Before building one of the world's best-known beauty brands, Charlotte Tilbury spent her childhood in Ibiza, surrounded by artists, musicians and creative personalities. Now, in a new interview with Spanish presenter Vicky Martín Berrocal, the British makeup artist and entrepreneur has spoken about how those early years on the island influenced her ambition, creativity and determination to build a business of her own.

Appearing on the podcast A solas con… Vicky Martín Berrocal, released on 3 November 2026, Tilbury looked back on her upbringing, the beginnings of her professional career and the ambition that eventually led to the creation of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty.

During the conversation, she described herself as a girl who grew up in Ibiza, explaining that her parents raised her on the island before she went away to boarding school.

Growing up surrounded by artists in Ibiza

Tilbury explained that her childhood environment played an important role in shaping the person she became.

She recalled growing up surrounded by artists, musicians, successful entrepreneurs and creative people. Being exposed to different personalities and ways of thinking helped develop her imagination and entrepreneurial mindset.

She also revealed that she had spoken to her parents about wanting to create her own beauty brand from a very young age. Although it was an ambitious idea for a child, she remembers telling them that she would one day have her own company.

Her parents encouraged her to follow her ambitions, even when the idea was still just a childhood dream.

One particularly memorable recollection came from when she was around 13. She remembered walking to school and thinking that she would leave her mark on the world, describing the feeling as something close to a calling.

Tilbury also paid tribute to her father, Lance, who was an artist. She credited him with teaching her and helping shape her creative identity, saying that his influence taught her to become the person she is today.

From an Ibiza childhood to the world of makeup

Born in London in 1973, Tilbury moved to Ibiza with her family when she was still a baby and spent much of her childhood on the island.

Her father was a painter, while her mother, Patsy, worked in production. The creative environment around her helped nurture an early interest in beauty, fashion and artistic expression.

At the age of 13, she left Ibiza to attend boarding school in England. It was during this period that her fascination with makeup developed further. She later trained at the Glauca Rossi School of Makeup in London.

An important figure in her early career was renowned makeup artist Mary Greenwell, a family friend whom she had known through Ibiza. Tilbury eventually became her assistant, gaining experience in the fashion and beauty industries and working alongside leading photographers, models and international brands.

Her career grew through fashion editorials, advertising campaigns and runway shows, establishing her reputation as one of the industry's recognised makeup artists.

Turning a childhood ambition into Charlotte Tilbury Beauty

The ambition she had spoken about as a child eventually became reality.

In 2013, Tilbury launched her own beauty brand, Charlotte Tilbury, combining professional makeup knowledge with products designed to make the techniques of professional makeup artists more accessible to consumers.

The business expanded internationally, becoming particularly recognised for products such as Magic Cream, Pillow Talk and its makeup collections.

In June 2020, the Barcelona-based Puig Group announced that it would acquire a majority stake in Charlotte Tilbury, while Tilbury retained a significant minority interest and continued as the company's chairman, president and chief creative officer under the original agreement.

The partnership brought her independent beauty business into a larger international group while keeping its founder closely involved in its creative direction.

Ibiza remains part of her story

Although her professional career has taken her around the world, Ibiza has remained an important part of Tilbury's personal story and public identity.

In previous interviews, she has spoken about the island as a place that encouraged her creativity and helped shape her artistic outlook. She has also described returning to Ibiza as a source of inspiration.

Her connection to the Pitiusas has appeared in her professional life too, including beauty products named after places associated with the islands, such as Es Vedrà, Las Salinas and Formentera.

The latest conversation with Vicky Martín Berrocal offers another opportunity to hear Tilbury explain that connection in her own words. Beyond the international success of her beauty company, she remembers an Ibiza childhood in which creativity was part of everyday life, and where the ambition to build something of her own began long before the brand existed.

The episode of A solas con… Vicky Martín Berrocal was published on 3 November 2026 and is available through the podcast's platforms.