Karen Behnke, Serial Entrepreneur, Clean Beauty Pioneer, Sustainable Business Leader.

Karen Behnke has done it again—for the
fourth time. A trailblazing serial
entrepreneur and female founder,
she is best known as the Founder and former CEO of Juice Beauty, the
award-winning organic skincare and clean beauty brand she launched in 2005, after buying the trademark. Recognized by Elle, Forbes, and Cosmopolitan as the “OG
of the Clean Beauty Movement,”
Karen helped pioneer the organic skincare and eco-conscious beauty
sector long before it became mainstream.

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Under Karen Behnke's leadership, Juice Beauty became a nationwide leading prestige skincare brand at ULTA Beauty for nearly two decades, earned hundreds of awards from Vogue, Allure, Oprah, WWD, and more, and she developed four groundbreaking scientific patents. Karen spearheaded organic product formulations, clinical trials, sustainable supply chain innovations, and influencer-driven beauty collaborations.

Goop’s Beauty Platform: Karen is also known for forging high-profile celebrity partnerships, from partnering with Gwyneth Paltrow to launch Goop Beauty to collaborating with Kate Hudson on successful beauty ventures. Her entrepreneurial journey began earlier, in the 1980-90's, she founded and sold one of the nation’s first corporate wellness companies to PacifiCare /United Healthcare. She later served as Entrepreneur in Residence for private equity firms, sourcing and evaluating beauty, wellness, and fitness brands.

Awards & Recognition: Karen was twice named one of Goldman Sachs’ Most Innovative Entrepreneurs, received the Environmental Working Group’s Top Leadership Award for Clean Beauty & Sustainability, was honored as Glamour’s “Top Eco-Leader,” and has twice been named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

Her passion for sustainability, wellness, and green innovation stems from early life experiences: growing up in Michigan near the site of the nation’s largest PBB chemical spill, surviving a rare childhood blood disorder, and later, seeking safe, non-toxic beauty solutions during her pregnancies in her 40s.

Today, Karen lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, cardiologist-turned-vineyard manager Howard Luria, where they raised their children. Active and former triathletes, they spend much of their time at their certified organic beauty vineyard and olive grove in Sonoma County, California, living out their belief that healthy, sustainable living can power vibrant lives and world-changing businesses.