Scripps College’s 2014 Commencement speaker Nonie Creme, an alumna and a global entrepreneur who helped found Butter London, a leading global beauty product brand, urged graduating seniors on Saturday to not “be scared about what comes next” in life and to take risks as they “set the world on fire.” 
“You’ll carry on reinventing yourself for the rest of your life, but what you learnt here, at Scripps, will creep in and tap you on the shoulder at the most amazing times,” said Creme ’94 to the 231 seniors in attendance at the College’s 84th annual Commencement, which was held on Elm Tree Lawn.
This year, Creme is preparing the launch of a new global beauty line called Nonie Creme-Colour Prevails, a cosmetics company that will include nail, cosmetics, and hair color. Creme, the founding creative director of the break-out beauty brand Butter London, has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Wear Daily and other publications for her work in the beauty field.
In her commencement address, she retraced her path from Scripps student to successful entrepreneur overseeing a multi-million dollar beauty enterprise. She described her experiences as being far from typical, but still relied on the knowledge gleaned from her Scripps education with what she refers to as her ferocious spirit to forge her professional success.
“People sometimes roll their eyes at certain majors and say, ‘What are you going to do with that?’ The answer is anything I want, actually,” said Creme, an art major, as the crowd erupted in cheers. “You just have to be smart and you women are smart.”
Creme’s work in product design and development, color and branding helped shape the explosion of the nail color industry, and Creme became renowned for innovation in the beauty category. She was at the helm of product formulation, design and brand development for Butter London, which launched a ground-breaking line of non-toxic nail lacquers and treatments.
“The single most important skill you can take into the next phase of your life is resourcefulness. You women already have a wealth of resources at your fingertips,” Creme said. “You have each other, and you will continue to call on one another for advice, connections, and support for the rest of your lives.”
Watch Creme or read the text of her speech here.