Leslie Osborne ’04

“I think if you get a couple powerful, motivated women together, anything can happen.” 

And that’s exactly what Leslie Osborne (’04) and her four friends did to create Sweat Cosmetics, an all-female company made up of current and former Olympic and professional soccer players. 

You would think that Osborne would already have her hands full with being an assistant Athletic Director at SCU, Fox Sports Commentator, and Puma ambassador, but somehow she also manages to be Sweat’s Chief Marketing Officer. 

The company offers makeup products designed for active women, such as mineral foundation and translucent mineral powder, both with SPF 30 and available in five different shades.  Not only are the products water-resistant, but they’re also hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested, and free of oils, fragrances, silicone, and parabens. The products are tested at the professional level with highly-ranking athletes and those who love to break a sweat. Sweat also offers water bottles and tank tops with sassy sayings like “Sweatin’ Out My Blowout” and “A Little Sweat Ain’t Never Hurt Nobody”.  

Before Sweat, Osborne had a full soccer scholarship at SCU and received her Communications degree. As a freshman, she was a key player when SCU won the 2001 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.  

“I had an incredible experience here [at SCU],” said Osborne. “The community here is my favorite part.” Osborne mentioned how well her professors prepared her for life after her professional soccer career.  

From 2003 to 2008 she played on the US Women’s National Team and even played in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China, where the team came in third place. She played professionally from 2009 to 2013 on the FC Gold Pride, Boston Breakers, and Chicago Red Stars, before finally retiring in 2014. Although Osborne uses her Communications degree for sports commentating, she said that if she could go back and get her MBA while playing professionally, she would. 

Sweat has several tiers of For Active Beauty (FAB) ambassadors, such as USA Track & Field runner and Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Hastings and USA Softball pitcher Cat Osterman. Though Sweat has already been featured in Shape Magazine and Allure Magazine, they will soon be on Good Morning America on April 15 to announce some exciting news (hint: think top beauty store in the world). 

They will also be adding two new products to their line before this year’s summer Olympics—refreshing wipes made with coconut water and eucalyptus, as well as illuminating bronzer. Sweat was supposed to launch in April 2015 before the Women’s World Cup, but it was delayed due to the ports of San Francisco closing because of the Worker’s Strike and Chinese New Year. 

“It was out of our control. However, we learned so much from that, and we have to be really flexible and ready for anything,” said Osborne. 

Yet this is not the only issue that Osborne asserts she has to stay on top of. Although Sweat is a unique product on the market, there’s the possibility that a professional female athlete could create her own rival line and directly compete against Sweat. 

“We just have to make sure we have a tremendous product, and if we have that, it’s not a concern. We stand by our product 100% to make sure it is the best product it could be,” said Osborne. 

She also spoke of some of her experiences of dealing with sexism when it came to men choosing not to invest in the company because they did not take the five women seriously.  

“If we have to prove to you, sure, we’ll do that,” said Osborne. “If we take it too personally or seriously, it’s going to frustrate us.” 

Osborne also offered some tips for women interested in starting their own business: know your strengths and weaknesses; have a plan in place, and seek out advice from experts that have experience and can give out guidance; take time and do your homework in the area you want to go into; and be honest and communicate well, especially when working with friends. Also, don’t be fearful hiring people that threaten you, for they will ultimately help your company.  

And most importantly, “surround yourself with people that support you and motivate you…that make you even better and make you stronger.”