April Gargiulo

The Dandy recently spoke with April Gargiulo, founder of cult-favorite organic skincare collection Vinter’s Daughter. Disclaimer: once we read that Gwyneth Paltrow used Gargiulo’s mysterious and effective plant-based concoctions nightly, we wanted to find out more.

Gargiulo grew up in Napa Valley and was born into a family of winemakers. Through a combination of nature and nurture, her attention to methodology and regional sourcing was cultivated from a young age. Her knowledge of creating a product from A-to-Z extended even further when she later worked for her family’s wine business, learning the ins-and-outs of selling goods for consumption that were grown from the ground and made utilizing time-honored processes.

Although you would never know it (which is a testament to the potency of her products), April struggled with acne and discoloration her whole life. Even the most luxurious of products (we guess La Mer and the like) weren’t hitting the mark for her, so one day she looked at the ingredients and saw that there were hardly any that were “active.” This led Gargiulo to chart her own path towards creating a sustainable approach to skincare that delivers multi-correctional benefits in two beautiful bottles that are pricey but worth it. We spoke to Gargiulo about a myriad of things, but mostly about the potency of plant-cultivated skincare, the inner shifts she’s been experiencing lately, and overcoming the fear of becoming a CEO with no background in business. Her courageousness along with her genuine desire to share what she’s learned over the years is just some of what makes April Gargiulo so damn Dandy.

How have you been handling 2020 mentally? How has quarantine affected your work life?

I’m grateful for so much including still having a business and a thriving team. That is the overriding emotion, but there’s also the feeling that everything could change on a dime like it has for so many around the world. The first several weeks were an enormous adjustment for work and life balance. It was like a seesaw that I could never quite get right. It feels more in check now, but I miss the quotidian of our office; the coffee breaks, the mail carrier, the small and big wins that we get to share in real time and real life.

I'm curious about conversations you may be having, things you may be reading, or perhaps how you've shifted or expanded using your platform as a brand to show your support for the Black community. Are there certain resources you've found helpful?

Over the last weeks I have been listening and learning so that I can do better as an individual, mother and CEO. I know that is a privileged position to be in and I want to use that privilege to help impact change where I can. At Vintner’s Daughter we have always supported organizations working to help bridge the equality gap for women and children around the world. That led to a 2019 and 2020 partnership with Every Mother Counts and Black Mamas Matter to address Black maternal health, which due to systemic racism, has been declining annually. We have just begun our financial support of Black Lives Matter, Black Futures Lab and NAACP. We will continue to seek diversity in our workplace both on our team and with our vendors to work with Black-owned businesses. Equality is not something that just happens. We have to consciously and purposely work to make it a reality.

The process of creating effective and natural skincare products must have been so challenging and exciting. Can you tell me a little bit about the process of founding Vinter's Daughter and what went into it?

I was someone who struggled with my skin for my entire life. I had acne, discoloration and all the fun things that come along with getting older. I was using what I thought were the very best “luxury” products. They were the most expensive and were written about often in glossy magazines. One day I started looking at the ingredients. I was shocked to realize that they were .01% active ingredients, and the rest was low quality filler that was also in many cases toxic. I come from Napa Valley, a community dedicated to making the finest wines in the world through attention to detail and craftsmanship. Short cuts are not allowed and practically every grain of dirt is considered for its quality. That to me is the true definition of luxury; beginning with the finest raw materials and honoring them through the most thoughtful formulation practices to achieve something even greater than the parts. These products I was using were anything but.

This was the genesis of Vintner’s Daughter. I wanted to build a true luxury skincare company that made products from the finest ingredients in the world, using time-honored techniques in order to bring about profound and lasting balance and health in the skin. It sounds lofty, but I wanted to build a skincare company on the very same philosophical foundations of quality and craftsmanship as fine winemaking.

This philosophy drives us to go beyond standard skincare protocols to create products that have deeper connections to the skin and can bring about profound health and balance. We achieve this by beginning with the world’s most nutrient-dense whole botanicals that are honored through our weeks-long formulation process to create skincare teeming with the most skin beautifying nutrients. When you apply Active Treatment Essence followed by Active Botanical Serum, your skin receives deep hydration, multi-correctional moisture, complete nutrition and the most performance-driven plant actives. The result is skin that is a reflection of your truest beauty.

Five beauty products you always use:

Cleanser, Active Treatment Essence, Active Botanical Serum, SPF and mascara.

Advice you would give to female entrepreneurs in the beauty industry:

Don't be deterred! If you have a vision, keep moving it forward until you get there. Surround yourself with really smart people and think of them as your personal board of directors.

Your favorite bars/restaurants on the west coast?

Miminashi in Napa and The Progress in San Francisco. They will be the first places I go when quarantine lifts.

What's your skincare routine lately:

I have a very simple yet comprehensive routine. In a few steps, I know my skin is receiving all of the hydration, moisture, nutrients and plant actives it needs to be its very best. I cleanse with a gentle creamy cleanser, then apply Active Treatment Essence followed by Active Botanical Serum. I like to do microcurrent and red light when I can as well.

Something that made you laugh today:

My daughters were doing impressions of me talking on the phone and they nailed it. That made me laugh.

Film/tv/music recommendations:

I finally finished Normal People, which I loved and am currently reading Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita. I keep threatening to rewatch all the Gilmore Girls.

What's one super challenging thing about leading a company filled with tons of different personalities?

Great leaders know that you must continually shift your perspective to meet each team member where they are at. This is not something that comes naturally to me, so it takes work but it's super important.

If the world ever gets somewhat back to "normal" where are you vacationing?

A private villa on Lake Como would be nice or a remote cabin in West Sonoma county amongst the redwoods would be a dream too.

What's one insecurity you've had to overcome:

That I don’t have the business background to be a CEO.

Photo Credit: Jen J. Photo, Mini Magazine

What's your workout routine?

I love pilates, hiking and playing tennis, and if I get in 30 minutes every day of any one of those, I feel very accomplished.

Your favorite records of all time:

I still love vinyl and was lucky to inherit my father’s collection. Some of my favorites are The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, George Harrison, All Things Shall Pass, Stevie Nicks, Bella Donna, Kate Bush, Hounds of Love, Robyn Body Talk, Radiohead In Rainbows, Miles Davis, Kind of Blue.

Share a marketing tip:

Have a very deep understanding of what your company/product is in service of. Always make decisions that uphold that.

You would describe the interior design of your house as:

Warm, modern, collected, personal, always evolving.

Snacks you always keep around:

Mary’s Gone Crackers, dark chocolate.

The last time you felt proud of yourself and why:

I'm proud that I have created a beauty company that increases confidence rather than diminishes it. We want to deliver true beauty with every bottle of Vintner's Daughter because from it springs gratitude, compassion, generosity, and confidence.

Your vices:

I have a voracious sweet tooth.