Whether it’s the proximity to vineyards and bountiful pristine wilderness or the general atmosphere of cutting-edge innovation, the Bay Area has become an focal point for eco-conscious, natural beauty. The region is home to a growing number of farm-to-bottle beauty brands that are just as efficacious as they are luxurious—plus a slew of like-minded stores that only feature products with the same ethos. Below, a roundup of top Northern California brands to have on your radar.
True Botanicals
Courtesy of True Botanicals
True Botanicals
Based in Mill Valley just a short drive north of San Francisco, True Botanicals is known for its addictive face oils, glow-inducing cellular repair serums, and potent vitamin C boosters—all packaged in apothecary-style brown glass bottles to keep the formulas fresh and undisturbed by outside elements. Founder Hillary Peterson considers the location to be strategic to the brand's forward-thinking principles that blend wellness (transformative skincare without toxins) and technology (working with tech innovators for the best direct-to-consumer online shopping experience). “Our company is focused on elevating the bar in our industry in many ways and the Bay Area is such a fertile environment to inspire our brand from all angles,” she says.
Vintner’s Daughter
With a family history in vineyards, the fertile wine region was a natural home base for April Gargiulo to create her cult-favorite botanical treatment. “Napa Valley is our home and a place that was founded on the idea of supreme quality,” says Gargiulo. “Similarly, Vintner’s Daughter is obsessively committed to creating skincare made from the highest quality ingredients using time-honored, methodical formulation practices. Like fine winemaking, we do not take short cuts—ever.” The luxurious serum is packed with 22 active botanicals and essential oils that, when pressed into skin using Gargiulo’s signature massage technique, helps with everything from acne to sun damage.
Juniper Ridge
Courtesy of Juniper Ridge
Juniper Ridge
This harvest-heavy line began 18 years ago when founder Hall Newbegin started selling his homemade trail soap out of a cooler at farmers’ markets alongside other local, now-familiar brands (like Blue Bottle Coffee and The Fatted Calf). The Oakland-based company still does everything by hand, from foraging plants and extracting essential oils to bottling and shipping orders. “Basically we’re doing the same thing that the French perfume house Guerlain did 250 years ago: Cataloging the native plants around us and identifying what their fragrance qualities are,” says Newbegin. The proximity to diverse wilderness helps them dictate the type of scents and products. "In the Bay Area, we pay attention to the ingredients in beauty products: their provenance, integrity, sustainability, purity, and efficacy,” he says. “We want to know what an ingredient will do for us, not just how it makes us look.”
Earth Tu Face/Cosmos
Plant-based, organic, and even edible (should you want to taste that rose petal-infused honey mask), Earth Tu Face has been a longtime local favorite since herbalist Sarah Busco created it five years ago. “The Bay Area is one of the best growing spots in our country with a year-round ability to garden different healing herbs—ideal for that aspect of Earth Tu Face,” says Busco. “We know the plants here, their healing benefits, seasons, smells, and spots.” If you’re already a fan of her skin-quenching coconut body butter or multi-purpose skin sticks, you might like their newly launched Cosmos line, a streamlined skincare regime in the form of a four-piece collection that’s based on Earth Tu Face’s most popular formulas.
Juice Beauty
Claudine Gossett
Juice Beauty
You may already be familiar with this Gwyneth Paltrow-approved brand, but you may not know that every aspect of the company—from its San Rafael-based corporate headquarters to its packaging—is sustainable. “We believe that by tapping into our local environment, resources, and talent, it is better for both our community and our eco-system,” says founder Karen Behnke. The neighboring farms and vineyards serve as inspiration for the fruit-based stem cells in the line’s bestselling skincare collection, as well as upcoming product launches that involve all parts—juice, skin, seed oil—of organic red grapes. Even its new vegan Phyto-Pigments makeup collection, under creative director Paltrow, is packed with certified organic ingredients. “It’s all about enhancing natural beauty, not simply covering or concealing it—that’s what the Bay Area woman is about,” says Behnke.
RELATED
- Free People Is Launching Natural-Focused Beauty
- 5 Natural Beauty Products You'll Love Long After Earth Day
- The 5 Must-Visit Beauty Spots in Portland, Oregon
Etta+Billie
After seeing too many food-themed beauty products that were overtly sweet-sounding (and smelling) and didn’t actual delve into the breadth of food culture, Alana Rivera decided to bring something new to the table with her indie bodycare line [Etta+Billie] (http://ift.tt/1p0swwS). “What sets us apart is our intense focus on sustainability paired with finding inspiration in food,” says Rivera. “I’ve always been a food lover and one of my favorite parts about it is its ability to nourish and bring people together.” Rivera is a fan of San Francisco’s collaborative atmosphere, and works with local eateries like [Craftsman and Wolves] (http://ift.tt/LFMEFD) and [The Morris] (http://ift.tt/2gkIW86) on special products. “I believe collaborating with other makers outside of your realm helps you to push your own creative boundaries, which tend lead to more delicious discoveries,” she says.
Courtesy of Ayla
Ayla
Dara Kennedy was living in New York, when she started conceptualizing her San Francisco store. “There’s an openness here to all things natural and organic, and I figured that would eventually include beauty as well,” says Kennedy. “It was very early in the green beauty movement when we first opened, but now it seems as though natural beauty is everywhere.” From stress-reducing elixirs from France’s Les Fleurs de Bach to 100 percent organic oils from Uma’s centuries-old Indian farm, Kennedy vets each and every formula she carries. She also frequently partners with like-minded and complementary brands on in-store events. “We want to do everything we can to help our customers feel healthy and beautiful, and connecting them with resources is a big part of that,” she says.
Credo
A unique aspect of S.F.-based beauty site and boutique Credo is its “Clean Beauty Swaps,” where customers can come in with products they currently use and the store will help them find the clean version of that product. Based on a community-building ethos that seems to be echoed throughout the Bay Area beauty scene, the company aims for total transparency in its brand selection and educating customers to the concept of clean beauty. You’ll find products from established and locally-made In Fiore and Marie Veronique alongside emerging and similarly beloved brands like Kjaer Weis and African Botanícs.
How to pack like a supermodel:
0 Response to "The Bay Area’s Blossoming Natural Beauty Scene"
Post a Comment