Gregg Renfrew (Counter) on the $1B Beautycounter Acquisition, Getting Pushed Out of Her Company, and Starting New

Gregg Renfrew didn’t just build a beauty brand; she helped create an entire category. Long before “clean beauty” became a marketing buzzword, Gregg was lobbying Congress, reformulating products, and turning a mission-driven idea into Beautycounter, a billion-dollar company acquired by private equity. But the story didn’t end with the sale. Months after the $1B deal closed, Gregg was pushed out of the company she founded. What followed was a cascade of leadership changes, falling sales, and one of the most dramatic founder reversals in modern consumer business. In this episode, Gregg tells Sammi the full story—what founders misunderstand about selling, how investor dynamics really work behind the scenes, and what it feels like to watch your life’s work unravel from the outside. Then she shares the unexpected next chapter: the 48-hour scramble to buy the company out of foreclosure, the painful shutdown year that followed, and the decision to rebuild under a new name, Counter. Plus, Gregg opens up about walking away from private equity (for now), what she’s learned about resilience and second chances, and why starting over after a very public fall can become the most powerful chapter of all. Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Counter 00:00 Gregg Renfrew’s Social Currency 00:57 The Beautycounter Origin Story 02:32 Early Entrepreneurial Lessons 04:19 Inside Martha Stewart Living 08:22 Getting Fired and Starting Again 11:04 Why Clean Beauty Mattered 14:58 Building the First Products 18:56 Lobbying for Industry Reform 21:02 The Problem With “Clean” 27:24 The Sales Model Explained 35:25 Community, Women, and Work 38:35 The $1B Deal 39:31 Why Founders Sell 41:04 Investor Power Dynamics 44:15 Private Equity Reality Check 46:04 Post-Sale Fallout 47:32 Getting Pushed Out 48:52 Watching the Decline 50:28 The Brief Return 53:09 Buying It Back 55:55 The Shutdown Year 58:18 Rebuilding as Counter 01:00:51 Advice for Starting Over 01:04:42 No More Private Equity 01:10:08 Industry Shakeups 01:12:12 Social Currency Corner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices