Our gorgeous white halloysite clay is the mildest of all clays and my absolute favorite for addressing the needs of clients with sensitive skin. It stimulates circulation while gently exfoliating and providing cleansing action. Unlike other clays, white halloysite does not draw oils from the skin, so it can be used even on deeply dehydrated complexions to restore balance.

Featured in: The Clean Dirt and The Honey Mud

The air is dancing with rich sweetness and a tangible vibration of life. With the hum of fat and happy bees all around and golden light gleaming through shimmering nectar as it drips stickily from the comb, we know we’ve found magic. This magic has been harvested, bottled, and memorialized for centuries, depicted in Stone Age paintings dating as far back as 8,000 years. Revered for its candy-like sweetness and energy-giving nectar, it is equally celebrated for its long medicinal history.

Honey has been used since ancient times to ease a wide range of diseases, ailments, burns, cuts, and skin conditions. Long-ago Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and Romans all knew and prized this highly nutritious treat. Honey’s benefits have been widely referenced in poetry and scripture throughout the ages, earning a role in Ayurveda, Buddhism, the writings of Torah, the Bible, and the Qur'an.

Naturally antibiotic and anti-inflammatory (incredible for sensitive and acne-prone complexions!); rich in vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids, this remarkably sweet liquid of love promotes and speeds up the healing and regeneration of soft tissues. Since honey is a natural humectant, it also attracts and retains moisture, making it a must for treating psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, and dry skin conditions.

Sourcing
The unparalleled attention and obsessive dedication to the thoughtful sourcing of our fresh ingredients is our very foundation and one of our greatest points of pride. Never is this more important than when retrieving gifts from another living being.

We looked into many, many, many honey makers prior to finding our perfect fit to ensure that this was the best of the best on every level. Our gorgeously golden healer comes from a local, family-owned apiary who follows sustainable practices, honoring the health of their bees - including removing only what is needed and leaving plenty to nourish the hive, rather than fully stripping these friends of their fuel. The bees are never relocated or trucked across the country as often happens in commercial beekeeping. The apiary is well respected, carries Kosher and Organic certificates, and is 100% solar powered - known for their commitment to the environment as well as the treatment of the bees. Additionally, they use a process called "gravity straining", rather than filtering, which allows our honey to retain its natural, perfect components.

These free-range bees spend their days exploring California’s Ventura County flower blossoms, mountains, and farms. They are flourishing - vibrant, healthy, and thriving from the fulfillment of their work - which contributes to the life and sustainability of the fields and flowers and surrounding wildlife and our ecosystem as a whole.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

Pure, distilled water serves in our formulas as a clean and neutral base for the skin-loving magic of our colloidal silver. Colloidal silver stars in both The Jasmine Garden and The Honey Mud.

In The Honey Mud, you will also see “Water” come into play in combination with "Sodium Chloride", which is simply, salt. While listed separately from "Water" due to labeling requirements, this salt is in combination with the water, ultimately as a saline solution (saltwater).

In both cases, water offers further benefit by facilitating the assimilation of vital, skin-friendly water-soluble vitamins and nutrients.

We do not utilize water as a filler and believe every ingredient contained in our formulas must actively contribute to the health of the skin.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

If I have a signature as a formulator, the glory of this bean is certainly a part of it. I believe in cacao as more than just a special sweet treat or even as an ingredient to lend a hunger-inducing aroma to all but one formula in our core facial collection.

Exceptionally high in antioxidants, raw cacao blocks free radicals, protecting skin against damage to collagen and elastin while promoting and renewing skin cell tissue. Cacao contains omega 6 fatty acids and raw enzymes, both of which help in cellular repair and rejuvenation. Topical use increases blood flow to the skin, reducing inflammation and redness, slowing the visible aging process, and supporting healthy moisture content.

Sourcing
Nearly all of the cacao on the planet is produced for consumption in the massive food and fragrance industries, where the priority is strictly to maximize aromas and flavors with aggressive toasting processes. Unfortunately, the excessive heat used to achieve the characteristic chocolate scent you are accustomed to greatly diminishes the nutritional value of this precious food ingredient. It was an uphill battle to find producers who are instead dedicated to the gentle extraction and distillation of aromatic raw materials that preserve and honor the bean’s high antioxidant content.

I am committed to ever-increasing my quality standard, taking every challenge as an opportunity to dig deeper into our core values. After years searching the world, testing cacao samples from a zillion vendors, navigating ingredient adulteration and dilution and the underbelly of labeling loopholes that plague our industry, I can say without hesitation we have earned access to the best of the best with each form of cacao we incorporate into our treats. From our rich and succulent cacao butter to our exclusive, freshly-made raw oleoresin, to our nutrient-dense powdered bean, our cacao is a point of pride and total joy.

Fair Trade
Historically, cacao has been and still is a significant source of tropical deforestation. At the same time, it is a crop on which many conservationists and natural resource managers base their hopes for an agriculture industry that not only provides a livelihood for tropical farmers but also helps to conserve biodiversity in the tropical landscape. Growing cacao under a canopy enhances the soil, protects it from erosion, provides non-cacao products to the farmer and a refuge for an array of animal groups like birds, insects, small mammals, and reptiles. The leaf litter provided by a shade canopy is particularly important for the life cycle of the insects that pollinate the cacao blossoms.

Farmers that choose to grow cacao using sustainable methods rely on organic or premium markets for the higher prices they must charge for making a commitment to increasing biodiversity and embracing environmentally-friendly agriculture. Although chocolate is a huge ($70+ billion annually) global business, only about 6-8 percent of this revenue makes its way back to the cocoa farmers, many of whom run small family operations. Labor abuse is rife in many cocoa regions, and reports of farmers enslaving thousands of child workers have sparked widespread criticism of the industry.

Labor and environmental issues have inspired the formation of several organizations and associations of wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to growing cacao sustainably, providing fair wages and opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. We are committed to supporting this vital effort by choosing makers that produce organically and ethically under Fair Trade guidelines.

“Chocolate is the answer. Who cares what the question is.”
—Everyone, Everywhere

Featured in: The Pendulum Potion, The Jasmine Garden, The Honey Mud and The Good Stuff

One of my favorite Australian exports and nuts in general, macadamia nuts are also referred to as “Queensland nut” and “bush nut,” although I personally prefer the Aboriginal name “boombera”! The evergreen trees take up to 10 years to produce commercial quantities of nuts, but once they start, they can continue sharing their delicious gifts for over 100 years. Today, South Africa is the world’s leading producer of these popular, highly nutritious, and satisfying nuts, while its motherland Australia comes in second.

My favorite way to enjoy this fatty, succulent nut is through its golden, aromatic oil. Not only is it a great choice to nourish your body from within, but its complex nutrient profile also fully satisfies your skin’s hydration cravings when applied topically.

Macadamia has an exceptionally high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, which deeply hydrate and heal the skin. It’s known to be one of the highest sources of palmitoleic fatty acids, which are powerful antioxidants proven to delay skin from premature aging by protecting it from oxidative damage. With its perfect ratio of anti-inflammatory, regenerating omega-3’s and 6’s, it offers relief for dry and sensitive skin, especially inflammatory conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

Another significant antioxidant found in macadamia nut oil is squalane. Naturally occurring in our own body, squalane is one of the most common fats produced by our skin cells and makes up part of our skin sebum that creates an amazing protective barrier - essentially like a second layer of skin. It not only offers protection from environmental aggressors but locks in the moisture to ensure skin stays hydrated. Unfortunately, our own production of this skin-wonder slows down as we age. Squalane-rich sources such as macadamia help us to replenish this incredibly supportive antioxidant, protecting the skin from oxidative stress, decreasing and preventing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots.

Featured in: The Honey Mud, The Pendulum Potion and The Good Stuff

Our kaolin clay (also called white halloysite), and all kaolin, naturally contain a certain content of the mineral titanium dioxide. The titanium dioxide is not an added ingredient to the kaolin, but a component of this raw ingredient that is required to be called out separately in our INCI to adhere to European labeling requirements. The naturally-occurring titanium dioxide content is less than 1% of The Honey Mud’s formula.

In The Good Stuff, our non-nano mica includes a fractional ratio of the minerals Titanium Dioxide and Iron Oxide as a coating to enhance its soft, sparkling effect on the skin.

Featured in: The Honey Mud, The Clean Dirt and The Good Stuff

Hailing from tropical Asia, today these beautiful yellow flowers are mostly cultivated in Madagascar due to its moist climate and fertile, volcanic soil. The elegant blossoms reach their maturity and their famously intoxicating aroma two to three weeks after opening, when they change color from green to yellow and begin to droop. In fashion with precious jasmine and rose, ylang-ylang flowers are collected in the evening or very early morning when their scent is the strongest. The steam distillation process begins within hours of harvest, making this an incredibly labor intensive and time-sensitive oil to produce. This rich, addictively-sweet flower and its oil have been used as a traditional folk remedy and natural beauty treatment by islanders for many hundreds of years. Ylang-ylang is a studied aphrodisiac, known to increase libido and activate feelings of desire. Its widely appreciated for its potent anti-depressant and uplifting effect on the mood.

Beyond the remarkable beauty and seductive fragrance, this gift of nature also offers a variety of powerful medicinal and therapeutic benefits for the skin. Recent studies have shown ylang-ylang contains a wide variety of beneficial compounds which exhibit antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal activities. These properties help to effectively reduce skin irritations and redness by regulating sebum production and treating the infection itself. Ylang-ylang is said to be especially nourishing for rough and dry skin, while its antioxidant-rich compounds help reduce environmental cell damage.

Sourcing note:
Our ylang-ylang essential oil comes to our kitchen directly from the manufacturer, a family-run company and respected producer of this glorious extract. Their 445-acre ylang-ylang farm, located on a volcanic island on the northwestern coast of Madagascar, produces Certified Organic essential oil. The biodynamic, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly distillery is powered with wood from the fast-growing trees planted throughout the property.  Upon completion, the essential oil is analyzed through their laboratory, guaranteeing its analytical integrity and its compliance with applicable regulations.

Featured in: The Jasmine Garden, The Honey Mud, The Pendulum Potion, The Happy Galaxy and The Good Stuff

There are not many aromas that evoke the instant sensation of desire and comfort, like that of vanilla. Whether the star of the hunger-inducing scent of freshly baked cookies or the seductive fragrance of your favorite perfume, vanilla is treasured by many. The sweet smell of vanilla has been shown to be a highly effective antidepressant, mood enhancer, and health booster due to a component called vanillin hydroxybenzaldehydem. Soothing and harmonizing, vanilla has been shown in studies to help comfort, stabilize, and induce feelings of relaxation.  

This sacred spice has been used in ritual offerings and as medicine and perfume by the Aztecs. This is where the irresistible and hopelessly addicting blend of vanilla and chocolate was born, as the Aztecs flavored their cacao-based drink with this prized, tropical bean.

Cuttings of this ancient orchid were eventually taken to Africa by the French, where now 80% of the world’s natural vanilla is produced. It generally takes three to five years for the vanilla plant to produce any blossoms. Not only does each flower require hand pollination, but it takes many additional months following harvest for curing to occur. Vanilla is one of the most labor-intensive of our ingredients to produce and is now the second most expensive spice in the world (following saffron).

Highly sedative, vanilla helps to reduce skin inflammation and its powerful antibacterial components aid in clearing skin infections. Rich in skin-nourishing vitamins and minerals, vanilla naturally reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Its high content of antioxidants helps protect the skin from environmental damage, ensuring an even skin tone.

Sourcing note:
Unfortunately, today less than one percent of “vanilla” you find in food or fragrance comes from the vanilla flower itself (yes you read correctly – not even one percent), rather from synthetic reproductions. Our organic vanilla CO2 extract boasts an impressive 26% vanillin content, the component which gives it its rich, natural aroma. The manufacturing process of a CO2 extract involves none of the heat or moisture associated with steam distillation. The result is a deep and gentle extract, free from any chemical residue. Ours is a genuinely spectacular product made strictly from Madagascar beans. We are incredibly selective with each of our ingredients, but especially so when it comes to the standard of our difficult-to-obtain vanilla. With extremely limited stock available, we invest at a premium cost to ensure we can always maintain our obsessive quality commitment. Our same maker provides us with our fresh ground vanilla bean powder, equally expensive, and exceedingly delicious. It’s my favorite bin in the kitchen to lean into for a big breath of heaven mid-day!

Featured in: The Blue Cocoon, The Jasmine Garden and The Honey Mud

Boswellia Serrate is a tree native to India that produces special compounds found to have strong anti-inflammatory effects. Among the valuable Boswellia tree extracts that researchers have identified, several stand out as being most beneficial, including terpenes and Boswellic acids, which protect healthy cells.

Frankincense has the ability to strengthen skin and improve its tone, elasticity, and defense mechanisms against bacteria or blemishes, as well as to protect the skin's appearance as it matures. It may help tone and lift skin, reduce the severity of scars and acne, and heal wounds. It is also considered beneficial for fading stretch marks, surgery scars, marks associated with pregnancy, and healing dry and cracked skin. Studies suggest that it’s the pentacyclic triterpene (natural, steroid-like) structure of frankincense oil that contributes to its soothing effect on irritated skin and its ability to reduce redness and skin irritation.

It’s also believed that the beautifully aromatic oil transmits messages to the limbic system of the brain, which is known to influence the nervous system. When inhaled, frankincense has been shown to reduce heart rate and high blood pressure, and lessen the symptoms of anxiety and chronic stress with its calming, grounding scent. This natural sleep aid helps open breathing passages, allowing you to ease into a gentle sleep.

Featured in: The Blue Cocoon, The Pendulum Potion and The Honey Mud

Although there are many species of Myrrh, ours (Commiphora myrrha) is native to the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia, Yemen, and parts of Ethiopia. Highly prized by many ancient civilizations including the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese, this precious resin was primarily used as an ingredient in incense, perfumes, for embalming, and religious ceremonies. Its rich, warm, balsamic scent and medicinal properties have been cherished by many for centuries.

To harvest the sap, myrrh trees are tapped several times a year and left to secrete its resin for about a week to ten days. Once dried and hardened, it is collected and aged even further before being sorted, graded, and sold. The resin is then either ground into a fine powder or distilled into an essential oil.

To this day, it is still one of the most widely used essential oils in aromatherapy thanks to its superior antiseptic, antimicrobial, vulnerary, and anti-fungal properties, which make myrrh the perfect natural remedy for preventing and treating wounds from infections, as well as fighting off harmful bacteria. When applied topically, its potent antioxidants help to reduce puffy or swollen skin while alleviating discomfort. A powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, myrrh tones the skin, helps reduce the appearance of scars, and offers relief for skin inflammations such as acne and eczema.    

Featured in: The Blue Cocoon, The Honey Mud and The Pendulum Potion

Also known as “red cedar” or “aromatic cedar”, this essential oil is produced from a species of juniper native to eastern North America. Juniperus virginiana is a slow-growing evergreen tree that produces small blue-green berries. Known for its distinctly sweet, lemony, woodsy scent, Native American tribes have been burning cedar for important rituals and purifying ceremonies for centuries. The branches were also used to create medicinal tonics.

Cedarwood’s potent anti-seborrheic, antiseptic, and astringent properties are proven to offer great relief in cases of eczema and other inflammatory conditions as it effectively regulates sebum production, reduces inflammation and itching, and heals the skin. Its powerful sedative properties work to relieve tension and anxiety, which are often associated with these same skin concerns.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

Whenever I cut into the flesh of a ripe orange, it feels like I am opening up the sun. Cultivated for over 4,500 years, orange is one of the most popular, cultivated, and nutritious fruits in the world. This juicy, tangy globe is a cross between pomelo and mandarin and a single orange delivers a whopping 95% of your daily requirement of vitamin C!

Sweet orange’s essential oil, which is derived from the rind of the fruit, is highly prized for its calming, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a favorite treatment for acne-prone and oil-imbalanced skin. Known for its high antioxidant content, it effectively slows down the process of aging and increases collagen production. Additionally, sweet orange essential oil is said to have powerful detoxifying properties that help to naturally tone the skin, giving a natural, healthy glow.

Featured in: The Youth Dew, The Honey Mud and The Pendulum Potion

Our Wintergreen Leaf Extract is the first 100% naturally-derived salicylic acid obtained from wintergreen leaves; an incredible alternative to traditional synthetic salicylic acid. 

Despite its minty-sounding name, our extract is odorless and does not impede the magnificence of The Honey Mud's lush aromatics. With a long history of use in traditional medicine, wintergreen is an evergreen shrub from Canada which grows in the pine forests and underbrush of North America. It was known by the native populations who used it in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, including within compresses to ease skin inflammation.

To extract this natural acid, our supplier first distills the leaves of the wintergreen plant, then uses a process called hydrolysis - which sounds like a fancy word, but can be explained simply as using water to break down the oil, which in turn produces salicylic acid.

What results is an anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory compound ideal for gently purifying oily and breakout-prone skin, visibly reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, easing redness and discomfort, decongesting clogged pores, and bringing a glow and radiance that surpasses even the beauty of our much-loved original formula.

Our wintergreen extract works similarly to beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) to target certain protein bonds in the skin. The goal here is to enhance the skin's natural shedding process that can become inhibited due to damage from the sun, environmental factors, the natural aging process, genetics, and inflammatory conditions such as acne. 

Natural salicylic acid helps to release dead skin not just on the surface, but also in the pore lining, where accumulation of pollution, makeup, and sunscreen mix with your natural oils and dead cells. Without effective exfoliation on both levels, skin may present as congested, dull, bumpy, rough, irritated, and simply lacking the glow of health. This buildup also impedes the effectiveness of all other products you use, blocking their delivery to your skin.

The gentle exfoliation delivered by our unique extract leaves skin incredibly soft, smooth, and even-toned, particularly over time and with consistency.

Bonus: Beyond its immediate benefits to the skin's appearance, in the plant world, salicylic acid plays a key role in the resistance of plants to pathogens. This special quality allows this unique extract to offer itself as one more player in our skin-supportive, natural preservation system.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

Simply, this is salt. "Sodium Chloride", while listed separately from "Water" on our INCI due to labeling requirements, is included in The Honey Mud in combination with water, ultimately as a saline solution (saltwater).

As saline has the same properties as human tears, it is incredibly gentle on the skin, yet effective in creating an environment that's resistant and inhospitable to pathogens and other organisms. Water alone assists in the growth of unwanted factors (and renders preservation necessary), but when water + sodium chloride are combined in a formula together as saline, it works by reducing the water activity in our product. Given that The Honey Mud is primarily clay-based, the addition of salinated water forms a kind of gel, consisting of a nano-network of clay particles that is inhospitable to the growth of unwanted organisms.

We have utilized multifunctional, skin-beneficial natural ingredients in order to safeguard The Honey Mud and optimize the results your complexion receives - versus opting for a standard synthetic that only adds value as a preservation system.

By utilizing "hurdle technology", which is basically intelligent formulation using several different natural preservation factors, we can control microbial growth in the absence of traditional preservatives. The Honey Mud (along with all of our products) has been through extensive stability and preservative-effectiveness challenge testing and easily received its "pass" mark

Further, our skin loves salt. When applied topically, salt acts as a natural detoxifier, helping to gently shed dead skin cells. When you swim in the ocean, enjoy a salt bath, or indulge in salt as an ingredient in skin treatments, this vital mineral reduces fluid retention, relaxes tissue, and helps to keep skin clear and bright. It's particularly wonderful for acne-prone and easily-irritated complexions.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

Potassium sorbate is a naturally occurring organic salt of sorbic acid, found in certain fruits. Officially classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), and known for its safety and softness on the skin, it’s both non-toxic and food-grade, with a long history of use across both the worlds of skincare and food.

InThe Honey Mud, this salt plays a quiet but essential role: at just 0.2% of the formula, it serves two important purposes: 1) Preservation: It gently inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold, keeping your jar pristine from first to last use; and 2) pH Balance: It helps maintain the ideal environment for both skin health and formula stability.

Potassium sorbate’s trace inclusion enables us to avoid harsher synthetic preservatives, ensuring The Honey Mud’s fresh formula delivers safe and effective results for even the most sensitive complexions in our community.

Featured in: The Honey Mud

*Benzyl Benzoate is not an isolated ingredient we add to our formulas, rather it is a naturally occurring, non-synthetic component within our pure essential oils.

Benzyl benzoate exists in both a synthetic form, typically used in perfumery, or as a natural component of essential oils. Ours is produced naturally within plants’ floral tissue and is typically found in extracts of ylang ylang, jasmine, rosewood, Balsam of Peru, and cinnamon.  

Featured in: The Jasmine Garden, The Pendulum Potion, The Honey Mud, The Happy Galaxy and The Good Stuff

*Limonene is not an isolated ingredient we add to our formulas, rather it is a naturally occurring, non-synthetic component within our pure essential oils.

Limonene is a compound found in the essential oils of many plants such as lemon, lime, lemongrass, neroli, grapefruit, tangerine, peppermint, rose, sage, fennel, and geranium. Limonene is responsible for the sweet, lemon-like, pungent aroma we associate with citrus fruit.

Besides being a powerful antioxidant, limonene works as a penetration enhancer. When used in association with other natural, skin-friendly ingredients, we are able to enjoy the maximum benefits of each.

Featured in: The Blue Cocoon, The Youth Dew, The Honey Mud, The Pendulum Potion, The Happy Galaxy and The Good Stuff

*Benzyl Salicylate is not an isolated ingredient we add to our formulas, rather it is a naturally occurring, non-synthetic component within our pure essential oils.

Benzyl Salicylate exists in both a synthetic form, typically used in perfumery, or as a natural component of essential oils. Ours is produced naturally within plants’ floral tissue and is inherent in the botanical extracts of our precious rose, ylang-ylang, and jasmine. 

Featured in: The Honey Mud, The Pendulum Potion, The Happy Galaxy and The Good Stuff