Iero Beauty is a plant based, crystal infused beauty brand that is thoughtfully and intentionally designed to nourish not just your skin, but your body mind and soul with every use. If you’re all about energy, these products are calling for you!
I had the amazing opportunity to interview Iero Beauty founder, Nicholas Gavrelis. This seasoned beauty guru gave me the full scoop on how his vegan, cruelty free and crystal derived mineral skincare brand came to be, and all the magical benefits it holds. Read on, you don’t want to miss this one…
EE: Briefly walk us through your life story.
Nicholas: I grew up just north of Baltimore Maryland and I received a Bachelors of Art (Fine Art, French, Business). After graduating, I continued studies at Maryland Institute College of Art in photography/printmaking because I thought I wanted to pursue my MFA.
I started to photo assist fashion and commercial photographers and that’s where I got a taste of makeup artistry. One particular day, while setting up the lighting for a shoot, we learned that the makeup artist had to cancel due to illness. Since I understood the tone and atmosphere of what the photographer wanted to create, I was asked to step in as makeup artist and so I did. My life became engaged and full of makeup and beauty. Not only was I doing commercial work as a makeup artist, but I started working in retail regionally for Dior.
Then, one day, I discovered MAC cosmetics and my love affair with the brands philosophies and makeup artistry took me to the next level. I went to work at a local Nordstrom as a Retail Artist and then Retail Manager in the Capital Region. Within a year I took on a new role for Nordstrom as their very first Beauty Director and then National Beauty Director. My responsibilities included leading training and development efforts to elevate the makeup artistry skills and confidence of all Nordstrom Beauty Advisors. Advocating that brands drop the cotton balls and Q-Tips in makeup application, for proper make-up brushes, we were able to make the Beauty Advisors more fluent and skilled with makeup artistry and trends.
Another aspect of my job that I loved, was scouting for new emerging makeup artistry brands at a time when the industry started exploding with newness.
I returned to MAC to head Artist Training & Development for the East Coast and was relocated up to NYC. In 1999, with my best friends and business partners, I developed and launched Pretty Pretty, an expressive and playful beauty brand, embodying uptown glamor with a downtown edge. The brand was carried by Apothia at Fred Segal, Nordstrom and Sephora and sadly was short-lived due to being undercapitalized.
Then the opportunity of a lifetime unfolded. I returned to MAC Cosmetics in a stint that would last nearly 20 years in Global Product Development. My categories were Mac Pro and Complexion and working for Industry Gurus like John Demsey and Jennifer Balbier. I was blessed to work on and create many of the industry’s most iconic formulas and work with all global markets and the world’s best makeup artists to ensure the formulas, textures and shades actually performed on skin.
I served as Senior Vice President Global Product Development until late 2019. In 2020, with the decline of my mother and the first Covid Lock down, I knew I needed to make changes in my life and yearned to create something new.
EE: How and why did you start Iero Beauty?
Nicholas: I wanted to create something different, something that could resonate a heartfelt philosophy and message. To me, the world was feeling wound tight and filled with tension, division and lack of compassion and respect for humanity – and for a veritable Libra, this kind of disharmony is an atrocity. For the next year I worked to conceptualize something inspired by the life force of energy that vibrates within and connects us all.
My own spiritual awakening was fueling my desire to help people anchor and be present in order to realize how blessed we all are to have this divine spark within – its the authentic, unique radiance that each of us illuminates out into the world.
The name iero means sacred in Ancient Greek and sacred is our homage to you and that beautiful light that you illuminate out into the world. This concept that each of us is a body of light – a sacred being, became my guiding light and I started package and formula work for Iero Beauty™ in 2021.
EE: How are Iero Beauty products made?
I am so grateful for the longstanding relationships and extensive network of the world’s most innovative chemists and best in class cosmetic manufacturers, packaging houses, retailers and industry professionals and working together with them to develop formulas and products of high naturality and that utilize plant-based actives and Crystal derive minerals that replenish restore and protect your skin.
All of our beautiful Moonkissed™ formulas are made in Italy and France and are clean, good for you and the planet, vegan, cruelty free, appropriate for all skin types and presented with absolute transparency about their percent of naturality.
They feature a blend of signature ingredients inspired by ancient Greek and Mediterranean culture and are renowned for their potent skin care benefits. Our packaging has been created with 2 amazing packaging houses based here and in Europe.
We worked together to create the Moonkissed™ packaging range so we could better visually showcase the chromotherapy and some of the special formula features that we want to “reveal” to the user. By incorporating a gradient heat transfer label from opaque blue at the top of our packaging fading to transparent at the base, we are able to wrap the metallic violet flower of life pattern over the whole surface and reveal the chromotherapy cues and little botanical, or crystal treasures, that visually inspire calm, peaceful serenity and intuitive perception.
For instance the translucent indigo bulk of the Moonkissed™ Radiant Skin Restorative Serum-Oil achieved with an Ayurvedic blend of botanical colorants and the floating pieces of Mediterranean Blue Cornflower in the formula. And with our Moonkissed™ Serene Essence Replenishing Mist, we reveal its indigo bulk and Amethyst Crystals, blessed with heartfelt intent and added into the bottle by each consumer.
EE: Has this journey taught you anything?
Nicholas: Yes, most definitely! It is best shared by this mantra that has supported my journey from the start which is – “Keep your heart and mind open to limitless possibility and you’ll be amazed by what materializes around and within you.” This mantra means so much to me, that we have included it on our packaging for you to discover its meaning for yourself.
EE: What are you most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others?
Nicholas: I feel blessed to work each day with people I love and who have a similar desire to make a difference. We believe in amplifying positivity, encouraging authentic self-expression and nurturing the unique well-being of each person we touch.
Our holistic, multi-sensorial products and experiences uplift your spirit and nourish your whole self—not just your skin. To deliver this multi-sensorial experience, we leaned into aromatherapy, chromotherapy, mindfulness cues and ritual, to make your experience with our products more robust and meaningful.
EE: Is your Iero Beauty sustainable in any other ways?
Nicholas: Yes, our commitment to sustainability is front and center and is one of our sacred core brand equity pillars. It will be continuous and ever-evolving. For the launch of our Moonkissed™ Collection of evening skin care hybrids, we’ve incorporated PCR resins for plastic packaging and we use recyclable glass and aluminum.
We have partnered with Pact on our recycling program and also with Arka to create sustainably cultivated PCR shipping boxes and we will be developing and introducing refillable packaging for future skincare and color categories.
EE: What do you ultimately hope to achieve through Iero Beauty?
Nicholas: Our dream is to inspire limitless possibility and to encourage authentic self-expression, champion mindfulness and nurture the unique high vibrational well-being of each person we touch. With these lofty dreams, our growth and evolution we aim to bring a unique and new energy to the prestige beauty space.
I am truly love all the products from the Moonkissed collection, especially the Serene Essence Replenishing Mist and the Luminous PH Lip Comforter. You can shop the whole Iero Beauty collection and learn more about each unique product on their website at ierobeauty.com. and be sure to follow them on instagram at @iero.beauty
If you love cruelty free beauty, you might love PYT Beauty too!
Until next time…
Erin-Elizabeth
xoxo
