VALDÉ BEAUTY

Peruvian-born Margarita Arriagada has built her career at the intersection of creativity, commerce and culture. Beginning in fashion and home, she worked alongside designers and artisans before spending 11 years at Sephora, ultimately serving as Chief Merchant. There, she helped shape the retailer’s beauty assortment, champion emerging brands and advance innovation and inclusion.

Her experience across disciplines sparked a different vision for luxury beauty. She saw an opportunity to bring the artistry and collectibility found in fashion and design to beauty—creating fewer, more meaningful objects with craftsmanship and permanence.

The inspiration for Valdé was deeply personal. After leaving Peru to build an independent life in Los Angeles, Margarita’s mother applied lipstick each morning as a ritual of femininity and strength—her glamorous armor before facing the world. Valdé carries that memory forward through refillable lip color housed in sculptural, collectible Armor, bringing together her mother’s spirit and Margarita’s belief that beauty can hold lasting personal meaning.

Today, Margarita also advocates for greater Latine representation across beauty, from the professionals shaping the industry to the founders and cultural perspectives represented on its shelves. Her vision is grounded in empathy, creativity and possibility: beauty that is more considered, more representative and more worthy of the people it serves.