Brooklyn Rooftop Botanicals: Rooftop farm that grows botanicals to create extracts & beauty products

Liana Brooklyn

Brooklyn Rooftop Botanicals is New York City’s first and only rooftop beauty farm that currently spans over three rooftops (2K sq ft) and grows and processes over 50 beauty botanicals to create ingredients and beauty products out of. We do this with the aim to help change the way beauty ingredients are sourced and processed to combat climate change and to help people think more consciously when it comes to their beauty consumption habits.

By farming and processing botanicals into ingredients, on otherwise unused rooftops, we’ll be drastically reducing the carbon emissions emitted from processing and shipping these ingredients from halfway across the globe. Having rooftop farms in cities also helps to reduce toxic and damaging storm runoff, improves urban ecology, enhances quality of life, creates jobs and provides environmental and agricultural education to those of us who live in and love cities!

What was the inspiration to start this business?

BRB started as an idea back in the spring of 2018 when I was getting back into gardening but was still in my previous global marketing and product development role. I already had some basic knowledge, but it quickly became a passion where I spent every minute of my free time tending to and learning all about beauty botanicals. During that same time, I was also becoming more conscious of my beauty consumption habits and how they were affecting the planet, and then it hit me. I realized if I grew potent botanicals, I could merge my passions for beauty and possibly change the way ingredients are farmed, processed and sourced.

We just launched our first rooftop grown product! Formulated with real Brooklyn rooftop-grown rose and chamomile extracts combined with Cosmos compliant ingredient powerhouses such as Hyaluronic Acid, Squalene, USDA organic Glycerin, and Vitamin E, our lightweight Rose & Chamomile Moisturizing Gel is a fragrance-free formula that instantly hydrates and locks in moisture to soothe, smooth, plump, tone and brighten dry, irritated and problematic skin caused by environmental pollutants, for an all-day illuminated and fresh complexion. Retailing at $55, you can find our first, seed to bottle product on our website!

When you started your business, did you ever envision that you would be where you are now?

I think I had an understanding that I would eventually get to where I am now, I just didn't know how long it was going to take given how huge of a task I'm undertaking. Given the circumstances of Covid and being by myself for so long, I'm very impressed with what I've been able to accomplish thus far, which has motivated me to keep going. We’re only at the beginning and have a very long way to go since we’re looking to expand to other rooftops, but I can't wait to see what this year has to offer!

Was there ever a time that things didn't fall into place, struggles, or challenges? What were they and how did you get passed it and grow from the experience?

As a rule, being an entrepreneur means understanding that nothing will ever go as planned, but being an entrepreneur over the last few years has made this understanding even more true, so I believe anyone who has tried to start a company over the last few years, and has overcome their new business struggles, deserves serious credit. That being said, for those who didn’t succeed, do not give up. You already overcame your fear of starting your first business, so don’t let your fear of another failure stop you. Always see a failure as a learning or pivot for next time.

I jumped into this whole adventure thinking it would be a whole lot easier because of my beauty industry background. While it did give me a leg up, I wasn’t an actual formulator in my previous role, so when I started looking at those “natural” skincare recipes that you find all over Pinterest, I thought it would be a piece of cake. In fact, most of those recipes don’t even work or are safe for the end-user. I was a typical Dunning Kruger profile where my confidence was super high at first because I thought I knew everything there was to know about growing and processing beauty botanicals on a roof and formulating products. It of course quickly shot down after many months of epic fails and I felt super discouraged. It’s not until I really started going deeper into my research, taking classes, reaching out to literally everyone in the industry and practicing the skills I was acquiring, did I get to where I am today. I think the lesson for me and for anyone looking to start something new is you don’t have to absolutely know everything but do your research, talk to people, and be as clear as possible on what it’s going to take before you go full force.

What was the biggest lesson you learned while starting and growing this business?

I’ve learned that running a company is a lot like being married. Once you’re committed, you have to fully commit yourself for the long haul or you’re not going to succeed. Being afraid of the commitment, risks and reality of it are all normal feelings to have when starting out, so know you’re not alone. I myself had a lot of these thoughts when first starting, but I came to the conclusion that if I didn’t jump in fully, I would regret it.

What would you tell a FEM that is struggling in her business and feel like it's too difficult?

A word of advice would be that when times are tough, re-look at your path, extra focus on the things you can do right now and go full force on them to keep moving you forward, even if they take you out of your comfort zone, because that’s what’s going to take you to the next level. Before the pandemic, I didn’t care for social media because I didn’t want to deal with the repercussions of putting myself out there. Then the pandemic hit, and a lot of my original plans took a standstill, so I looked at how else I could gain awareness to grow, and Tiktok was an avenue. In the end, part of the reason I’m where I am today is because of Tiktok.

What continues to inspire you to keep on growing your business?

When you’re starting your own business, you’ll come to learn that successes in the beginning are very few and far between, so I’ve come to understand that in order to continue to do what I’m doing, I have to keep thinking about my mission and the real reason I’m doing what I’m doing. Brooklyn Rooftop Botanicals isn’t just a rooftop farm that grows and processes botanicals, it’s a change driving initiative that could benefit the entire city and future generations to come, so that’s what I hold onto each and every day when times are rough.

Final advice for those thinking of starting a business or looking to grow their current business?

It’s a literal jungle out there and everyone is trying to make their mark. To make a difference and be a real change driver, you need to think about what’s happening in a social and economic sense as well as look to the future to see what you can solve. Being completely transparent and authentic is also the only way forward.

To connect: www.brooklynrooftopbotanicals.com.

Insta/Facebook/Youtube @brooklynrooftopbotanicals, TikTok @brbotanicals