Revved Beauty is on a mission to uplift and empower women through its clean, high-performance beauty products and positive brand messaging. Founded by Gina Farmer after a period of personal struggle, revved was born out of frustration with the insecurity-fueled marketing tactics so prevalent in the beauty industry.
Farmer Expresses., “I kept buying product after product that promised more, less, better – marketing that just preyed on my insecurities,” recalls Farmer. “One day I looked at my purchase history and realized something had to change. I decided to shift my mindset, look inward, and celebrate myself for who I am. “This inspired Farmer to create a brand dedicated to supporting women in embracing their authentic selves rather than chasing unattainable ideals. Revved’s commitment? “If it doesn’t uplift and truly improve lives, we don’t launch it.”
More than just positive messaging, Revved delivers on clean, ethical, and effective formulas. After feeling misled by “green-washed” products, Farmer is in the process of becoming certified. Their manufacturer operates under those cruelty free standards and applied specifically for Revved Beauty with Leaping Bunny.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Gina Farmer:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
With work, I am a worker bee and a bit of a perfectionist. I experience joy every day, whether I am working or not, so I am never too serious. Outside of work, I take pride in being a joyful, engaged, present, and enthusiastic mom. I am silly, love to dance, laugh, and make magic happen for my son where I can!
Describe your background and what you did before you established your beauty brand.
My professional background varied quite a bit, from marketing to bookkeeping to real estate, but while I was home with my son, I started caking (mostly novelty fondant cakes) and had a catering company with a friend. My lifelong cooking and baking skills made formulating more natural, sans the chemistry degree! Please note that I now work with a brilliant chemist, but it took a while for me to get started!
What has made you successful? What do you value?
My positive outlook and grit, as well as being able to show up unapologetically as myself, have been the biggest game changers. I value down-to-earth vibes, authenticity, trust, and a “it’s going to be okay/we can figure out anything” mindset!
Which are the major services of the brand, and how does the brand get ahead in the competition?
Skincare and makeup right now. We have other products in the developmental stage that fall into other categories of beauty. We decided before launching that we were not going to niche down; if it improves lives in the realm of beauty and is an effective win, we will share it!
Hopefully, whole-brand trust sets us apart—in the safety of our ingredients, the efficacy of our products, and the way we make you feel inside and out. We want to empower people with our products and with our messaging, which hopefully has the greatest impact.
What is the significance of innovative ideas for the brand?
I love this question because I see innovation as a playground for Revved Beauty. I will always want to play here! We are focused on doing things the right way from the outset, and therefore, when standards are raised in the U.S., we will not have to spend resources on re-working our offerings but will instead dedicate our resources to exploring ingredients and more clean ways to make beauty happen. An example of one that excites us and that you will see more of in the clean beauty industry is plant-driven alternatives to neurotoxin injectables. I also want to add that in order for some of the clean innovation to happen in the industry, consumers may need to become okay with a product having a 1–2-year shelf life versus 3-5, the same way we understand our shorter timeline with fresh produce and fresher foods.
Give us your opinion on whether organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.
I think both are true. I think individuality is our superpower. Through the heroic act of an individual sharing themselves and planting an idea, greatness is present, but it then takes a lot of teammates to speak to help nurture a seedling into a full bloom.
What are your responsibilities as the founder?
I laugh because CEO here means Chief Everything Officer! My biggest responsibility, really, is probably anchoring every decision to our values. It is easy to get lost in a million small decisions. Our core values are the touchstone for everything we do. It is easy to get lost in a million small decisions. They keep everything aligned. My other responsibility is to hand the reins to those who know more than I do in areas that are not my strong suit. Tech-related tasks comically come to mind! I sometimes most days, sometimes the coach, and some days the waterboy. Hell, sometimes I bench myself.
What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
My son is always the happiest part of my day, but “self-care and self-love” are essential to my happy daily routine. For example, I have a quick mental gratitude moment when I am just waking up—that fuzzy moment before my brain is fully awake, before I’ve reached for a phone or talked to anyone. I learned that the transition time between sleep and wake is when your brain is most susceptible to rewiring. This is the time I think about what I am grateful for and visualize the magic I plan to make happen that day. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate anything I do for myself: my daily workout, drinking my greens, ice rolling my face, enjoying my skincare and makeup routine, etc., but my tank starts out full of gratitude and a plan. I can then love fully. I can inject positivity into situations, and I feel ignited and aligned.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Be Yourself. There is only one you; you have gifts to share that are uniquely yours, and you should always lead with kindness. You can be a badass and be kind. In fact, people will want to follow you, support the mission, and uplift you if you are a kind human. Also! Nobody has it all figured out, even if they seem like they do, so know that it is okay to be the dumbest person in the room sometimes. You will also need to hire people smarter than you in their areas of expertise in order to succeed. Never feel threatened by someone who knows more than you do or is better at something than you are; instead, welcome them into your circle, celebrate them, and lean into all that you will learn from them.
