Kate Zucco
Andrea Pierce-Naymon likes a little luxury. She spent years splurging on luxe department store beauty brands.
Then her daughter, Betsy, started having trouble getting out of bed, and when she did, she’d pass out. Betsy was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a chronic neurological illness. It spurred Pierce-Naymon to become vigilant about researching everything Betsy put in or on her body, including those treasured beauty products.
“I was pretty horrified when I started reading labels,” the Richfield resident says. By checking Environmental Watch Group, she began discerning if products were safe or toxic. Most of her coveted products fell in the latter category, and she struggled to find many that fit into the former. So the former med tech began mixing her own chemical-free, plant-derived products in her kids’ basement playroom in 2014.
She whipped up a winner that’s taken her on a whirlwind trip to the Indie Beauty Expo in New York City, where she scored a deal to sell her products on Saks Fifth Avenue’s website. Oh, and national magazines including Allure, Essence and Vogue ran articles gushing about her OY-L brand.
“It just blew up,” says Pierce-Naymon, CEO, founder and formulator of OY-L. “We were just making face creams constantly.”
Now, this little Akron startup sells up to 800 products a week, is in 30 stores nationwide and ships globally. On the brink of expansion, Pierce-Naymon chats with us about oils, her guilty pleasure and her idea of beauty.
When you decided to make your own products, where did you begin?
APN: I read about hemp seed oil, which is noncomedogenic. It will not clog pores at all. So that became the base of my creams. I did so much research on the different oils and essential oils to make sure that everything I was using, there was a reason for it.
How did you feel when you heard that your products helped clear up your sister-in-law’s eczema?
APN: One of the best compliments I ever got was that I changed her life. I just stood there in shock. She was so excited about it that she and my brother made the initial investment into the company, set me up and got me branded, and lawyers and accountants. That’s how much she believed in it. I changed her life, but she changed my life, too.
What makes you feel beautiful?
APN: That I have accomplished so much in my life. And when I look at my two daughters — that’s what does it. They’re so beautiful, talented and smart.
What’s it like having an office in Bounce?
APN: The old B.F. Goodrich plant is so industrial, so techy. There’s so much innovation going on. They have founder meetings every month and introduce you to people that you can use in your business. It’s a cool community. I love walking, seeing the downtown skyline. Sometimes we can see a blimp going over. I’m really very lucky that I found it and got in here. I really like that Main Street is called King James Way. I want to put that on my letterhead. [laughs]
Are you a Cleveland Cavaliers fan?
APN: Oh, my God. Yeah. Are you kidding?
Where do you go to get away from the office?
APN: We like the Northside Marketplace. We have a booth there, and we go there because of Sure House Coffee. They have the cretzel croissants we’re obsessed with. [giggles] I wish I never saw those. I love the Canal Place Cafe. It is so healthy. There’s a killer salad bar. Akron’s really getting cool.
How’s it been spreading awareness about toxic products and natural alternatives?
APN: It’s been a great challenge for me. Nobody has ever thought about it, just like I never thought about it before. I bought Chanel and Bobbi Brown and all those makeups you get at Beachwood mall or any other department stores. I feel like a teacher when I show them the Think Dirty app, and they see the chemicals that are toxic in their products. One of my favorite things is to let people know what’s really in the product.
How do you feel knowing something you made in your basement has gotten so big?
APN: It’s scary, and it’s exciting. We’re at this phase now where we definitely have traction. Our sales are going pretty fast. We need to scale up, and we need to get a bigger lab and hire other people. But all that takes money. I’m also in the process of looking for a mentor and second series of funding because the more you sell, the more money you need to sell it. We just want this to be the next Glossier, only a clean version.
