Byroe’s founder brings Korean heritage to new superfood skincare line.
The first thing I notice about Zoom with Amy Roe, founder of Byroe, is the aesthetically pleasing collection of cosmetics displayed behind her—curating the soon-to-be entrepreneur’s hobby.
“One of my biggest hobbies is collecting beauty products from other brands,” she tells Glamour. “I always collect beautiful bottles.”
A graduate of Columbia Business School (NBD), Roe understands the importance of a good-looking bottle. It’s one of the countless ways Roe is the founder of a unique skincare line. Not only did she start the brand at the age of 26, she also based much of its philosophy on the self-care culture of her native South Korea.
“As a beauty consumer—as you can see—a big beauty consumer, I think that’s part of why people want to consume beauty products,” she says. “Not just for efficiency. It’s so important to the brand that the products are beautiful.” Fortunately, that’s not the least of Byroe’s problems, whose beautiful bottles rival those of my grandmother, whom I admire in my grandmother’s vanity.
But of course, the ingredients are also important, as Roe found out firsthand in his youth. “I grew up in Korea, and our traditional culture is to go to a spa every weekend for a massage and exfoliation,” she recalls. “In the spa, I had a treatment with grated juice, milk or yogurt to massage the skin. It was my weekly ritual and it inspired me to create a food-based brand.
Roe was shocked to learn that natural ingredients were not that common in the United States or in the beauty industry in general. “When I came to New York, I thought it was so interesting that people always get a salad at Sweetgreen or Digi. I wanted to apply this to skin care because even though there are clean brands, not many put lettuce-inspired care into their products. This that inspired me to create Byroe, a salad-inspired brand.
Another reason Roe was so determined to create his own brand? The sensitivity of her skin. “I try to use and test as many products as possible, but if I use something that isn’t suitable for sensitive skin, I get angry,” she says. “So when I formulate and develop the product, I really focus on natural products that are not harmful to sensitive skin, but also have many benefits.”
Clearly, the entrepreneur knows a thing or two about taking care of your skin. Next, Amy Roe shares her favorite skincare and beauty products in Glamour’s Drop the Routine.
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