MEET THE FOUNDERS
DR. SIMONE XAVIER
Born in Brazil, Dr. Simone Xavier comes from a family of veterinarians, scientists, and artists. She worked as a veterinarian before going on to pursue a PhD in infectious diseases. In 2005, Xavier joined the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota as an assistant clinical professor.
In 2009, Xavier and her husband identified a niche in the cosmetics industry. They noticed friends and family in Brazil frequently requested makeup products that were, at that time, not available in Brazil. As they evaluated this niche closely, they realized they could produce makeup brushes that were at a high demand with better quality and at a better price.
During this time, her husband was involved in the product development, import, and export of painting tools. Knowing that Filho had the resources and expertise to produce brushes, Xavier started to research the most coveted brushes used by YouTubers. With Xavier’s trends and market analysis and Filho’s knowledge on how to create brushes, they launched Sigma Beauty in 2009 with a single brush set that instantly captured a cult following and sold out.
Following the success of their first brush set, Xavier began to create several solutions that were the first of their kind.
The first brush she developed was the F80 Flat Kabuki™. This innovative brush changed foundation application in 2010. Until then, foundation was either applied using a stippling brush or a paddle brush.
After the success of the F80, Xavier created a series of never-before-seen brush shapes and tools to clean dense makeup brushes.
Today, Xavier oversees creative direction, product development, marketing, design, photography, and visual merchandising.
Xavier's hobbies include photography, painting, soap making, biking, swimming, and traveling. She also enjoys art and has produced several pieces involving marbling techniques and acrylic painting.
RENE XAVIER FILHO
Born in Brazil, Rene’s entrepreneurial spirit was very evident from a very young age when he started a beekeeping business with his brother at his father’s farm. Beekeeping was Filho’s first business venture.
Filho earned his civil engineering degree in 1994 and went on to receive his Master’s in Business Administration. During his time in Brazil, Filho created and ran one of the most successful pizza restaurant franchises in Brazil - Topping Pizza. At the age of 23, he had 100 employees and 60 franchisees throughout several states in Brazil.
In 1999, Filho moved to the United States with his wife. For the next 10 years, he worked in real estate development and management. During that time, he also had the opportunity to do product development, import, and export of painting tools.
In 2009, after both Filho and Xavier identified a niche in the beauty market for high-quality and affordable tools, they started a new business which they called, Sigma Beauty. The name was selected to encompass the sum of quality, innovation, and customer service, which are core values for the brand to this day.
Filho’s background in engineering and painting tool production was key for the development of Sigma’s first brush set which launched in February of 2009.
Following the success of their first launch, Filho dedicated considerable time and effort to developing solutions to clean and dry makeup brushes. In fact, his background in engineering is very evident in most of Sigma’s inventions including products in the brush care category and the invention of Sigma's patented waterproof brush technology.
Today, Filho closely oversees Sigma’s finances, operations, and the wholesale department, while being very involved in marketing and product development.
His hobbies include reading, fishing, swimming, and boating. Filho also likes to print 3D designs. He designs and prints new inventions daily at his home office, where he has multiple 3D printers.