Broken marriage fails to stop a thriving cosmetics company
A 4,200-SQUARE-METRE space in Marin County that was once the Star Wars studio of George Lucas is now the home of EO Products.
The organic cosmetics company features products like a mint-and-coconut soap and sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. It is run by the couple Brad Black and Susan Griffin-Black.
Make that former couple. The couple, out of the humble beginnings of their San Francisco home, built what would become a $50 million enterprise, specialising in bath, skin and hair care based on botanically derived essential oils – all while going through a divorce.
Michael Funk, the former chief executive of United Natural Foods, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of natural and organic products, has known them from the start of their relationship and says he has always been impressed by their “drive and integrity”.
In a recent interview, Funk said he has seen “thousands of small suppliers coming through the door and five years later many of them aren’t around. Given where the two of them came from, which was a startup that didn’t have much financial backing, makes it even less likely.”
Perhaps had he known that they were whipping up a foaming shower gel containing an alternative to sodium laurel sulfate – an ingredient linked to cancer, but without which it is difficult to create a lather – he would have been even more sceptical about their odds of lasting.
But when the couple went from selling to mom-and-pop boutiques to winning a Whole Foods account in 2000, their position in the natural marketplace was solidified. Eventually, the company became a cornerstone of the $3.7 trillion global wellness industry.
In 1995, the couple married and also started EO Products in their garage in San Francis- co. EO stands for so-called essential oils, which are natural scents found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants. They created a collection of essential-oil mixes (“Relax”, “Refresh”, “Love” and “Calm”) for the holiday gift guide at Bloomingdale’s.
Their instincts, and unexpected success of those oil mixes, told them there was a market no one was fully exploiting. They eventually moved their work space from their garage and acquired HFI Labs, a private label manufacturer with the equipment and know-how to enable them to expand their product line.
The couple share a professional acumen – with GriffinBlack, 62, being more of an earth-mother type, and Black, 55, the one who keeps a tight, Shark Tank- like rein on things.
In 2007, the Blacks divorced after 11 years of marriage, and one daughter, Lucy. EO Products not only survived but expanded, and popped up in stores like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Target without any compromises made to transparency about the brand’s ingredients.
“They helped define a body care category that you’d define as ultra premium,” Funk said. “They’re a leading brand in their space and the two of them appear to be a healthy management team. It’s very impressive to witness that over the years.”