Coworking with Cleo Davis-Urman

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Cleo Davis-Urman is co-founder and CEO of vitamin and adaptogen patch brand Barrière.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? The role and responsibilities of building a brand and running a DTC business are probably the same as running any business, regardless of the category. A business owner is responsible for the overall direction, growth, and daily operations of a company, including setting strategy, managing finances, overseeing marketing, customer service, and product development—all while aiming to achieve the business’s goals. I wear many hats, and no two days are the same, but on any given day I am creating and implementing marketing strategies, managing our customer care and loyalty programs, forging partnerships with creators and brands, pitching our products to wholesale partners and distributors, and developing new products.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? That I’m customer care!

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Building Barrière and formulating/launching our patented vitamin patches has definitely been the most challenging and rewarding project I’ve worked on so far, especially because I had a personal reason for developing our patches! A standard blood panel revealed that I had dangerously low levels of iron and B12 even though I had been taking oral supplements with those very ingredients from a trusted vitamin brand. To raise my levels, I was treated with an iron transfusion and went to a hospital for weekly B12 injections, a process that was painful, time-consuming, and cost-prohibitive, so I was eager to find a different solution. My doctor explained that capsulized vitamins can lose as much as 90%-plus efficacy in the digestive process and suggested a transdermal vitamin patch, which bypasses the digestive tract and can be more effective for absorption. But these medical vitamin patches were uncomfortable, inconvenient (because they couldn’t get wet), and irritated my skin. I searched for a patch that was safe, effective, lightweight, non-irritating, and better looking than the bulky medical ones I had to hide under my clothes, but it didn’t exist! If I wanted my dream patch, Barrière would have to create it, so that’s exactly what we did.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? A retail trend that excites me is the shift towards at-home care products, specifically in the wellness category. In a post-pandemic era, I believe customers are more aware of their health than ever before but also crave lifestyle interventions that they can use more proactively, on their own terms, to improve their well-being.

What’s your go-to coffee order? A (Venti) skim bone-dry cappuccino with an extra shot from Starbucks. It doesn’t matter what city or country I’m in. It always tastes like home!

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? Stay in your lane.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? I was 15 in 2005, which was a rough year for trends (Juicy tracksuits, trucker hats, and layered polos—need I say more?). It was also the year that I first laid eyes on the Chloé Paddington bag, made immensely desirable by definitive “it” girl Sienna Miller, and its impact was colossal. The brand, led by Phoebe Philo at the time, had a chokehold on me, and I vividly recall calculating exactly how many babysitting hours I would need to clock to purchase my own Paddington. Needless to say, I spent much of my teenage years babysitting. These days, I’m a bit more practical, so I’d have to say my favorite products are the ones I use daily or that have made my life easier or more efficient. Besides my Barrière vitamin patches—which I truly can’t live without—I would say the Lyma Laser, Eau de Ki Hydrating Lotion, Clean Skin Club Towels, Our Place Slow Cooker, and my Kindle.