There are plenty of founders with interesting stories, but Shay Hoelscher has one of the coolest and most unexpected combinations I have come across. She is the founder and CEO of privé and a race car driver, which immediately made me want to know more. It is such an impressive pairing of beauty, business, performance, and confidence.
I am also already a huge fan of privé’s shampoos and conditioners, so getting to learn more about the philosophy behind the brand made this interview especially exciting for me. As someone who is sensitive to a lot of new products, I am drawn to clean beauty and ingredients I feel I can trust. To me, self care is about treating your body like a temple and actually investing in yourself, which made privé’s “Beauty is Kindness” philosophy resonate even more.
Beauty News NYC previously recognized privé with an Editor’s Choice Award for Clean Beauty in Professional Haircare, celebrating the brand’s high quality ingredients, professional performance, and the fascinating woman behind it.
Now, privé is celebrating another birthday and another exciting chapter. I caught up with Shay to talk about racing, clean beauty, self care, the privé product she feels best represents the brand today, and, of course, what she can tease for Beauty News NYC readers next.
1. “Beauty is Kindness” is such a beautiful philosophy, and it really resonates with me because I think self care is about treating your body like a temple and investing in yourself. What did that phrase mean to you when you first founded privé, and how has its meaning grown along with the brand?
When I founded privé, “Beauty is Kindness” expressed my belief that beauty should make people feel good, not only about how they look, but about how they are treated. It meant creating high-performing products with intention, caring for the professionals and clients who use them, and building a company rooted in respect, generosity, and integrity.
As privé has grown, the phrase has become even more meaningful. It now guides how we develop products, nurture relationships, support our community, and make everyday decisions as a brand. Trends and definitions of beauty will continue to evolve, but kindness is timeless. To me, true beauty is found in how we care for ourselves, one another, and the world around us.
The philosophy extends beyond the products themselves. Privé has connected “Beauty is Kindness” with its philanthropic work supporting women through organizations including Project Beauty Share.
2. I have to say, the fact that you are both a beauty founder and a race car driver is beyond cool. It is such an impressive and unexpected combination, and really gives the feeling that you can do it all. How has racing shaped the way you approach building privé, leading a team, and even thinking about product performance?
Racing has taught me that confidence comes from preparation, performance is found in the details, and resilience means learning quickly and continuing forward. On the track, every component must work together under pressure. There is no room for products that are merely “good enough.” I bring that same mindset to privé.
When we develop a product, I want it to perform consistently in real-world conditions while still feeling effortless and intuitive to use. Racing has also taught me to listen closely to feedback, trust my team, and keep refining until we achieve the result we’re after. Whether I’m behind the wheel or building privé, the goal is the same: combine precision, innovation, and passion to create something truly exceptional.
Shay’s worlds of beauty and motorsports increasingly overlap. Privé has expanded its support of women in racing through its partnership with Porsche Carrera Cup driver Sabré Cook, an initiative tied to the brand’s focus on performance, resilience, and female representation. Learn more about privé’s work supporting women in racing.
You can also learn more about Shay’s own story as a privé owner and race car driver.
3. I am personally a huge fan of the privé shampoos and conditioners, so I am curious. If someone were completely new to the brand and you could put just one product in their hands to show them what privé is all about today, which one would you choose and why?
For me, it would be Scalp Reboot Serum because it represents so much of what privé stands for today: wellness, innovation, high performance, and care. I have always believed that lasting results begin with a strong foundation, whether you’re developing healthy hair, building a company, or preparing to compete on the racetrack.
Scalp Reboot goes directly to the root, nourishing the scalp to create the best environment for stronger, healthier hair. It is effective, inclusive, and turns an often-overlooked step into an act of self-care. That combination of purpose and performance embodies both privé and our belief that “Beauty is Kindness.”
Scalp care has also been an ongoing conversation at Beauty News NYC. In “Great Hair Starts at the Scalp,” we explored the importance of treating the scalp as the starting point for healthy hair, while our more recent look at a Korean-inspired scalp facial focused on bringing higher quality actives and more intentional care into the scalp routine. Beauty News NYC
Privé describes Scalp Reboot Serum as a weightless leave-in treatment formulated with ingredients including baobab proteins and oil, quinoa protein, açai, biotin, probiotics, caffeine, and rosemary. The formula is suitable for all hair types and is vegan and cruelty-free.
4. I love clean beauty, especially because I am very sensitive to new products and ingredients I can trust really do make a difference for me. Consumers are also much more educated about ingredients than they used to be. In 2026, what do you think we should actually expect from clean, professional quality haircare, and what should we no longer be willing to compromise on?
In 2026, consumers should expect clean haircare to deliver without compromise. “Clean” can no longer be only a marketing claim. It should mean thoughtful ingredient choices, clear transparency, responsible practices, and formulas that genuinely perform at a professional level.
Consumers should demand products that are effective, inclusive, and honest about what they contain and why each ingredient is there. They should also expect brands to consider the broader impact of their choices, from cruelty-free formulation and responsible packaging to how they support people and communities.
At privé, we believe wellness, sustainability, and salon-quality performance belong together. Clean beauty should not ask consumers to choose between their values and exceptional results. They deserve both.
That intersection between performance and ingredient-conscious haircare is one of the reasons Beauty News NYC previously selected privé for Clean Beauty in Professional Haircare in our Spring 2025 Editor’s Choice Award Roundup. Beauty News NYC
Beauty News NYC has continued exploring similar ideas in haircare, including vegan and environmentally conscious formulas in “A 3-in-1 Bundle on 2026 Goals: Ecoslay is Vegan, Earth-Friendly and Kind.
Readers can also explore privé’s full product collection.
5. Now for the question I always want to ask. What is new, cool, and exciting coming down the line for privé? Is there anything you can give Beauty News NYC readers an advanced scoop on before everyone else hears about it?
What excites me most about privé’s next chapter is the opportunity to grow without losing the heart of who we are. We will continue creating clean, high-performance products, but we are also expanding the idea of privé beyond haircare into more complete rituals of wellness and self-care.
Beauty News NYC readers can look forward to thoughtful innovation, refreshed packaging, and new ways to make everyday routines feel more elevated, luxurious, and kind. We are also deepening our commitment to giving back and empowering women, including in high-performance spaces such as motorsports. I cannot reveal everything yet, but I can promise that our next chapter will bring together beauty, purpose, and performance in some very exciting ways.
Shay has also shared that privé’s 2026 plans include refreshed packaging, new innovations, expanded daily rituals, continued philanthropy, and further work supporting women in racing. Read Shay’s year-end letter to the privé community.
For more from the brand, visit privé, discover the Scalp Reboot Serum, and revisit privé’s first Beauty News NYC recognition in our Spring 2025 Editor’s Choice Award Roundup.
