Brand Spotlight

Found (by) Her: Q&A Roundup with Our Favorite Female Founders!

Hello Glossies! This week, we’ve gathered our favorite brand founders and asked a few questions about their career aspirations, advice, and expectations for the future!

Our trend this roundup is Female Founders (because, hello Women’s History Month) and clean skincare! Read on to see their thoughts on the focus on natural ingredients and clean beauty being spearheaded by women.

Psst, clean skincare isn’t going away on GLOSSY anytime soon. Be on the lookout for upcoming posts, we have a surprise for our readers!

A Recap of Our Founders

Jennifer Yen, Yensa Founder

Inspired by founder Jennifer Yen’s belief in the power of Superfoods, YENSA utilizes superfood powered ingredients passed down from generations to create skin perfecting products for every woman.

Lauren Berkovitz, Lauren B. Founder

Lauren (B.)erkovitz is a nail fanatic and a problem solver, with makeup tips and advice to spare! Working in the luxury beauty industry for years and collaborating with chemists, she achieved and surpassed those concerns with Lauren B. Beauty, her luxury nail polish line.

Maribeth Pyne, Dome Beauty Founder and CEO

DOME Beauty believes in the overall clean skincare process, including the packaging and application. Maribeth Pyne, Founder and CEO, ensures that DOME beauty products are truly for everyone and that no woman, no matter how unique, is left behind.

Naomi Furgiuele, Nuria Founder and CEO

Naomi Furgiuele founded Nuria Beauty when her global travels revealed how women had various skincare solutions to their specialized environments. Sharing that knowledge with clean skincare products, Naomi hopes that turning to global solutions can expand beyond skincare.

Nancy Twine, Briogeo Founder and CEO

Briogeo was founded by long-time hair care enthusiast Nancy Twine. As a 6-free hair care line that focuses on specialized hair solutions, she and Briogeo have been spearheading the natural product scene in NYC, LA and beyond.

Our Questions:

What’s the best career advice that you’ve ever received?

“Set the tone and culture of your company from the beginning,” said Jennifer Yen, regarding her strive for using superfoods secrets and being inclusive.  “Do what you say you are doing and lead by example.”

Naomi remembers the reward experience in working with others that have different back grounds and perspectives. “Surround yourself with people who are different than you,” she adds.  “If you talk to or take advice from only people who think just like you, your ideas and impact will be less than they could be.”

“Also taking care of yourself is key,” Lauren closes with, pointing out that sometimes founders, and women especially, forget personal well-being.  “Although it sounds easy, we, as females tend to take care of everyone else, and put ourselves last…which really does no one good. A healthy company is nothing without a healthy founder.”

What advice would you give your younger self?

“Speak up more often,” Maribeth states. “Don’t worry about sounding silly or saying something wrong. People want to hear what you have to say.”

“Enjoy every moment, and don’t rush growing up,” adds Lauren. “The real world is no joke!”

Naomi mentions that there’s no due date to become a stronger person for yourself. “You will find your confidence and your strength, don’t worry.  You don’t have to do any of this alone to be strong.”

“And wear sunscreen,” she laughs. You’ll thank me when you’re 40.”

Jennifer Yen also adds that simplicity in life is key for long term inner happiness. “Live simply. Live below your means. Learn how to budget. Invest. Stay humble. Be grateful,” she adds.

But that doesn’t mean to slow your path to success, as Nancy Twine elaborates. “Never stop, never settle,” she enforces. “When you really believe in something, be dedicated and be confident in your vision.”

What is your vision for the beauty industry within the next 5 years?

Jennifer Yen and Naomi hope for more focus on clean skincare. “Inner beauty will be just as important as outer beauty. Inner beauty meaning health, who you are as a person and what you stand for. The beauty industry will embrace diversity and be completely inclusive,” said Jennifer.

“Women deserve to know what we are putting on their skin and to know that those ingredients are not only safe, but also will help make their skin healthier,” Naomi emphasized.  “I really want people to better understand all the facts so that they can make the right choices for themselves, and I am excited to think that the beauty industry will continue to move in this direction.”

Nancy agrees, specifically with the move growing consumer awareness. “At the end of the day, your hair and skin become what you put on it. The increase in awareness and demand for clean beauty has made us as motivated as ever to continue to keep true to our brand values!”

“There is so much innovation that indie brands like me are responsible for, and I love that we can create and have platforms to show and share our products,” added Lauren. She’s ecstatic about the upcoming game change of clean beauty.

And Maribeth thinks that this is only the beginning for both clean beauty and for female-founded brands. “Indie and clean beauty will continue to be a driving force for growth and innovation. Cleaner solutions for packaging and formulations will be given more credence and investment. Demand and curiosity in Korean, Japanese and Indian beauty will bring more of these brands and trends westward.”

“As for brand discovery, there will be new platforms for consumers and investors to discover brands both online and off. Digital connections will further deepen relationships between consumer and brand. For female-led brands, new and improved platforms will get our voices heard.”

And honestly, we couldn’t agree more .



Schane Flowers

Schane Flowers

Writer and expert