Jessica Cruel

In her early career, Cruel embarked on a number of internships and editorial positions across magazines including Skirt! Magazine and Self, a Condé Nast publication. She went on to work at PopSugar as associate director and returned to Self as Senior Editor before joining Refinery29 as deputy beauty editor.^[2]

Cruel joined Allure as a features director in 2019^[3] where she worked across print and digital on projects like the Allure Readers’ Choice Awards before taking over as content director in 2021. Cruel was appointed editor-in-chief of Allure in August 2021.^[4][5]

Cruel is an advocate for evolution in the beauty industry^[6] and is noted for her inclusive leadership style, which is credited for positively changing the working environment of newsrooms.^[7][8] In 2021, Cruel spearheaded The Melanin Edit, a new Allure platform exploring all things relating to Black beauty, skincare and wellness.^[9] She also created the first ever Allure Best of Beauty live event in New York in October 2023.^[10][11]

Jessica Cruel was born in Nashville, Tennessee and grew up in a number of small towns across the American South, including Albany, Georgia. Cruel studied Multimedia Journalism at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received a Bachelor's degree.^[12] She also has a B.A in Sociology and is a home renovation enthusiast.^[13]

• The Black Beauty Effect (Netflix)
• The Hair Tales (Hulu)
• Hairstyle (Discovery+)