Her Face Oil Is Epic; So Is Her Skin.
We Had to Know More
goop beauty editors Jean Godfrey-June and Megan O’Neill love to ask—and answer—questions. On their
podcast, The Beauty Closet, they’re doing both. To
familiarize you with each week’s guest, we came up with a goop beauty (and
life) questionnaire.
THIS WEEK WE’RE TALKING TO:
Nyakio Grieco,
founder of Nyakio
Nyakio Grieco was eight years old when beauty first popped up on her radar. Her grandmother, a farmer
in Kenya, taught her to crush coffee beans and sugarcane and use them as an exfoliant. This glowy-skin tactic is
one she still uses today, and it informed her vision for a clean, sustainable beauty line, which she tells us all about on this week’s episode of The Beauty Closet.
As one of the most successful Black clean beauty founders, Grieco has seen a lot in the twenty years
since she founded Nyakio, but this summer’s uprising over racial injustice—which rippled through every corner of
our lives, including the beauty industry—has the mother of two reflecting on her early struggles to find funding
and a foothold with retailers. “I remember thinking, Please, god, let me be successful so that I can help other
women that look like me do this,” she says.
Her success has been major, and her beauty is unstoppable—so we had to get her to fill out the goop
beauty questionnaire.
First job?
Babysitter! I sharpened my problem-solving skills when three kids locked me out of the house and
laughed at me through the window from inside.
Mentor?
My greatest mentor is my mother—she approaches everything in life with integrity and grace.
How often do you exfoliate?
Twice a week I do a DIY Kenyan face scrub based on a recipe from my grandmother, who taught me how to
make it using Kenyan coffee beans and sugarcane from her farm.
Go-to great-hair-day trick?
After shampooing and conditioning, I always add my Nyakio Maracuja & Yangu Rescue Oil to damp hair to
seal moisture and bring out shine.
Currently in your goop shopping cart?
GOOPGENES Nourishing Repair Body Butter, a Natalie Martin dress, and the Maya x Kio Rise Up Necklace.
goopiest moment so far?
Making it through twenty-one days of the CLEAN cleanse…and I’ve never felt better.
Wouldn’t leave home without?
My Sara Happ Dream Slip Lip Balm, giant sunglasses, and my Space Mammal Apparel sweatshirt with a
built-in mask.
Instant glowy-skin trick?
I mix highlighter with my Nyakio Maracuja & Yangu Rescue Oil and apply to my cheekbones for a warm
glow and definition.
-
goop pick
RMS Beauty
Living Luminizer
goop, $38SHOP NOW
Go-to weeknight recipe?
I’m an expert at sheet pan meals,
which are always enhanced by cook-time shenanigans with my kids and two dogs.
Blow-dry or air-dry?
Both, depending on how I wear my hair. I love my curls as well as great blowout.
Bath or shower?
Both, depending on how long I need to escape for.
Best breakout fix?
I spot-treat with a custom sulfur mask made by my aesthetician Shani Darden.
Quarantine date-night makeup look?
I wear Beautycounter Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation, Jones Road Cool Gloss in Boysenberry, and
Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara, along with a snuggly Khaite sweater and Madewell jeans.
Last time you wore sunscreen?
This morning. I wear it every day religiously.
-
goop pick
The Organic Pharmacy
Cellular Protection
Sun Cream SPF 50
goop, $69SHOP NOW
Favorite beauty ritual to do with your kids?
Masking is part of family time.
Favorite book?
Right now I’m loving Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
Preferred form of exercise?
I’m a devotee of FRMATION workouts by Justine Kennedy.
Proudest moment?
Giving birth to my two children, as well as birthing a beauty brand.
Perfect Sunday afternoon?
A family Malibu beach day.
goopiest thing you’ll never try?
I’m not counting anything out. I’m always open to a new adventure for the sake of wellness and
beauty.
What would you put on your neon sign?
In bloom.
How often do you recharge your crystals?
Once a month under the full moon when I’m making all my wishes.
We hope you enjoy the books recommended here. Our goal is to suggest only things we love and think you might,
as well. We also like transparency, so, full disclosure: We may collect a share of sales or other
compensation if you purchase through the external links on this page.
