FASHION MODEL AND PALM BEACH RESIDENT ROOSMARIJN DE KOK IS BUSY ANGEL INVESTING, CHAMPIONING WOMEN, AND LAUNCHING A NEW LINE OF BODY PRODUCTS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR TIRED, SUN˙ KISSED SKIN FEEL LIKE… WELL, BUTTER.
Written by: Stephanie Smith
Photography by: Emily Lab
You don’t meet many successful Victoria’s Secret models-turned-health coaches-turned savvy investors-turned-entrepreneurs. But Dutch-born Roosmarijn de Kok keeps expanding and reinventing herself all before the age of 30.
Roos, as she’s known to her 455,000 Instagram followers, has modeled for top brands like Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, H&M, Balmain, Ralph Lauren, Zadig et Voltaire, and Oscar de la Renta. She is also a savvy investor with an impressive portfolio to prove it. “I mostly invest in companies where I love what the company stands for, the product they produce, and if I actually use the product myself,” she says. This includes a mix of early seed funding and Series A and B investments in companies such as Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Quip, Cleancult, Thursday Boots, Mates, Veracity Selfcare, Smilo, and Wellset.
For Roos, investing isn’t just about financial returns. “I’ve been investing for the last five years or so,” says the successful model. “For me, it’s really about finding a company with a founder you truly believe in. It’s about their ability to run a company and pivot because entrepreneurship is obviously a lot of trial and error.” For Roos, the connection with the founder is paramount. “I also mostly invest in companies where I love what the company stands for, and what they produce, and I actually use the product myself.” To that point, her freezer is filled to the max with Van Leeuwen ice cream.
Her entrepreneurial spirit was evident even in high school, where Roos showed a keen interest in economics and management. Although she initially planned to pursue a career in accounting, her life took a different turn when she was scouted by a local modeling agency. “My family was very open-minded and let me model during my gap year,” she recalls. Ten years later, she never looked back.
Modeling opened doors to the world of fashion and beyond. She appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Grazia and Cosmopolitan. It also put her on the path to financial independence, and the development of her passion for skincare and wellness. This exposure sparked a deep interest in creating her own products, leading to the birth of Butter Palm Beach, Roos’ latest exercise in entrepreneurship.
One of the unique aspects of Butter Palm Beach is its focus on various butters.
Handmade in small batches, Roos’ products include a variety of lesser-known but highly effective ingredients, such as kokum and cupuacu, alongside the more familiar shea, mango, and cocoa butter. “I started making my own concoctions of face and body oils and mixing different ingredients a while ago,” she shares.
A key component of Butter Palm Beach products is topical magnesium. “Magnesium plays a crucial role in bodily functions, as well as relieving cramps, headaches and calming down the body,” she says. “Magnesium has played a big role in getting my body functioning properly.” By incorporating these ingredients into her skincare line, she offers a dual benefit of skincare and wellness. “One of my favorite things is that at night, before I go to bed, I take the topical magnesium and put it on the bottom of my feet. It soaks right through the skin, and it makes you feel so relaxed, calm, and dreamy.”
Roos’ approach to her business is hands-on, and her commitment to quality extends to the meticulous product development process. She started making her products in her kitchen and is deeply involved in every aspect of production. “I know everything that’s in Butter Palm Beach. It’s super clean and organic, and there is no perfume fragrance,” she asserts. “The butter smell… how do I say this… chocolatey. But I also infuse it with olive oil, which is then infused with organic lavender and chamomile flowers,” which exudes a heavenly scent.
Her enterprising spirit continues to evolve even if the path to success has often been complicated. “I am lucky to be in a very entrepreneurial world and surrounded by a lot of people who have an entrepreneurial mindset,” she says. “But I still feel like a lot of times people underestimate me as a woman because they talk over you or try to explain things to me, and I’m like, Yeah, I know you’re talking about you don’t have to double explain it.'” These kinds of interactions have motivated Roos to work towards building an all-female team that supports her endeavors. “I love working with women photographers, and my financial advisor is a woman,” says the Palm Beach resident. “I love surrounding myself with women whenever I can because there’s just something special about us. I think we have this powerful intuition and ability to see things differently than men, and I feel like we need to stick together.”
The last two years of living in Palm Beach, where she moved from New York City, have been incredibly grounding and conducive to her creative process. The sunny weather and proximity to the ocean contrast the gloomier weather of her native Netherlands, contributing to her overall well-being and productivity. “I practice meditation, but I think where I live makes such a big difference, too, because the energy in New York is hectic. I’ve been here for two years now and feel the difference.”
And what better result of that evolution than a product that combines modeling experience, business savvy, and a deep-seated commitment to health and wellness? Butter Palm Beach promises to deliver on all of Roos’ intentions, one gorgeous balm jar at a time.
butterpalmbeach.com I roosllc.com
