with Gaëlle Lebrat-Personnaz, CEO and co-founder of Manucurist.
She looks back on the beginnings of this project close to her heart and shares her thoughts as a woman, mother, and dynamic entrepreneur.
Gaëlle, you founded Manucurist in 1996 with your mother. Can you tell us how the idea was born and how you grew the brand?
Gaëlle | My mom always had an impeccable manicure with gorgeous red lacquered nails. After raising her 3 children, she felt at a loose end and wanted to train as a manicurist. She first worked for Parisian hair salons until she found the ideal spot on Place du Marché Saint-Honoré. That’s how we created the Manucurist salon dedicated to hand beauty.
For my part, I spent 15 years working in fashion while supporting her from afar on product development, communications, and more.
At the end of 2016, I took over 100% of Manucurist to develop a new type of polish and nail care for all women, with formulas as clean and natural as possible, without compromising on performance.
What qualities do you admire most in your mother?
Gaëlle | Courage, tenacity, and a strong work ethic are what I admire most about my mother. I always heard her say that if I wanted to be free as a woman, I had to be financially independent.
Later, reading Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex”, I felt like I was hearing my mother: "It is through work that woman has to a great extent spanned the distance which separated her from the male; it is work that alone can guarantee her concrete freedom."
What has motherhood brought you?
Gaëlle | Motherhood is such a vast topic! It’s complex: I feel it has both weakened and strengthened me. I realized I was no longer alone and that I was responsible for little beings completely dependent on me, which is terrifying because you lose the freedom and lightness of youth. But it’s also an incredible strength: you realize you’re no longer doing things just for yourself. You feel useful. It takes away the feeling of existential emptiness I used to feel before.
How do you balance being a mother of 5 with your responsibilities as a business leader?
Gaëlle | It’s crazy! No one ever asks male CEOs or even any man this question. As if the burden of managing the family fell solely on women. Unfortunately, that’s still the reality in many countries, and there is still work to be done to achieve equality on this front, as on so many others.
Every working mother has a endless mental to-do list running on loop. It’s the famous and exhausting “mental load”—a term only added to French dictionaries in 2020...
Like all working mothers, I’m often overwhelmed, with my work/home to-do list running on a loop. On top of that comes mom guilt—such an intensely feminine feeling—about not being present enough for my kids. But over time, I’ve learned that it’s not necessarily the quantity of hours spent with them that counts, but the quality of the moments shared.
What do you want to pass on to your children?
Gaëlle | They’re growing up in the city, in Paris, which I find a bit sad. I really want to pass on a love of nature, gardening, the names of flowers, trees… I try to help them appreciate the present moment and the little things that make life special. They often imitate me by saying: "Aren’t we great right here?"
There are also core values like respect for others and a strong work ethic, without which nothing is really possible. To my daughters, I want to pass on a sense of self-appreciation. To accept themselves as they are and use makeup to feel more empowered. And for my sons, I’d love them to become fair men, ready to share household responsibilities equally.
Above all, what I want them to remember is: “Be yourselves, don’t try to please anyone, neither me nor others, become whoever you want to be.”
