Brigitte Bardot once declared, "Champagne is the one thing that gives me zest when I'm tired." While we may not swap it out for our AM coffee ritual, we may be adding it to a different part of the morning routine— our hair. Rachel Katzman, founder of Cuvée Beauty, decided to integrate the toasting mainstay into her beauty routine and has since manifested a thriving business that celebrates ultimate texture + shine. We'll cheers to that.

Can you share your journey to starting Cuvée Beauty?

Cuvée started as a happy accident at a birthday party, I found my hair soaked in champagne and loved the texture of it. I had an “ah ha” moment and wanted to create a “Champagne Spray”, as opposed to a "sea salt" spray, that replicated that first experience. I knew nothing about the beauty industry, but I was determined to learn everything I needed to know. From countless hours on the internet to researching labs, chemists and formulations, I went on a two and a half year journey to develop Cuvée.

You started a business in an already populated industry. How did you make sure Cuvée stood out? 

I knew the world didn’t need another shampoo, there are so many out there. Most hair brands come from a stylist or a salon, and I felt most hair products out there are made for professionals. You get your hair done, love the way it looks, buy all the products and then can never re-create the look at home. I wanted to make products that all women could feel comfortable using and confident in creating the looks they desire themselves. All products are non-greasy, non sticky, super light weight, and simplified, you don’t need 6 products to create one look. I also wanted to incorporate unique ingredients into the products, so I looked more to the skincare world and brought in ceramides and resveratrol. We need to be more aware of hair health and take care of our scalp which in turn helps our hair look its best. It was really important to make products that had real benefits that actually created healthy hair from the inside out.

Tell us about your use of champagne, is it really good for your hair? 

It is! If you google champagne in hair, many Hollywood actresses have said they give their hair a champagne bath to create softness and shine, I’ve read that Christy Brinkley still does this! The champagne extracts are known for promoting shine and softness, as well as being a great antioxidant to protect hair from free radicals.  

What have you learned most about yourself since starting your own business? 

I realized that even though I am young, I have what it takes to make it in the business world. Starting out I wasn’t confident in myself, my thoughts or my ideas. I didn’t go to college, but I learned that my passion and drive for my company would take me farther than any degree ever could. I also realized how much I love working. It makes all the difference when you find what you’re passionate about and what excites you, its an amazing feeling to wake up every morning and start your day. 

Where do you see Cuvée in the next 5 years? 

I see Cuvée being a well known name in the beauty world both domestically and internationally. Cuvée will never be a 60 skew hair line, I don’t believe in making 15 different shampoos that, at the end of the day, all serve the same purpose. I want to create staples, as well as ground-breaking and innovative hair-care products as well as help people get their hair to it's healthiest it can possibly be. All women want and deserve to feel confident and I believe hair health plays a huge role in that. Your hair deserves a good life too.

Any advice for young entrepreneurs like yourself or who are first starting out?

Don’t be afraid to be the youngest person in the room and don’t ever be afraid to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. When I first started out, I was easily lost when it came to business terminology and was too embarrassed to ask which backfired on me. Never stop asking questions. Surround yourself with people who are more knowledgable than you, work with people you can learn from and make sure your team is solid. Lastly, always remember to stay true to your vision, nobody knows it better than you.

This article was originally published on Sakara.com.