In June of 2018 I came home for what was supposed to be a short visit for the summer, but the plants kept whispering to me to stay. On my flight home to Michigan from Cambodia where I had been working as an ESL teacher,I had a 12 hour layover in Taipei- the airport is full of cultural exhibits and had one highlighting Taiwanese beauty brands that were incorporating traditional bioregional botanicals into their skincare products combining modern science and traditional herbalism- this idea resonated with me and would shape the future of my work with plants. This first summer back felt like a reunion with my dearest friends- back in a world of plants I had known my whole life- what was once an interest became an obsession, and i filled my days with foraging, gardening and creating,  as I began to envision how I could create a career picking flowers and frolicing in the forest. 

I launched my business in late summer of 2018 with two hydrosols ( Sweet Fern and Labrador Tea!) two facial serums, and a variety of forest scented soaps.  I’ve always been captivated by the scents of the forest that raised me- the delicate sweet aroma of pine needles baking on the floor of sundrenched pine forests, the crisp scent of cedar and fir trees lining an icy stream, the petrichor of the earth in spring, or in fall after all the leaves have fallen- I seek to create skincare products that echo these landscapes.  My skincare line starts with a seed—it’s more than a product. It’s an alchemy of earth, plants, water, and passion. It’s an ode to the land that holds us: the Great Lakes Bioregion and the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, whose forests and meadows I walk and worship.

I specialize in distilling hydrosols and using them to create truly natural skincare products made with wild-harvested and garden-grown botanicals. When I started my business, I went back to school for programs in Cosmetic Science and Formulation to ensure my products were safe, effective, and shelf-stable using only natural preservatives. Creating my own skincare was born out of necessity- throughout my life I’ve had horrible reactions to commercial products, and often found many “green” skincare items to be lackluster- boasting plant derived ingredients yet still laden with artificial fragrance or synthetic ingredients and wanted to create effective natural skincare derived from real plants bridging the gap between the herbal traditions and modern science. 

As my business grew, so did my garden. One of the best parts about putting down roots back in my native northeast Michigan has been space to grow- I’ve had a small garden for much of my life, but in the last several years have had the privilege of being able to almost endlessly expand my garden and grow into the next phase of my work with plants. While the abundant conifers of my terroir were my original muse for distillation, each year I find myself diving deeper into my relationship with cultivating plants, and the infinite aromatic potential of my apothecary garden. Several years in, I now grow hundreds of plants each season on my micro herb farm of less than an acre, operate out of a 1300+ square foot plant lab and  state licensed kitchen space where I craft my wares. 

It feels deeply profound to cultivate a career rooted in the earth and the rhythms of nature—especially in an era when millions of people live in concrete jungles, disconnected from the plant world that has supported humanity for millennia. Each year, I start hundreds of seeds, grow thousands of flowers, and plan my days according to the sun and weather. 

Thank you for joining me on the journey of my life’s work!