The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show

Agent Nateur's Jena Covello On The Secrets Behind Clean Beauty, Healing Endometriosis & Balancing Hormone Health

December 12, 2025

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  • Jena Covello attributes her success and resilience to channeling early bullying and hardship into motivation, viewing haters as a sign of success. 
  • Agent Nateur prioritizes efficacious, clean formulations over marketing spend, sourcing high-quality actives from Europe and formulating for safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 
  • Jena Covello's journey to founding Agent Nateur was catalyzed by a spiritual experience (ayahuasca) that prompted her to stop a previous venture and subsequently led to her developing a successful deodorant after finding natural alternatives ineffective for her hormonal health needs. 
  • The beauty industry often prioritizes marketing dollars over formulation quality, leading to consumer confusion when high-priced products are launched alongside lower-priced celebrity collaborations. 
  • Hidden toxins like fragrance, fluoride, and aluminum are significant concerns as potential endocrine disruptors that can negatively impact hormone health and mask the body's natural warning signals. 
  • For hair growth, distinguishing between shedding and breakage is crucial, and a practical tip involves coating dry hair with coconut oil, especially after sun and salt water exposure, to prevent breakage. 

Segments

Handling Online Criticism
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(00:00:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Successful individuals inevitably face haters, and conforming to silence critics often leads to increased negative attention.
  • Summary: Online criticism is framed as an inevitable byproduct of success, similar to schoolyard bullying. Those who try to conform to please strangers online often receive the worst treatment. The strategy of ignoring critics can cause them to move on to another target.
Childhood Bullying & Resilience
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(00:02:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Early exposure to bullying, particularly due to family background, fostered a strong anti-conformity stance and a drive for success as ‘payback’.
  • Summary: Jena Covello’s sensitivity to bullying stems from her mother’s family experiencing prejudice as immigrants. She developed a strong ‘middle finger up’ reaction to being told what to do. Her severe childhood bullying motivated her to dream of success in LA or Miami as a form of ultimate revenge.
Early Entrepreneurial Ventures
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(00:06:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Jena’s early entrepreneurial spirit involved illicit activities, foreshadowing her later formulation skills by optimizing chemical yields.
  • Summary: Jena admits to selling ecstasy and ketamine as a teenager, even keeping a ledger of potential earnings. She ironically predicted that ketamine and MDMA would one day be used to heal people, referencing their historical use in psychiatry. This early ’trapping’ in the kitchen mirrors her current work formulating products.
Aluminum & Endocrine Disruption
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(00:08:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Aluminum in antiperspirants is known to be an endocrine disruptor that can mimic estrogen, which is why doctors advise avoiding it during breast cancer treatment.
  • Summary: Jena faced backlash for stating aluminum is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic estrogen (a xenoestrogen). When women undergo breast cancer treatment, doctors specifically recommend avoiding antiperspirants due to this estrogenic effect. Agent Nateur’s ethos centers on creating safe, non-toxic formulations, especially for pregnant and breastfeeding individuals.
Formulation Philosophy & Holy Oil
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(00:09:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Agent Nateur’s flagship face oil was developed as a clean retinol alternative using efficacious, studied actives sourced from France, Germany, and Switzerland.
  • Summary: The initial goal was creating a natural retinol safe for pregnant/breastfeeding women, inspired by her mother’s skincare routine. Jena works closely with chemists to maximize active percentages, often fighting EU regulations that push for less potent formulations. Despite initial pushback that she should stick to deodorant, the Holy Oil became the brand’s number one skincare seller.
Building Agent Nateur from $300
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(00:12:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Agent Nateur grew from a $300 start to $20M+ annually by focusing on product quality over marketing, beginning with a kitchen-made deodorant.
  • Summary: Jena’s prior children’s brand failed despite celebrity placement, leading her mother to urge her to return to shoe design. After an ayahuasca experience in 2014, she was prompted to create her own deodorant because natural options smelled terrible while she was detoxing estrogen due to endometriosis. She perfected the deodorant recipe after nine months of cooking it over 100 times before securing initial retail interest.
Holy Youth Supplement Flop and Pivot
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(00:19:24)
  • Key Takeaway: The initial collagen supplement, Holy Youth, failed due to the inclusion of spirulina, but the marine collagen component proved highly effective for hair and skin when isolated.
  • Summary: Jena partnered with Dr. Will Cole to create Holy Youth to address her high estrogen levels, which Cole managed by advising against phytoestrogens like cruciferous vegetables. The initial product flopped because consumers disliked the taste of spirulina, despite the collagen working well. Her mother confirmed the collagen’s efficacy for skin, leading to the launch of the successful Holy Main collagen product.
Collagen Quality and Dilution
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(00:31:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Collagen quality varies significantly; competitors often dilute marine collagen with synthetic starches or oils to inflate granule size, resulting in lower therapeutic doses.
  • Summary: Holy Main collagen is dense, sticky, and heat-stabilized, requiring longer mixing times, which indicates a true therapeutic dose. Competitors manipulate the granule size using additives, allowing them to yield three bags from the equivalent of one pure bag. Marine collagen (Types I, III, IV) is highlighted for skin and hair benefits, while bovine collagen is better suited for gut and joints.
Hormone Balancing Diet (AIP)
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(00:34:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. Will Cole successfully managed Jena’s high estrogen dominance by temporarily placing her on a strict Anti-Inflammatory Protocol (AIP) diet for three years.
  • Summary: The AIP diet involved cutting out all phytoestrogens, including cruciferous vegetables and soy, which were previously recommended to combat xenoestrogens. The diet is highly restrictive, eliminating nuts, coffee, dairy, gluten, and most fruits (only blueberries allowed), focusing primarily on meat, fish, and coconut milk. The primary goal of the AIP diet is to drastically reduce systemic inflammation.
Authenticity vs. Polarization Online
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(00:36:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Jena is consciously steering away from political commentary to maintain a peaceful, low-vibration state, recognizing that engaging in polarizing debates often leads to an ego-boosting echo chamber.
  • Summary: Jena used to engage strongly in political discussions but now avoids them to maintain peace and avoid becoming overly extreme or losing perspective. She notes that the internet rewards polarizing behavior with attention, which can boost the ego and lead to tunnel vision. She believes successful people maintain leverage by not tying their entire livelihood to platforms that can ‘cancel’ them based on external pressure.
Avoiding VC Funding and Perfectionism
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(00:43:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Refusing Venture Capital funding allows Jena to run Agent Nateur intuitively and maintain complete control over the brand’s direction and messaging.
  • Summary: Jena avoids VC funding to prevent external control, preferring to build the brand organically based on intuition. She aims to achieve significant sales milestones independently before considering outside investment. She draws inspiration from Anastasia Soare, who built her brand over decades without debt or VC backing.
Beauty Industry Misleading Practices
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(00:54:30)
  • Key Takeaway: A major corruption in the beauty industry is brands prioritizing marketing dollars over formulation efficacy, confusing consumers when high-priced items are launched alongside lower-priced collaborations.
  • Summary: Consumers are confused when a brand launches a $400 serum but then releases a collaboration serum for under $100, raising questions about the true value and efficacy of the ingredients. Unlike makeup, which offers instant visual results, skincare efficacy is harder to judge immediately. Jena emphasizes that Agent Nateur invests money into the formulation rather than excessive marketing.
Beauty Industry Corruption Practices
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(00:54:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Marketing spend often outweighs formulation quality in the beauty industry, confusing consumers.
  • Summary: Many brands allocate significant funds to marketing rather than product formulation, leading to questions about efficacy. Skincare, unlike makeup, lacks instant visual feedback, making consumers vulnerable to hype surrounding expensive serums. Price discrepancies, such as a $400 serum versus a lower-priced collaboration serum, highlight this marketing confusion.
Synergy Kombucha Gut Health
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(00:56:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Synergy Kombucha offers scientifically backed gut health benefits through slow fermentation and 9 billion living probiotics.
  • Summary: Synergy Kombucha is brewed without shortcuts, remaining raw and unpasteurized with real organic ingredients. Each bottle delivers 9 billion living probiotics across a diverse spectrum, supporting gut health, digestion, and immunity. The original recipe, perfected after the founder’s mother’s cancer diagnosis, has remained consistent for 30 years.
Veracity Metabolism Support
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(00:58:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Veracity’s Metabolism Ignite acts as a drug-free GLP-1 booster alternative, clinically proven to reduce hunger.
  • Summary: Veracity offers clinically proven, doctor-formulated solutions targeting metabolism for weight loss and energy. Metabolism Ignite, a GLP-1 booster alternative, results in an 85% reduction in hunger and an average weight loss of nine pounds in 90 days. Its unique blend includes coffee bean extract, magnesium, and hibiscus extract, and it is safe to use alongside GLP-1 medication.
Skinny Confidential Bedside Box
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(01:00:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The Skinny Confidential x Heaven Mayhem Bedside Book Box organizes essentials like mouth tape and Kindle in a chic, book-like design.
  • Summary: The Bedside Book Box is designed to store bedside essentials such as mouth tape, eye masks, and jewelry in a visually appealing way. It is crafted to look like a large coffee table book, available in textured hunter green or cream. This item is limited edition, and listeners are encouraged to purchase it quickly.
Hidden Toxins and Fragrance Nuance
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(01:02:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Fragrance labeling hides potential endocrine disruptors, and avoiding aluminum and fluoride is advised by naturopaths.
  • Summary: The term ‘fragrance’ allows brands to conceal specific ingredients, some of which are endocrine disruptors that can affect hormone health. Holistic doctors often recommend cutting out fluoride in toothpaste and aluminum from antiperspirants due to absorption concerns. Masking natural body odors prevents individuals from recognizing underlying health issues the body is signaling.
Hair Growth and Coconut Oil Tip
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(01:09:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Coating hair in coconut oil, especially during sun exposure, prevents breakage caused by dryness and over-processing.
  • Summary: If hair is breaking off, it may indicate dryness, anemia, low Vitamin D, or over-processing, particularly after age 35. A life-changing tip involves coating hair in coconut oil, especially when spending time in the Mediterranean sun and salt water, to protect it from drying out. Agent Nateur’s Holy Growth topical treatment, containing copper peptides and spermidine, is also recommended for hair health.
Agent Nateur Product Favorites
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(01:12:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Holy Mane topical spray and the Body Lotion, which enhances the appearance of the clavicle and legs, are standout Agent Nateur products.
  • Summary: Jena Covello recommends Holy Mane as the one product everyone should use, while Lauryn Bosstick favors the collagen and the Body Lotion. The Body Lotion is praised for hydrating skin and giving a ‘prettiest clavicle’ and gorgeous legs after shaving. Listeners are encouraged to use code SKINNY for 15% off at AgentNateur.com.
Controversial Hot Takes and Relationships
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(01:13:21)
  • Key Takeaway: The most controversial take involved criticizing trash left after the 2017 Women’s March, and separate sleeping spaces can improve relationships.
  • Summary: Jena Covello’s most controversial moment involved calling out the hypocrisy of trash left after the 2017 Women’s March in Los Angeles. The conversation touched on relationship dynamics, noting that separate bathrooms and potentially separate beds can improve marital harmony, citing advice from Patricia of Southern Charm. Lauryn Bosstick confirmed she is planning a Cabo wedding in 2026.