Marcia Kilgore

Marcia Kilgore (born October 16, 1968) is a Canadian-born entrepreneur who has founded several companies in the beauty and wellness industries. Born in Outlook, Saskatchewan, she moved to New York City after high school with plans to study at Columbia University. When a missed student loan deadline kept her from enrolling, she pivoted into personal training, eventually working with celebrity clients while taking classes part-time at New York University.

A skincare course changed her direction. Having struggled with acne since her preteen years, Kilgore began giving facials out of her East Village apartment. She opened her first single-room skincare office in New York's SoHo district in 1991 and followed with a three-room mini-spa called Let's Face It! in June 1993. Bliss Spa opened its doors in 1993 and grew into a multi-location chain credited with launching the mid-1990s spa boom. Its products—marketed with playful names and a signature "Blissgirl" character—let customers recreate the spa experience at home. LVMH acquired a stake in Bliss in 1999, and in January 2004, Starwood bought the company outright for $25 million, integrating Bliss spas into several W Hotels.

From beauty, Kilgore moved into affordable cosmetics. She launched Soap & Glory in 2006, a line of bath, body, and cosmetic products inspired by fast-fashion accessibility. The brand was acquired by Alliance Boots in 2014.

Footwear came next. In 2007, Kilgore founded FitFlop, a biomechanically engineered shoe brand that has sold more than 65 million pairs across 75 countries. Uma Thurman fronted its "Shoes For Superwomen" campaign in 2017 and 2018.

Soaper Duper arrived in October 2016—a range of naturally-derived, vegan, cruelty-free bath and body products using recycled and recyclable packaging. That same December, Kilgore launched Beauty Pie, a direct-to-consumer membership-based luxury beauty brand she calls the "Netflix of Beauty." It was her first venture to raise outside capital—over £100 million—and it remains her flagship project today.

Kilgore has received numerous industry honors, including a 2004 Conde Nast Day Spa Award, the 2009 Innovation of the Year Award from Harper's Bazaar, a 2020 Beauty Independent Beacon Award, the 2021 British Vogue Beauty Award, and a 2024 World Retail Congress Retail Entrepreneur of the Year recognition.