# Karissa Bodnar

> Karissa Bodnar is the founder and CEO of Thrive Causemetics, a Los Angeles-based beauty company she built from a one-bedroom apartment after the loss of her close friend Kristy. A former Sephora makeup artist and product developer at Clarisonic and L'Oréal, Bodnar paired high-performance, vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics with a standing commitment to give through nonprofit partners. Her path runs from a Washington farm and hand-packed early orders to a national direct-to-consumer brand whose giving program has supported hundreds of organizations.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Thrive Causemetics
- **Organizations:** Thrive Causemetics, Bigger Than Beauty Skincare, Thrive Causemetics Foundation, L'Oréal, Clarisonic, Sephora
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, University of Washington
- **Known for:** Built Thrive Causemetics from an apartment-based startup into a national direct-to-consumer beauty business., Created a purchase-linked giving model that has supported hundreds of nonprofit partners., Led Thrive Causemetics to Leaping Bunny certification in 2019.

## Career timeline

- **Age 18** — Began working as a makeup artist at Sephora, where she stayed for five years.
- **Age 20** — Joined Clarisonic as a marketing assistant in the international business department and moved toward product development.
- **2011** — Completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Washington.
- **Early 2010s** — Worked in product development at L'Oréal after its acquisition of Clarisonic.
- **2013-2015** — Developed Thrive Causemetics from a one-bedroom apartment, initially while keeping a separate full-time job; the brand officially launched in 2015.
- **2016** — A burst of customer-led social media attention took reported daily sales from about $1,000 to more than $100,000 within one week.
- **2019** — Thrive Causemetics became Leaping Bunny certified and announced large-scale product donations through its giving program.
- **2020** — The company committed more than $100,000 to the University of Louisville's Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund in Nursing.
- **2023** — Cosmetic Executive Women profiled Bodnar as a Rising Star and documented the company's support for more than 600 charities.
- **2025** — Continued leading Thrive Causemetics, appeared on theSkimm's 9 to 5ish podcast, and published customer-facing product development questions under her own byline.

## Achievements

- Built Thrive Causemetics from an apartment-based startup into a national direct-to-consumer beauty business.
- Created a purchase-linked giving model that has supported hundreds of nonprofit partners.
- Led Thrive Causemetics to Leaping Bunny certification in 2019.
- Was included on Forbes' 2019 list of America's Richest Self-Made Women.
- Was recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and profiled by Cosmetic Executive Women as a Rising Star.
- Established the Thrive Causemetics Foundation and serves as its president.

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Published a customer poll under her byline asking the Thrive community to help choose the wand for a mascara in development.
- **2025-07** — Thrive Causemetics marked a decade since launch while highlighting 2025 product awards and the community behind the brand.
- **2025-04** — Appeared on theSkimm's 9 to 5ish podcast to discuss friendship, leadership, investor relationships and the isolation of entrepreneurship.
- **2025** — Thrive Causemetics published its 2025 impact report and maintained an archive of annual reports.

## Links

- Website: https://thrivecausemetics.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karissa-bodnar-0413899
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivecausemetics
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karissabodnar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivecausemetics
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thrivecausemetics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/karissa-bodnar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26