Jamie Kern Lima

Q: Who is Jamie Kern Lima married to?

She is married to Paulo Lima , whom she met during her MBA program at Columbia Business School. They married in 2007 and have two children.

BIO:

Name: Jamie Marie Kern Lima
Title/Position: Entrepreneur, Founder & Former CEO of IT Cosmetics; Podcast Host; Investor
Industry: Beauty & Cosmetics, Media, Entrepreneurship
Location: San Rafael, California (born); based in Los Angeles, California, USA
Age: 48 - (16th of July 1977)
Net Worth: Estimated $670 million (2025)

Jamie Kern Lima’s Story

Jamie’s journey began from humble roots growing up in San Rafael, California, adopted at birth, and becoming the first in her family to attend college. She worked as a waitress at Denny’s and bagged groceries to support her studies at Washington State University, where she graduated valedictorian. She then earned her MBA from Columbia Business School in 2004.

Struggling with rosacea and hyperpigmentation, Jamie couldn’t find makeup that truly worked. In 2008, she started developing corrective problem-solving makeup in her living room. After countless rejections from retailers, she boldly wiped off her makeup live on QVC, revealing her skin, to demonstrate her product’s effectiveness. The segment sold out completely, and she went on to appear in more than 1,000 live QVC shows, making IT Cosmetics the top brand on the network.

From that breakthrough, IT Cosmetics grew rapidly—$182 million in sales by 2015—and in 2016 she made history as the first female CEO of a L’Oréal brand after they acquired IT Cosmetics for $1.2 billion in cash. Jamie personally pocketed around $410 million from that deal.

Jamie stayed with the brand until 2019, then pivoted to focus on investing, authoring, and media. She launched The Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast and released her best-selling book Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life. Today, she inspires millions to embrace confidence, even through rejection and setbacks.

Career Highlights

Key Milestones:

1999: Won Baywatch College Search, crowned Miss Washington USA, competed in Miss USA.
2004: Earned MBA from Columbia Business School.
2008: Founded IT Cosmetics from her living room.
2016: Sold IT Cosmetics to L’Oréal for $1.2 billion; became first female CEO of a L’Oréal brand.
2019: Stepped down from IT Cosmetics leadership.

Achievements:

Recognized on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self‑Made Women since 2017
Invested in over a dozen businesses, including Dutch Bros Coffee and Duckhorn Portfolio
Author of the New York Times bestseller Worthy (and Believe IT earlier)
Podcast host: The Jamie Kern Lima Show, named #1 self-improvement podcast; won the 2025 Gracie Award for Best Podcast (Lifestyle) and earned Webby Award nominations for Best Host & Best Video Series alongside Jimmy Fallon et al.
Regents’ Distinguished Alumni Award, Washington State University 2024/2025

Jamie Kern Lima Net Worth

Her wealth stems primarily from the $1.2 billion sale of IT Cosmetics in 2016, from which she received ~$410 million after taxes . Since then, she has grown her assets through strategic investments in brands across food, beauty, and wellness sectors. Her ventures, endorsements, book sales, public speaking, and the podcast all contribute to her net worth, which Forbes estimated at approximately $670 million as of June 2025.

Jamie Kern Lima in the News

In January 2025, she appeared on the Today show promoting her book Worthy, sharing insights on self-worth and embracing rejection as growth opportunity.
In early 2025, she was nominated for two Webby Awards (Best Host & Best Video Series) and won the 2025 Gracie Award for The Jamie Kern Lima Show, solidifying her media impact.
In February 2025, she posted on Instagram reflecting on the importance of “trusting in life’s divine timing” and gratitude for the “No’s” she received while building IT Cosmetics.

Quotes by Jamie Kern Lima

“When you change your relationship with rejection, you change your entire life.”

“Imagine what would happen if you decided to believe that you could.”

“Self-confidence is the belief in your abilities as a person. Self-worth is the belief in your value as a person.”

FAQs: Most Asked Questions About Jamie Kern Lima

How did Jamie Kern Lima start her business?

She launched IT Cosmetics in 2008 from her LA living room to solve her own skin struggles—after years of working retail and anchoring news, she developed beauty products backed by medical input and used bold live demonstrations to break into retail channels.