When I used to think about what I wanted to do in life, developing skincare was not at the top of my list. To be honest, it wasn’t even on my list! In college, one of my internships was in research and development for topical over the counter (OTC) and cosmetic products. I loved learning about the science behind skin care and the complexity of our skin. It’s something that I previously didn’t give too much thought to when applying products, I just knew what texture and scent I liked. After that, I made it my career. I developed many different types of products over the years and eventually found my passion in plant based skincare.

In my personal life, I really began focusing on my environmental impact on the world. The impact of what I was buying and where I was buying it from became a daily thought for me. Everything I tossed into the trash made me wonder if it was worth the landfill space or if I could have spent more time finding a more sustainable option. “Can this be composted?” is something I asked myself constantly. Eventually I realized if I wanted to live a more sustainable life, I had to stop developing products for companies who do not make sustainability a priority. While there are so many options out there for natural and green skincare products, I still thought that there was room for improvement, especially in the packaging.

So I quit my job and spent every day for a year formulating effective products and researching packaging sustainability. I spent countless hours scouring the internet for post consumer recycled aluminum bottles. I even pushed the launch of Viriskin to make sure our products were in the most sustainable packaging available. While there are still steps we need to take to become even more planet friendly, I couldn’t be happier with how it went and where we are!