Our Story
COCOGLOW was born out of two best friends and their desire to create nourishing, uplifting and beautiful products to inspire people to incorporate wellness routines into their daily lives. Both native Oregonians, Emily and Nicole met as college roommates. Through the years they both encountered personal struggles with food sensitivities and dermatological issues. Initially, they tried (unsuccessfully) to find solutions in western medicine - which prescribed medications, steroids and antibiotics. After continual disappointment and side effects that were often worse than the initial problem, they decided to look deeper into the causes of illness instead of trying to cover up the symptoms.
Emily and Nicole share a passion for the intersection of food and medicine, treating each meal as an opportunity to add the healing properties of plants, herbs and spices. The inception of COCOGLOW came after realizing that the products they wanted to purchase -- refined-sugar free, plant-based, herbal beauty foods - didn't exist. Nicole started creating nutrient-rich plant-based recipes, which were then infused with Emily's knowledge of herbal medicine, and COCOGLOW was born. The COCOGLOW founders believe that living a healthy life isn't a hardship or a sacrifice, but an opportunity to explore new foods and experiences, while feeling better in the process!
Nicole Bryson, Certified Health Coach
Co-founder, COCOGLOW
Nicole is a longtime vegan, focused on creating nutrient-dense, whole foods recipes and non-toxic beauty routines. She grew up on a small farm in Eagle Creek, Oregon and learned early where food came from, and what fresh plant foods are really supposed to taste like. After college, she started experiencing skin reactions to most cosmetics and foods, which she soon learned was perioral dermatitis. She began to break out into hives and welts on a regular basis, often in response to skincare products, environmental stressors, foods and stress. This experience ended up being a healing crisis and turning point in her life. From that point on she started devouring all the information she could find on holistic nutrition, natural beauty, and herbalism. She recently completed her studies through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, becoming a Certified Health Coach. Nicole believes that we get one body, so we should do our best to treat it right! Her outlook on nutrition and beauty is adaptable and positive -- focus on adding nourishing habits and rituals to your life, and eventually crowd out lifestyle choices don’t serve you.
Emily is a licensed acupuncturist and board certified herbalist and runs a holistic wellness clinic in Portland, Oregon. Before studying East Asian medicine, Emily worked in the environmental health field, where she first became interested in the safety of personal care and food products. This experience, combined with her deep interest in the optimal function and movement of the body from her background as a classically trained ballet dancer, led her to pursue a Master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, the top-ranked acupuncture school in the United States. Emily is inspired by East Asian medicine's ability to connect the mind, body and spirit in profound ways that encourage the body to heal. She believes in the motto, "food as medicine", and incorporates it into both her practice and personal life.