Second Life Gregg Renfrew Returns! The Founder of Beautycounter and Counter Is Back
Oct 6, 2025
Gregg Renfrew, founder of Beautycounter and now CEO of Counter, returns to share her journey in the clean-beauty movement. She discusses the challenges of founding Beautycounter amidst industry resistance, her advocacy for safer cosmetics, and the emotional rollercoaster of stepping down as CEO. After seeing the brand struggle post-sale, Gregg recounts her bold decision to buy back the company, relaunch as Counter, and focus on empowering women through clean beauty. Her insights on leadership and strategic pivots are both inspiring and insightful.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Clean Means Health First
- Gregg Renfrew launched BeautyCounter to make high-performing products that were significantly safer for health.
- She framed 'clean' as protecting human health, not just eco-friendly packaging or trends.
Clean Is End-To-End
- Clean product claims require end-to-end thinking across formula, packaging, sourcing, and testing.
- Gregg emphasizes ethical sourcing, batch testing, and avoiding componentry that reintroduces toxins.
Rose Petals Contaminated By Plastic Bags
- BeautyCounter discovered organic rose petals repeatedly tested high for phthalates.
- They traced contamination to plastic bags on farms and pushed the industry to use jute bags instead.