The first thing I notice on a Zoom with Byroe founder Amy Roe is the aesthetically pleasing collection of cosmetic products on display behind her—the curation of which, I would soon find out, is a pastime for the entrepreneur.
“It’s one of my biggest hobbies, to collect beauty products from other brands,” she tells Glamour. “I always collect the beautiful bottles.”
A graduate of Columbia Business School (NBD), Roe understands the importance of a good-looking bottle. This is one of the countless ways in which Roe is such a unique skin care line founder. Not only did she start the brand at just 26 years old, but she also based much of its philosophy on the self-care culture of her home country, South Korea.
“As a beauty consumer—a heavy beauty consumer, as you can see—I think that’s part of why people want to consume beauty products,” she says. “Not just for the efficacy. Products being beautiful is so important for a brand.” Fortunately this isn’t a problem in the slightest for Byroe, whose beautiful bottles rival the vintage ones I admire on my grandmother’s vanity.
But, of course, the ingredients matter too, which Roe learned firsthand in her youth. “I was raised in Korea, and our traditional culture is to go to spa for a massage and dead skin removal every single weekend,” she recalls. “At the spa, I had treatments with shredded cucumber, milk, or yogurt to massage the skin. It was my ritual every week, and really inspired me to create a food-based brand.”
Roe was shocked to learn natural ingredients weren’t as common in the US, or the beauty industry overall. “When I got to New York, I thought it was so interesting that people always got salad at Sweetgreen or Dig. I wanted to apply this to skin care, because while there are some clean brands, there aren’t many putting a salad-inspired regimen into their products. That’s how I was inspired to start the salad-inspired brand Byroe.”
Another reason Roe was so determined to start off a first-of-its-kind brand? Her skin sensitivity. “I try to use and test as many products as possible, but when I use anything not good for sensitive skin, I get irritated,” she says. “So when I formulate and develop a product, I really focus on natural products that aren’t really harmful for sensitive skin, that also have great benefits at the same time.”
Clearly, the entrepreneur knows a thing or two about caring for your skin. Ahead, Amy Roe shares her favorite skin care and beauty products for Glamour’s Drop the Routine.
My cleanser
I use the Rice Cleansing Sorbet from Byroe. It’s very creamy, like a cleansing balm. It removes stubborn makeup in one step, so you don’t need to double-cleanse or wash off many times. As someone with sensitive skin, I think it’s ideal to remove makeup and then the residue in one step.
My toner
After the cleanser I use the Bitter Green Essence Toner. It’s actually our best-selling product, and was our first-ever product. This is packed with 33 different kinds of green vegetable extracts, including artichoke, broccoli, and matcha green tea. It very instantly hydrates the skin without irritations, and it has hyaluronic acid.
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My serums
After the base, I put on a small amount of our Truffle Eye Serum with a jade roller. I use this for de-puffing, and the serum has three different types of truffle, including black, summer, and white truffle. It’s clinically proven to increase eye elasticity and eye volume, so I use it every day.
I also use a serum for sensitive and dehydrated skin, the Pear Serum Oil, which is a mixture of serum and oil. Instead of using serum and oil products separately, I use this as one step, so I don’t need to use too many products. It’s a brightening facial serum, and has oil capsules with ceramides in it.
My moisturizers
As a moisturizer, I use Basil Dark Spot Correcting Cream. It’s our newest product, and is very lightweight. It’s inspired by basil, even the texture. It has some small capsules in it as well. It’s very good for brightening, and making your skin feel calm and soothed.
My face mask
I try not to do special care every single day. As I said, I have sensitive skin, so sometimes I have acne. In those periods, I put on the clay mask, which is the Lancer Clarifying Detox Mask. It has an active ingredient, like 3% sulfur, so I prefer to use this one.
My SPF
The next one is actually Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen. I’m pretty sure you’re familiar. I think I’ve used five of these bottles already. It’s really good for before and after makeup, without leaving a residue feeling.
My body oil
For my body I use the Purple Tea Body Oil which is very fast absorbing, a light-rated body oil, and so it gives an instant glow. The good part about this body oil is that it has BHA and PHA, so it gently removes dead skin at the same time. While giving the glow, of course.
My device
One of my favorite devices is the CurrentBody LED Mask. What I like about it is that it’s like a silicone. Even though I have so many of these devices at home, the reason I use this one most is the silicone. It’s very lightweight and comfortable to wear, and has the LED light for firming and tightening. I use this twice a week.
Danielle Sinay is the associate beauty editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @daniellesinay.
