Meet The Natural Beauty Company That's Making Advocacy A Selling Point

How Beautycounter founder Gregg Renfrew is ridding cosmetics of toxins.

 

- Lauren Schwartzberg

Gregg Renfrew, founder and CEO of the Santa Monica, California– based skin care company Beautycounter, set out for Washington, D.C., last fall on a mission to push for greater federal regulation of the ingredients used in cosmetics. As she spoke with senators and experts about the hidden dangers of beauty products and urged passage of a bill that would strengthen FDA oversight of the industry, Renfrew brought along some muscle: a dozen of Beautycounter’s consultants— home-based sellers who act as something akin to the Avon ladies of yore, introducing friends and neighbors to the company’s toxin-free products. According to Renfrew, their passion was invaluable. She recalls one meeting where a consultant jokingly warned Senator Lindsey Graham that South Carolina would feel like a very lonely place if his constituents were to find out he wasn’t voting for health-protective laws. Renfrew’s base was ignited.

For Beautycounter employees and consultants, selling products is as important as delivering the message of safe cosmetics . Renfrew was inspired to found the company after discovering that she could rid her house of the toxic chemicals hiding in everything from cleaning products to mattresses—but doing it for her shampoos, moisturizers, and makeup was nearly impossible. The certified B Corporation launched in 2013 with a commitment to bringing transparency to the murky world of personal care. It began with a handful of toxin-free moisturizers and exfoliants and now sells makeup, hair care, and baby products; in August, Beautycounter will introduce a teen skin care line. The company, which sold 500,000 products in 2014, moved 2 million products last year and expects to sell between 5 million and 6 million by the end of 2016.