Q&A with Nancy Twine, Founder and CEO of Briogeo

Nancy Twine is the Founder and CEO of Briogeo Hair Care. She worked at Goldman Sachs from 2005 to 2014 in the firm’s FICC, Equities, and Global Compliance Divisions in New York.

Can you tell us what inspired you to start Briogeo back in 2013 and more about the meaning behind the name?
Nancy: After working in finance and within the same team for 7 years, it felt right (and normal!) to be ready for a change. I was inspired by stories my mom would share about my grandmother making homemade remedies and at a young age I learned how to make my own hair, skin, and body care remedies alongside my mom in the kitchen of our home – using natural oils, extracts, salts/sugars, butters, and waxes we'd source from our local health food store and ingredient catalogs. These childhood memories ultimately inspired me to do something greater with the passion for creating and start my own clean beauty line.

Briogeo's texture-specific collections provide clean solutions to hair care needs and concerns such as frizz, curl, volume, damage, scalp irritation, and color protection. "Brio" is an Italian word that means "vibrant and full of life," and "Geo" is a Latin word meaning "of Earth and nature," which represents the pure, yet potent, recipes of each formula.

Moving to NYC can be overwhelming. You not only moved here in your early twenties but also created a successful company out of your small East Village studio apartment. What obstacles did you face during this time and throughout your entrepreneurial journey?
Nancy: Prior to last summer, Briogeo had never taken any outside VC or PE investment (over the course of 6 years!), and very early on it was difficult funding the various needs of the business, so I was constantly dipping into my personal savings to fund the business until we became profitable. It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride!

You have had a very successful career thus far. You are the youngest black entrepreneur to launch a product line at Sephora and were named as a “35 Beauty Superstars? Under 35” by Glamour. How do these achievements influence your career and what has been your proudest accomplishment to date?
Nancy: Being the youngest African American woman to launch a collection at Sephora means everything to me. It's a constant reminder that the sky's the limit for women. Like any other female founder/CEO, I've faced obstacles and setbacks but I never let that stop me. I remained confident in my vision and always kept going. Being a woman is never the downfall, it's the icing on the cake!

One of the most memorable moments to date has been seeing Briogeo launch on shelf at Sephora! That was a truly incredible and memorable moment and really set the stage for a lot of the growth we've experienced to date.

The beauty industry is booming yet saturated with many “clean” brands. What sets Briogeo apart from its competitors?
Nancy: We all know the old saying, "you are what you eat" when it comes to nutrition. The same applies to hair care. At the end of the day, your hair and skin become what you put on it. We don't often realize our everyday personal care products contain things like sulfates, parabens, and phthalates– many of which have been linked to things like skin lipid damage, hormonal imbalances, and endocrine disruption. While our products are not 100% natural or organic, all Briogeo products contain at least 93% naturally-derived ingredients. We cross check the small % of non-natural ingredients with the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) and we're very selective about any non-natural ingredients we use. The heart of our brand is our ingredient story and we have a clear focus on bridging the gap between natural and performance based hair care. We constantly strive to create products that are innovative yet deliver. Hair care is so personal but what's special about Briogeo is that we have something for everyone!

What ingredients does Briogeo prohibit and what are some of the most common cleaner replacements found in the products?
Nancy: Briogeo uses a 6-FREE methodology by which we never include any sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, or DEA in any of our products. These are some of the most common ingredients used in hair care that have been linked to potential health or environmental concerns. All Briogeo products are also vegan and cruelty-free.

How do you advise consumers interested in doing a detox of their everyday favorites to cleaner more natural alternatives like Briogeo? Why should they be interested in doing this?
Nancy: It all starts with education and familiarizing yourself with commonly used ingredients in beauty products that have been linked to various health concerns. For example, parabens at specific levels have been linked to certain cancer types and phthalates have been linked to endocrine disruption and hormone imbalances. It can feel daunting to learn about every ingredient on the back of your favorite product ingredient lists, however, there are so many resources today that make educating yourself fun and easy – like the Environmental Working Group

What are some things that you learned while working at Goldman Sachs that have helped you launch and run Briogeo?
Nancy: At Goldman, I learned the importance of building a strong network, always prioritizing my clients’ needs, and how to work together as a team to accomplish major goals. These are some lessons and skills that have been a crucial part of my success today, even in a completely different industry.