About
handmade in small batches in Vermont
gentle, sensitive skin-friendly skin care + hand-poured scented candles
I was in my thirties when my sensitive skin journey began and I was diagnosed with eczema. Frustratingly, I received very little advice or education on my condition from my doctors. Instead, I was given a prescription for a steroid cream and told to use it sparingly. Needless to say, I was not satisfied.
So I took it upon myself to learn how to care for my sensitive skin. That's when I discovered the skin-first philosophy of Korean skincare. It focuses on feeding the skin so you may not need to rely on harsh prescriptions, heavy makeup, or globs of products to feel and look comfortable in your skin.
The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the science behind gentle yet effective skin care products. But as I began to understand ingredient labels, the benefits of various ingredients, the structure of product formulas, and how healthy skin functions, the more I realized what I was really looking for didn't exist. So I dug into the science of sensitive skin, enrolled in formulation classes, and began developing my own products.
What started as a journey to manage my own skin, morphed into a desire to create a brand that offered products to help others like me.
Hi, I'm tammy!
My Story
Caring for sensitive skin means thinking differently about every aspect of your daily personal care routine - from the types of products you use down to the individual ingredients each contains. Those with dry, irritated, reactive, or sensitive skin benefit most from a routine that aims to soothe and nourish.
In developing my products, I focus on formulating with ingredients that focus on repairing the skin barrier, providing hydration, and helping to lock it in. Here's why:
Skin barrier repair: A damaged skin barrier can lead to dryness, inflammation, irritation, chronic skin conditions such as eczema and acne, and premature skin aging. Maintaining a healthy skin barrier helps prevent moisture loss, maintains the skin's microbiome, and protects against environmental stressors. To build a healthy skin barrier, your skin needs two things: hydration and moisturization.
Hydration: When its healthy, the top most layer of our skin (the stratum corneum), consists of 20-30% water. Without it, our skin can become dry, irritated or sensitive. The key to boosting our skin's water content is to introduce hydrating ingredients to help attract water and bind it to the skin.
Moisturization: In skin care, moisturizing isn't about adding water, but holding on to it. Locking in water helps prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL), repairing the skin barrier and enabling the skin to stay smooth and supple.
*The State of Sensitivity Report, Aveeno 2022. **National Candle Association.
Sensitive skin isn't always triggered by ingredients or a chronic skin condition. For 47% of those who identify as having sensitive skin, stress is a major cause of their skin reactions.*
And while most people burn candles for their pleasing scent, an increasing number are using them for aromatherapy-like relaxation and stress reduction.**
This makes candles a great tool for helping to manage stress, and therefore, are a complement to a sensitive skin-friendly lifestyle.
That's why, to aid in establishing a whole body personal care routine, I also offer a limited range of scented candles.
My candles feature wooden wicks that help expand the sensory experience of a burning candle by adding the soft crackle of a traditional fire to the soothing light of a dancing flame and the therapeutic aroma of fragrance oils.
My approach to skincare is all about simplicity. Because one of the best ways to soothe and prevent irritation from the use of skincare products, cosmetics, and life is to use less.
That's way my products focus on using:
Minimal Ingredients
Its recommended that those with easily irritated, reactive, or sensitive skin use skincare products containing less than 15 ingredients. The fewer the ingredients, the lower the potential for skin irritation. But seeing products with more than 20 ingredients is common among big name brands, even those developed specifically for sensitive skin.
With every product I create, my goal is to keep my ingredient list under 15 with a focus on those that have low-irritancy potential.
Simple Routines
The number of skincare and haircare products that are available is staggering. When I discovered Korean skincare, the 10 step routine was popular. But for those with sensitive skin, using too many products invites the potential for irritation.
That's why I offer a minimal line of products that focus on the essentials: cleansing, treating, and moisturizing. Because for those with sensitive skin, simple routines are best.
Microdosing
We love our skincare actives, like Vitamin C and Vitamin A (retinol). But too many actives at high concentrations can lead to skin irritation. The practice of microdosing provides the opportunity to regularly deliver high performing actives at lower concentrations to help reduce the potential for irritation.
My products utilize the microdosing philosophy to provide the benefits of skincare actives such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and more to help prevent irritation.
