# Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-05-04
- Length: 1h 12m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he

## Summary

Gregg Renfrew, founder of Beautycounter (now Counter), details her journey from selling Xerox machines to launching a direct-sales beauty brand that reached a $1B valuation. After being ousted by the Carlyle Group, she bought back the company's assets during foreclosure and rebuilt it as Counter, shifting to a commission-only affiliate model. Renfrew explains the technical challenges of formulating 'clean' beauty products without traditional ingredients and the strategic pivot away from team-based MLM structures to focus on brand integrity and safety standards.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=0) Introduction: Gregg Renfrew and the Beautycounter Story
- [4:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=278) Early Career: Selling Xerox and The Wedding List
- [16:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=1006) Working for Martha Stewart and Best & Company
- [32:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=1949) Formulating Clean Beauty and Launching Beautycounter
- [39:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=2360) The Direct Sales Model and Scaling to $1B
- [48:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=2910) The Carlyle Acquisition and Being Ousted
- [1:04:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-04-beautycounter-gregg-renfrew-she-built-beautycounter-to-1b-then-got-fired-from-he#t=3866) Foreclosure, Buying Back the Assets, and Rebranding to Counter

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Beautycounter (company)
- Counter (company)
- Martha Stewart (company)
- Xerox (company)
- Best & Company (company)
- The Honest Company (company)
- L'Oreal (company)
- Estee Lauder (company)
- Carlyle Group (company)
- Bank of America (company)
- JPMorgan Chase (company)
- Nordstrom (company)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (company)
- Avon (company)
- Tupperware (company)
- Shopify (tool)
- TikTok (other)
- Instagram (other)

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- [Founder Feature: JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-05-24-founder-feature-jolynn-henke-and-peter-clarkson) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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## Citing this page

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