Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Rowley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is rooted in personal experience — it started out of necessity, not strategy.

As a Master Stylist, I spent years surrounded by products that were filled with harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, and ingredients I didn’t fully understand. Over time, I developed severe allergic reactions that left me questioning everything I once trusted in the beauty industry — especially the idea that “professional” meant “safe.”

When I couldn’t find clean, truly non-toxic hair products that performed the way I needed them to, I started making my own — beginning with a simple dry shampoo during the COVID shutdowns. That one product turned into a line, and that line turned into a mission: to create gentle, effective, ingredient-conscious products for people like me — and for those who didn’t even realize their skin, scalp, or overall health were being impacted by what they used daily.

Today, my business exists to offer a safer standard in beauty — one that doesn’t trade performance for purity. Every formula I create is handmade, stripped down to the essentials, and free from the common irritants and hidden toxins I used to unknowingly put on myself and my clients every day.

This mission is personal. It’s about protecting people — especially those with sensitivities, autoimmune issues, or young children — and giving them products they can trust without needing a chemistry degree to decode the label.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Sure! I come from a long background in the salon world — I was a Master Stylist for over 15 years, and I loved it. I worked with all kinds of hair types, helped people feel confident in their skin, and built close relationships with my clients. But what most people didn’t see behind the scenes was how much my own body was struggling. Over time, I developed serious allergic reactions to the very products I was using every day. I was constantly inflamed, itching, and reacting — and no one could really explain why.

I started digging into ingredient labels and realized how many hidden irritants and harsh chemicals were packed into “professional” products. When I couldn’t find anything safe that still performed the way I needed, I started making my own — first just for myself, then for clients who were going through the same thing. That’s how Belle Hue was born.

Today, Belle Hue offers a line of handcrafted, non-toxic, fragrance-free products that are gentle enough for ultra-sensitive skin but still deliver salon-quality results. Our best-selling shampoo bars are made with real shampoo ingredients (not soap), and they lather beautifully without leaving buildup. Our dry shampoo is lightweight, clean, and free of artificial fragrance — no gritty residue, no chalky feel, just fresh roots and volume. I also make hydrating mists, scalp-friendly styling products, and a growing line of baby care essentials like diaper cream and talc-free powder.

What sets us apart is how intentional everything is. Every formula is created by hand, in-house — no outsourcing, no white labeling, no shortcuts. I use a strict “no list” of ingredients I personally avoid because I know how they affect me and so many others: things like synthetic fragrance, sulfates, parabens, and formaldehyde releasers.

My background as a stylist means I care deeply about performance — but I’ll never compromise on safety. I test everything myself and never release anything I wouldn’t feel safe using on my own child.

What I’m most proud of? It’s not just building a brand — it’s hearing from people who tell me, “I finally found something that doesn’t make me react.” Or, “My scalp has never felt this calm.” That’s when I know I’m doing the work I was meant to do.

For anyone new to Belle Hue, I want you to know that this is a space where your sensitivities are taken seriously. If you’ve felt dismissed or overwhelmed by the beauty industry, I see you — and I’m building something different for us.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

It’s tough! We’re in a double-tap culture where it’s easy for people to scroll past without really engaging, so building an audience takes time. I’ve tried not to take that personally and just focus on showing up as myself. I share what I know, provide value, and try to genuinely connect with my followers.

In the beginning, it wasn’t about growth—it was about being helpful and consistent. That’s still my approach. My best advice? Don’t obsess over the numbers. Focus on building trust, even if it’s with a small group at first. If you lead with value and stay authentic, the right people will stick around—and they’ll tell others.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Yes, I manufacture my products myself. I’ve always been interested in the science behind hair—hair chemistry was actually the first time I was ever top of my class! [laughs] So I did have a solid understanding of what a product needs to be effective. That foundation helped a lot when I started formulating my own products after developing sensitivities to traditional salon options.

Even with that background, I dove deeper—reading formulation textbooks, researching ingredients late at night, and working with a few amazing chemists to refine things. I wanted full control over the process and ingredients so I could stand behind every product with confidence.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how many small factors can affect quality—temperature, humidity, mixing time—it all matters. So patience has become a big part of my process. Giving formulas time, really testing them, and tweaking as needed makes all the difference when you care about both performance and safety.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bella-hue.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bella.hue.co/