Our Subversive Skincare
The Revolution Starts In You.
OUR ROOTS
How did it begin? Laena found the holy grail of lotion: the most delicious scent transported her, and it left her skin glowing and radiant. She never forgot that scent, that feeling, of the magic lotion that she got from a little subterranean herbal shop in Italy many, many years ago. She chased the memory of that scent for years. She searched for a replica, sometimes getting a whiff of a few notes, but never finding anything comparable. It was allusive, alluring. After two fruitless decades, she finally decided to try and make her own. So began her foray into skincare. At first, it was the desire for the perfect scent. It deepened when she used her growing knowledge to help heal friends with skin issues like eczema and rosacea. And it solidified into an obsession when she had a baby and realized how much crap is in most skincare. [Visit our shop to see what she's crafting now, or check out Edible Beaute to learn more about cleaning up your skincare routine.]
THE DIRT ON "CLEANSING" AND "CARE"
Cosmetics are not regulated in the US. This means that no one is checking to see what is in your skincare.
The European Union bans 1,400 ingredients from cosmetics. The United States Food & Drug Administration bans only 30. And of these 30, many are just ridiculously bad, like chloroform (cancerous, and actually lethal), asbestos, vinyl chloride (very cancerous), mercury (not banned even, just regulated), and red dye #3.
Many “organic” products actually contain as little as 10% organic ingredients. That's because no one is policing the cosmetics industry. No one is checking to confirm what is written on the label.
WHY WE CARE
Our skin is our body’s largest organ, and whatever we put on our skin is entering our bloodstream. Our skin absorbs 60% of any topical product we use, and the average woman in America wears nearly 520 chemicals a day.
After Laena had her daughter two years ago, she created her first product: "The Everything" Skin Serum. It is super simple, just a few super high-quality ingredients, oils that have been infused with safe, healing herbs. It's called "The Everything" because it can be used as a face cleanser, moisturizer, healing balm, age minimizer, acne reducer, blemish treatment, and irritant calmer. It's safe for baby butts and sensitive faces. Laena likes to say, "It feels like magic, but it's actually science."
YOU CAN SAY NO
The good news? You really can clean up your skincare, easily, and save money too. it is way cheaper to use one bottle of healing oil or serum vs. cleansers, night creams, day moisturizers, acne creams, diaper rash fixer, weird rash calmer, etc. And you can make it yourself if you want to, because our recipes are shareable and transparent. Take a class!
LESS IS MORE : OUR MANTRA
Less mess, less toxins leave more room for the good stuff in your life.
That's why we practice what we preach: our products are 100% toxin free, and our labels are readable, written in clear English. We also teach affordable classes, teaching our community how to make their own skincare.
Our products are not only free of bad stuff, but we actually replace the bad stuff with good stuff, healing herbs and botanicals. We craft everything in small batches at our wellness studio in Brooklyn, NY.
Why is it subversive? Everything we make is 100% plant based, and we use ancient, time-tested techniques to harness their healing properties and support real beauty that is natural and nutritive vs synthetic and toxic.
Everything we do is 100% transparent: our ingredients are simple and minimal, the magic comes with the time and care in our craft. Contact us for more information on our products, support, advice and consultation.
Join the Club :: let's be friends
Want to make your own skincare? Or design your own all-natural, plant-based perfume? Check out our Self-Care Social Club blog, book a private session to get your own signature skincare or perfume designed for you, or come to a live class in NYC or Chicago.