Gregg Renfrew is a visionary entrepreneur who transforms industries and empowers women with effective influence. She began her career founding The Wedding List—later acquired by Martha Stewart Living—and went on to advise leading retailers including J.Crew and Bergdorf Goodman, and serve as CEO of the children’s brand Best & Co.
In a transformative moment, Gregg learned about the hidden toxins in everyday personal care products and saw not just a potential health crisis, but an opportunity to create radical change. This revelation sparked her mission to reinvent beauty as safer and cleaner, leading her to found Beautycounter in 2013. The certified B Corporation quickly became the category-defining leader in clean beauty, delivering over 100 award-winning formulas and placing 60 million safer products into the hands of people across the U.S. and Canada. By mobilizing a passionate community, Gregg built a movement that reshaped an entire industry, culminating in a landmark $1 billion acquisition by The Carlyle Group in 2021.
In 2025, Gregg advances her mission with the launch of Counter. Counter stands as the evolution of decades of pioneering work, ready to reclaim its position as the definitive leader for clean beauty and beyond. Through rigorous ingredient screening and formulation efficacy, Counter builds consumer trust by sharing the real work that goes into achieving real clean. Counter is not just a beauty brand—it is a people-powered movement grounded in four pillars: conversation, product, confidence, and advocacy.
Testifying before Congress and mobilizing thousands of women to demand legislative reform, Gregg has permanently reshaped beauty industry standards and influenced government regulations, demonstrating that profit and purpose can powerfully coexist. A sought-after speaker at Wharton, Stanford, Columbia, and USC Marshall business schools, Gregg regularly shares her insights at prestigious events, including Vanity Fair’s Founders Fair, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, and Fast Company’s Innovation Festival.
Gregg lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.
You’ve said that Counter is about reclaiming your voice and returning to your roots. What has that buy back process been like?
It has been daunting, emotional, scary, exciting, and challenging. Buying the business out of foreclosure, shutting it down, and then relaunching as a new company with new branding and products was harder than I expected. But it’s also been rewarding to see the outpouring of love for the brand and to have the opportunity to once again serve our community and take a leadership position within beauty. As my youngest daughter reminded me, this isn’t Beautycounter - this is an entirely new company, with new branding and new products. And so your expectations of what it should be like and how it should run probably are skewed more towards the old company, which was a lot larger and not towards a new startup company.
At the same time, it's also been rewarding to see the outpouring of love for the brand and for our efforts and the opportunity to serve our community once again. To take a leadership position within the beauty industry again. To set a definitive standard.
Clean beauty was once a fringe idea. Now, it’s an expectation. What are you proud to have helped shift and what still needs to change in the industry?
I’m proud that Beautycounter created the clean beauty movement. We coined the phrase “clean” and led the charge to remove chemicals of concern from products, helping people make more informed decisions. We empowered women to use their voices and even helped pass 16 pieces of legislation, including the first modernization of cosmetics regulation since 1938. But the industry has regressed. Today, many retailers and brands define "clean" differently, leading to confusion and greenwashing. With Counter, our responsibility is to set a definitive, consistent standard for what clean means – making it easier for both brands and consumers to navigate.
What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learned since Beautycounter that you wish you’d known 10 years ago?
Two things stand out. First, I’ve learned to trust my gut instincts and be more decisive. In the past, I often sought consensus or questioned myself. Now, I move faster and rely on my instincts, and more often than not, I’m correct. Second, I lead with far more humility, understanding that business is always about people. I practice servant leadership, with high confidence and low ego, ensuring I’m serving my team and community rather than simply directing them.
What do you value in The WIE Suite community?
The camaraderie, power, and safe space that The WIE Suite provides. It’s a place for women in positions of power to connect, learn, and help one another—an opportunity that is still too rare in today’s business landscape.
Do you have one secret to your success?
I think it’s a combination of two things: the ability to anticipate where things are going before others see it, and the willingness to work incredibly hard toward that vision.
Who is a woman you admire?
There are many women I admire, and it’s difficult to choose just one. But right now I’m inspired by Sara Blakely.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
Counter’s Vitamin C serum - and lots of water.
What is one big trend you’re excited about in 2025?
Rather than a single trend, I’m encouraged by the growing confluence of wellness and beauty, and the rising focus on women’s health as something that truly matters. Recent headlines and investments make me optimistic about where this is heading.
What book or film/show has been the most impactful in your career or life?
An Inconvenient Truth sparked my journey into clean beauty by showing how individual actions harm the earth. And Bob Iger’s The Ride of a Lifetime shaped how I thought about selling Beautycounter and inspired how I’m building Counter today.
This interview was edited for content and clarity.
