Nancy Twine is the founder and CEO of Briogeo, a clean and high-performance haircare brand that caters to all hair types and textures. She launched the brand in 2013, becoming the youngest Black woman to launch a line at Sephora. Today, Briogeo is one of the top-selling haircare brands in the US, with revenues exceeding $100 million in 2023.
From Wall Street To Beauty Entrepreneur
Nancy Twine had a successful career as a vice president at Goldman Sachs, but she felt unfulfilled and wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She was inspired by her mother, who was a physician and a chemist, and who used to make homemade beauty products with natural ingredients for their family.
Twine decided to quit her job and pursue her passion for creating clean and effective haircare products that would work for everyone. She started Briogeo in her New York apartment, using her savings and a small loan from her family. She researched the market, sourced the ingredients, developed the formulas, designed the packaging, and pitched the retailers herself.
A Pioneer In Clean And Inclusive Haircare
Briogeo was one of the first brands to offer clean and high-performance haircare products that were free of harsh sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens, DEA and artificial dyes. The brand also focused on the “skinfication” of the scalp, creating products that detoxify, hydrate, and protect the scalp as well as the hair.
Briogeo was also one of the first brands to embrace diversity and inclusion in its marketing and product development. The brand’s slogan is “Beauty shouldn’t be compromised by harsh or harmful ingredients”, and its products are designed to address the needs of all hair types and textures, from straight to curly, from fine to coarse, from oily to dry.
Briogeo’s products are categorized by four core collections: Repair (for damaged hair), Curl (for curly and coily hair), Volume (for fine and thinning hair), and Scalp (for scalp health). The brand also offers customized products through its online Hair Quiz, which recommends the best products for each customer based on their hair goals, concerns, type, and texture.
A 9-Figure Business In Under A Decade
Briogeo has grown rapidly since its launch in 2013, thanks to its loyal customers, positive reviews, social media buzz, celebrity endorsements, and retail partnerships. The brand is available in over 2,000 stores across 30 countries, including Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, Cult Beauty, and Net-a-Porter.
Briogeo has also won numerous awards and accolades for its products, such as the Allure Best of Beauty Award, the Glamour Beauty Award, the Essence Best in Black Beauty Award, and the InStyle Best Beauty Buys Award. The brand’s best-selling product is the Don’t Despair Repair Treatment Mask, which sells over 40,000 units every month.
In 2023, Briogeo reported revenues of over $100 million, making it one of the fastest-growing and most profitable haircare brands in the US. Twine attributes the brand’s success to being first to market at the right time and in the right space. She also credits her team of passionate and talented people who share her vision and values.
A Leader And A Role Model
Nancy Twine is not only a successful entrepreneur but also a leader and a role model for other women and people of color who aspire to create their own businesses. She is passionate about empowering others through mentorship, education, and philanthropy.
She is a board member of The Female Founder Collective, a network of women-led businesses that support each other and promote female entrepreneurship. She is also a mentor for Sephora Accelerate, a program that helps women founders in the beauty industry scale their businesses. She is also a supporter of Girls Inc, a nonprofit organization that inspires girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Twine’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to follow their passion, do their research, test their products, learn from their mistakes, and never give up on their dreams.
