Founder Nancy Twine Is Ready for Briogeo’s Next Chapter

When I ask Nancy Twine to pick a song that best describes her as a person, she answers quickly and without hesitation: “That Pharrell song, ‘Happy.’ I’m a pretty happy person. I definitely have my down days, like everyone else, but when I step back and look at the full picture, I’m like, ‘Things are pretty good.’”

“Pretty good” might be an understatement. Twine is the founder and CEO of Briogeo, the award-winning made-for-all hair-care brand that has become a trusted favourite among industry professionals and consumers alike.

A graduate of the University of Virginia’s finance program, Twine began her professional career at Goldman Sachs (yes, the famous investment-banking company), where she worked her way up to become VP of commodities sales and trading. During her time there, Twine tragically lost her mother, which brought on a period of grieving and soul-searching.

“I was really successful on Wall Street, but it wasn’t the most passion-filling career,” she says.

Her mother was a physician and chemist, and while Twine was growing up, they used to make hair products at home together. Twine, who had 4B textured hair as a child, says some of her earliest hair-care memories involve sourcing ingredients from the local health-food store and mixing them up at home.

“It was so empowering to be able to create products that were specific to my hair type,” she recalls, “especially because so many of the products that were on the market didn’t cater to my texture.”

Twine says she started to notice a shift in the personal-care industry around the same time her mother passed — that, similar to the natural-food movement of the early and mid-aughts, people were becoming increasingly aware of the impact certain ingredients in things like lotion, soap and shampoo can have on our health and the environment.

“That was the moment that I started thinking about creating my own company and that ultimately became the inspiration for Briogeo.”

The word “Briogeo” is a portmanteau. Brio is Italian. “It refers to something that’s vibrant, colourful and full of life,” explains Twine. “It speaks to diversity and to the confidence and optimism you feel when you have a great-hair day.” The second part, geo, is a Greek word that means “earth or land.” “That speaks to our clean and natural ingredient methodology,” says Twine. Each of Briogeo’s products are sulfate-, silicone-, phthalate-, paraben-, DEA- and artificial-dye-free. They’re also mostly vegan and 90 to 100 per cent naturally derived.

In 2014, just one year after its launch, Briogeo became the first clean hair-care brand sold at Sephora. Twenty-nine years old at the time, Twine became the youngest African-American woman to launch a product line at the retailer. In 2022, Briogeo was acquired by Wella Company, whose portfolio of brands includes beauty juggernauts like Clairol Professional and OPI.

When you’ve accomplished so much, it can be hard to decide what’s next. Twine says that with Wella’s expertise, the next major growth opportunity for Briogeo is to expand into salons, giving stylists clean hair solutions that provide scalp care in addition to hair care.

“For us, it’s about asking ‘How can we bring more clean hair care to all? More confidence to all?’” says Twine. “Being able to leverage the stylist community is certainly a huge way to kick-start that impact.”

At the end of the day, leading a successful brand is largely about instinct. “You’ve got to create a filter in terms of what you actually decide to take action on versus what you set aside,” says Twine. “A lot of it is gut. If you’re creating something, hopefully you have a sense of what’s right and what’s not, in terms of your brand values. That’s always a good filter.”

Top of the Line

The brand’s bestselling products — for all hair types and textures.

Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo

The beloved weekly scalp scrub features a genius combo of charcoal and coconut oil. The former detoxifies and unclogs hair follicles, while the latter adds hydration back into the hair and scalp.

Destined for Density Caffeine + Biotin Peptide Density Serum

This clinically tested serum is formulated with biotin and caffeine and has been shown to increase hair density (read “thicker, fuller and healthier-looking hair”) by up to three times.

Farewell Frizz Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Crème

A heat-protectant cream is a must when you’re blow-drying your hair. Why not do double duty with one that also smooths strands and minimizes frizz?

Scalp Revival Rosemary Pre-Wash Oil

You may already know that rosemary oil is an excellent scalp stimulator, but its signature tingle is less than ideal. Briogeo’s prewash offering is loaded with nourishing lipids that provide an ultra-gentle, tingle-free experience.

Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

The brand’s hero multi-award-winning deep-conditioning mask is formulated to strengthen hair and prevent future damage, thanks to its blend of proteins and moisturizing ingredients.

This article first appeared in FASHION’s October 2024 issue. Find out more here.