In an unpredictable, fiercely competitive industry, Brook Harvey-Taylor has managed to redefine what high-quality, accessible, natural beauty can be. And she’s done it armed with unabashed optimism, a steadfast dedication to good-for-you ingredients and the highest cruelty-free standards, and an innate sense of what women really want from their makeup and skincare. Her humble beginnings on a cattle farm in Montana, where her love for animals inspired her to live as a vegan later in life, led to work in the beauty department of her mother’s natural co-op store. Having been deeply influenced by the Tom Robbins novel Jitterug Perfume as a teen, she studied the transcendental art of aromatherapy in college. And she began that she began to build a foundation of innovation that would result in Pacifica Beauty, the 100 percent vegan natural makeup, skincare, and fragrance company she founded with her husband, Billy Taylor, in 1996. “I never saw this as a career,” says the noted perfumer and product formulator. “For me it has always been a mix of passion and survival.” —Jennifer Henderson
Name: Brook Harvey-Taylor
Occupation: President and brand director of Pacifica. “I started this company to serve women with something that I didn’t see in the market. Our products are vegan and cruelty-free not because it is on-trend, but because I was vegan when we started Pacifica. Pacifica has been around for 18 years and I’ve literally grown up owning this brand. We were one of the indie-brand pioneers.”
Nature baby: “I grew up in the natural-products industry. My mom was a health-food fanatic long before it was cool. She grew her own organic veggies, bought fresh eggs from our neighbor, and made her own butter. As a teenager, I volunteered in the natural-food co-op my mom was a part of and I worked in the health and beauty department. But it was so barren of anything that spoke to me, I would spend hours daydreaming about how I would create better products.”
Her work ethic: “I am fiercely competitive, but kind, mixed with grit and passion, and I hope I inspire others.”
Scent sense: “I used to pretend that I was Sacajawea and I would ride my horse bareback collecting herbs from all over our property, take them home, and grind them into ‘healing potions.’ That was my first experience in perfuming. As a young woman, I read the book Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins, and it struck me to my core. All I wanted to do was create perfumes after reading that book. Fragrance moves me deeply. It can take me to places that I cannot even explain.”
Her highlight reel: “One of the highlights of my career was winning the National Entrepreneur of the Year [award] with my husband. I was able to publicly thank both of our moms for loaning us $15,000 each in seed money to get Pacifica off the ground. I love that Pacifica was first funded by two strong women.”
Her style, real and imagined: “Fantasy-me style: vintage hippie chic meets cool surfer-rocker girl. Reality me: a mom who throws on Vans and an old T-shirt with the cutest skirt I can find in my closet that isn’t too wrinkled. If I have a meeting, I will spice it up with a blazer and my Rag and Bone canvas booties, but that’s about it.”
Her must-haves: “I travel a lot, so this helps me narrow down the things I must have into one bag. I must have coffee (although this does not literally go into my bag). And my giant iPhone loaded with music. Gold hoops and a good scarf. Bags of Earl Grey tea (in case I cannot get coffee). Pacifica Tunisian Jasmine Lime fragrance, Naked Quench Coconut Lip Balm, and the travel-size Good Karma Skincare Set.”
The secret to her success: “Optimism. Without it, you simply cannot go on. With loads of it, you can move past fear and do really big things.”
Her fountain of youth: “I love our Dream Big Mascara, Dreamy Cover Serum Foundation, and Kale Detox Face Wash. Big lashes make me feel pretty, our foundation takes years off, and Kale Detox smells incredible. I am a true believer that clean skin is the fountain of youth.”
Her happy place: “On a surfboard in the ocean or snuggled up with my kids. Better yet, on a surfboard in the ocean surrounded by my kids.”
Finding inspiration: “Being in the moment is inspiring: listening, smelling, taking it all in. When I am working, I often draw inspiration from music. My kids inspire me to be a better keeper of the planet. And my mom and my husband were my two biggest inspirations for Pacifica. My mom because she raised me telling me that I could do anything I set my mind to, and my husband for believing in me.”
Beauty is: “Bravery, always.”
Obsessed with: “Tea. The new Pacifica haircare line. Our recycling program launching in March. And unicorns and rainbows.”
The “unbalancing” act: “I am failing miserably at balance right now but I think the best advice I can give is to forgive yourself for not being what we all think is the ideal. The other day, I caught myself staring at a picture of Gwen Stefani while I was in line at the grocery store and I went down the rabbit hole of thinking what an amazing mom she must be and how she still looks incredible and has her career. Finally, I had to say, ‘Whoa, girl! I bet not even Gwen Stefani can measure up to what we all think of Gwen Stefani.’ The reality is that kids are stoked if you just sit and play with them. My goal is to create one good memory a day.”
Words of wisdom: “Rumi said, ‘Let this beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.’”
What’s next: “We have seen such amazing growth. We recently became a Made to Matter Brand at Target and we launched skincare at ULTA. We’re watching more and more mainstream women embrace natural beauty, which is a great payoff for the last 18 years of hard work. To me, our customer is everything and we will continue to focus on her in the future.”