My name is Kim and I’m a stay-at-home mom for our toddler, Connor, our baby girl, Chloe, and our adopted, teenage niece, Isabel. I was born in South Korea, but my family immigrated to the United States when I was nine. We settled in Sacramento which is where I met my husband, Kent.
Kent is originally from Indiana where he stayed through college, before bouncing around Kansas, Alabama, and Montana pursuing his doctorate in chemistry and working with a college ministry for ten years. He moved to Sacramento in 2005 and we met in 2008. After we got married, we moved to Fresno for three years, before finally settling in southern California where he works as a college professor teaching chemistry.
Once we had our two little ones, we began using organic- or natural-sounding skin care products. But my husband’s background in chemistry made him concerned with some of the ingredients, causing us to dig deeper. One great resource we came upon is EWG’s Skin Deep Database. This site scores both products and individual ingredients on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the least hazardous and 10 being the most toxic. For example, one purportedly healthy baby lotion scores overall as moderately hazardous at 4 with individual ingredients scoring as high as an 8! And despite its organic-sounding name, it doesn’t contain a single organic ingredient!
It was these types of wolves in sheep’s clothing that made us want to create something different. Products that are as organic, natural, and safe as possible. Products where every single ingredient scores low on the Skin Deep Database, meaning they are rated as non-toxic as can be. And products where every ingredient meets Whole Foods’ strict Premium Body Care Standards.
But just as important as the ingredients we selected, are the ones that didn’t make the cut. First, we left out controversial artificial fragrances and dyes. At best, they’re like junk food for your skin; at worst, they can contain phthalates, carcinogens, and petroleum-derived ingredients, not to mention various allergens we just wouldn’t trust for our babies or yours. Speaking of allergens, we also ensured our ingredients are 100% gluten-free.
Next, we excluded all sulfates, phthalates, and parabens. While these are huge classes of compounds that contain thousands of varieties, some are known to act as allergens or even carcinogens, so in the interest of safety for the widest possible audience, we decided to exclude them completely.
Our first product took six months, over two dozen formulations, and fourteen prototypes, but we finally succeeded! Weβre confident that our premium baby skin care products contain the safest possible ingredients we could find, while also meeting Whole Foods’ strict standards. Their organic, natural, and plant-based ingredients are not only great for babies, but toddlers, teens, and parents too! We canβt wait for you to try them.
That’s pretty much it! You’ve heard the entire story from start to finish of how we went from mom & dad to budding entrepreneurs creating a healthy lotion for our babies, and yours. Got a question or comment? Weβd love to hear from you.
From our family to yours,
βIn that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.’β – ββIsaiahβ¬ β12:4-5β¬