Beauty Bosses: Joe Cloyes & Greg Gonzalez, Founders of Youth To The People
Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez.
Our latest Beauty Bosses are Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez, Co-Founders of Youth To The People—a superfood beauty brand that features clean formulas that are unisex, recyclable, vegan, and free of animal testing and harsh chemicals. The cousins grew up in the skincare business with a grandmother who created her own line and was one of the first aestheticians to bring natural, botanical ingredients to the U.S.
Their wildly popular line of skin care products is made by cold-pressing extracts and creating pro-vegan custom blends such as kale, spinach and green tea, prickly pear and goji, and more. YTTP is also committed to sustainability and making decisions that protect the world and make it a better place, so all of their products come in recyclable glass bottles and jars to help reduce the quantity of plastic waste.
Cloyes and Gonzalez are also passionate about activism and dedicated to creating positive change in the lives of others. Their community efforts and contributions have included giving laptops and school supplies to college-found students from South Central Los Angeles at A Place Called Home, donating 100% of profits from a special Pride edition of YTTP’s award-winning Superfood Cleanser to GLSEN, partnering with Surfrider Foundation to clean up coastal regions, and so much more.
We chatted with the co-founders behind the skincare brand, who reveal what inspired them to start their own line, best advice, wellness tips, and more.
When was YTTP founded? What does the name mean?
We were founded in 2015. Youth To The People represents the idea of youth as a mindset—an energy we can all tap into. It’s democratic; it’s a calling card for all people who want to live a little better.
What inspired the creation of the brand?
We were born into a family knee-deep in the beauty industry and spent our childhood entrenched in our grandmother Eva’s esthetics company. As a pioneer of botanically-based skin care in America, she was one of the first people to bring clean, naturally-derived skincare into a serious esthetics treatment setting, even opening the first Advanced Skin Institute in the U.S., and assisting in the creation of the curriculum for the California State Board of Cosmetology. Our grandma Eva is the inspiration behind Youth To The People.
Does YTTP have a hero product?
The Superfood Cleanser is one of our hero products and recently won an Allure’s Readers’ Choice Award. We always say it’s the essential place to start with a clean skincare routine—and the foundation for healthy skin.
What are your favorite products from your brand?
Greg: I love the Superfood Cleanser. I have sensitive skin that’s prone to breakouts, and it’s the one product that has consistently kept my skin clear and balanced, even if I’m traveling internationally and spending lots of time on planes.
Joe: The Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask is my current favorite product. I tend to have dry skin and it keeps me super hydrated, and my skin looking really even and fresh.
Where are your products sold?
Anthropologie, Free People, Nordstrom, Sephora, Sephora AUS, Sephora Canada, Sephora EU, and on our website.
Youth To The People is a line of cruelty-free skincare products that are 100% vegan and made in California.
Who inspires you?
Our grandmother Eva is the true inspiration behind everything we do. We learned so much from her and are honored to be able to carry on her legacy. We are also hugely inspired by wellness and self-care, and see clean skin care as a natural extension of living a healthy, well-balanced life.
Secret to success?
Never lose sight of why you started.
Wellness tips?
Start your day with greens in a smoothie—you’re giving yourself a leg up on the day.
Best advice?
Don’t forget to have fun along the way.
Favorite ways to relax?
Greg: Before we started YTTP, I was really focused on my career in music, and I still produce music on the side. You can find me working on a project in our in-house studio or recording with friends in my free time.
Joe: I have my calendar blocked off at 5 p.m. every day for an exclusive, 1:1 meeting with my 2-year-old daughter, Maeve.
For more information, visit their website and follow them on Instagram: @youthtothepeople
[Images courtesy of Youth To The People]
Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk