From Incarcerated to Millionaire: How did Lydia Dupra do it?

“With the right philosophy, manpower and vision success is inevitable.”Screen Shot 2022 05 11 at 5.06.05 PM

Social media is huge for organic marketing and you seldom see brands doing it right – especially on new platforms such as TikTok. We got a chance to sit down with someone who created captivating content that quickly gathered a cult-following for her cosmetics brand, making something difficult look so easy. Starting from humble beginnings, now with a lavish style and mega-viral beauty brand, Lydia Dupra, founder and CEO of Heaux Cosmetics gave us the inside scoop on how she did it.

So, tell us about Heaux Cosmetics. What led to the decision of starting your own company?

Before I ventured into cosmetics, I worked as a high class escort. When I retired, I used my experience to start a mentorship program for others on the same path. Heaux Cosmetics was created as an extension of this program to provide sex workers with essential tools for their work. I thought to myself, “If I could bottle my abilities to finesse a man, I would.” When researching the science behind human attraction I learned that pheromones are a large component of that.

I wondered, “Can we bottle it?” Turns out YES so that’s how we, Heaux Cosmetics, ended up here.

Many people may be skeptical about the efficacy of your pheromones. Do they really work?

Yes! So well that I’m often surprised by our customers’ experiences. From marriage proposals to receiving exorbitant gifts, our products have given our customers not only better relationships but a higher quality of life. Each product has ingredients that replicate our natural pheromones. Instead of waiting for the body to produce them naturally, our customers now can control their attractiveness whenever they want. We have multiple products for different biological responses like attracting men/women, increasing emotional intimacy and even reducing anxiety.

One of the main goals for brands is building trust with their customers, especially for unique products like yours. How do you do it?

We only promote authentic reviews to build trust with our understandably skeptical audience.  We’re proud to say we’ve never paid to advertise nor sent products to influencers in exchange for reviews. If you see someone talking about Heaux Cosmetics on social media it’s because they’re a real paying customer inspired to share their experience. Search the hashtag #heauxcosmeticsreview on tiktok to see for yourself.

Competition is one of the biggest threats in business. How do you feel about people ripping off your product and do you have advice for others who are starting out?

Reality is, if you have a good enough idea it’s only a matter of time before someone else copies it. What can not be replicated is my brand story which is solidified off my success as a sex worker. If anyone knows how to harness the power of sexuality, it’s me. The first time we went viral, I started preparing for copycats. I relocated my chemist across the country, lawyered up, and immediately began reformulating. We only compete with ourselves. To even notice who’s riding our coattails we’d have to look behind us and we’re only moving forward.

What would you, someone who started from the bottom, say was the key to getting where you are now?

Commitment is number one. You can only ‘fail’ if you give up and I don’t give myself the option to fail. When an idea doesn’t pan out I see it as a golden opportunity to improve. Another key is I utilize the power of social media to access feedback from my customers. It’s rare a customer can talk to the CEO of the company so I interact with them as often as possible to show I care about their needs. Finally, I have an amazing team built of people more qualified to be in their position than me. Their talent inspires me daily and also allows me to solely focus on what I do best at the company. With the right philosophy, man power and vision success is inevitable.

Find her on TikTok here.

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