INTERVIEW: APRIL GARGIULO OF VINTNER'S DAUGHTER

I had the pleasure of speaking with April Gargiulo, creator and CEO of Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum. Not only is she a badass businesswoman, innovator, and working mom, but she's also incredibly down to earth and approachable. I took several weeks to test the product, as I've had a few bad experiences with essential oils, and I'm here to tell you: this stuff is the real deal. It clears and heals acne, moisturizes, and combats dullness overnight. Read along as April discusses the development of this iconic natural serum, her go-to routines and some travel tips on her home base Napa Valley.

"I was always someone who struggled with my skin—always, always. And when I became pregnant, I started looking at the actual [skincare] ingredients and realizing that this lotion that I paid a lot of money for and was touted as high quality was in fact just cheap filler, and had .001% of active ingredient. And on top of that, a lot of it was toxic. So I went in search of that same level of performance and quality in the natural world and couldn't find it there. I'm not someone who can just use coconut oil on my skin.

My background isn't in beauty, it's in fine winemaking. So I set out to make one of the finest face oils in the world, and the only way I knew how was to focus on quality and take absolutely no shortcuts. Growing up in that world, and for us it was about addressing quality in every step. We start with whole plants. The most nutrient-rich plants in the world. And when you start with the whole plant, you extract the entire 360 degree activity of the plant. It's very time consuming, it's very expensive, but it produces a product that is from an efficacy standpoint just heads and tails above the rest.

There was a very important idea of balance, ingredients that work synergistically, because we were going for a formulation that was all about activity and performance. For example, one class of ingredients we have is dandelion-alfalfa-nettle. In ancient times, these three plants were actually called the foods of life because together they had everything your body needed to thrive. Another example, frankincense and cyprus, these have been used for centuries for healing skin. Together, they both create a microcirculatory effect that increases oxygen to the skin.

THE RESULT

It's my desert island product. It was designed for acne-prone skin in mind, skin prone to discoloration, skin that needed to address tone, elasticity, clarity and brightness. All of these things that I was desperate to have in one product that did everything—a multicorrectional product at the highest level of performance. The product addresses almost all skin—because it's addressing inflammation, nutrition, balance—issues everyone is dealing with in some form or another, whether it appears as acne in one person, rosacea in another, or dull, lifeless skin in someone else. The greatest emails I get are that [the serum] changed my skin, I don't have to wear makeup anymore. There's such a big level of self confidence in your skin, and I love being a part of that.

ON GROWTH

We are managing our growth very carefully. We are in very few retail environments, and we always maintain the intention of the very highest quality and highest quality sources. That will never be compromised. At some point, there's just a cap on what we can produce. And that's fine. It's certainly not business as usual. There are so many things in our business that we've flipped the script on, and we're very happy to do that because our number one commitment is to the quality of the product.

ON ROUTINE

I am so simple. I cleanse, I tone, sometimes I put a hyaluronic on, then Vintner's Daughter. And then I always joke: drop the mic, walk away. During the day, I add sunscreen. If you have really dry skin, always add hyaluronic or some kind of cream or moisturizer. I'm all over the place—I try different brands all the time. I like P50 Toner right now. For cleanser I'm all over the map.

Life balance never occurs in one day, but over the course of a week I can measure and hopefully I've gotten there—a balance between sleep, exercise, and spending time with family and friends. For me meditation and a healthy diet is important. When traveling, I try to get sleep. It's boring but sleep and water, and a green juice whenever I can.

ON VISITING NAPA VALLEY

I live in a beautiful area of the world. I love to be able to get out and take a hike or walk. I don't eat wheat, but people line up for a scone at Kelly's—it's actually a gas station in Yountville. I would go to Gargiulo Vineyards—my family winery. Have lunch on the deck at Auberge that overlooks the entire valley. Drive up Silverado trail and see what's open and what looks good. And I'd probably end my day at Redwood—it has really great Negronis."