At age 65, Rose-Marie Swift is still a force in the beauty business. Long before she launched her own line of natural cosmetics, she traveled the world as a makeup artist for top magazines and photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Patrick Demarchelier. But in her late 30s, Swift had a bizarre mix of health problems: insomnia, panic attacks, immune issues, and more. When doctors could not diagnose her condition, Swift had an advanced lab analysis done on herself. The lab tech found high levels of numerous chemicals in her blood, hair, and urine. So she detoxed her life: “I went on this mad purging of my body.”

Rose-Marie Swift began a raw food diet and adopted an organic lifestyle, which eventually led her to question the safety of cosmetic products. She researched how frequently consumers were exposed to chemicals on a daily basis, and how completely unregulated the cosmetic industry really was. At this point in time, “clean makeup” was a novel concept; mineralized formulas were new on the scene. But Swift knew that organic creams were the future. Once she found Elaine Sack, who has served as CEO of RMS Beauty since 2007. The duo has faced several unexpected challenges. Here, they discuss the problems inherent in big-budget beauty advertising in magazines, the difficulty of finding environmentally friendly packaging, and why they’re better off without investors.