A couple of months back I was introduced to a beautiful skincare line at work.

I basically haven’t stopped thinking about it since!

I read through Laurel’s whole website while writing a blog post for work. I couldn’t believe how much I learned about skincare, plants, and environmentally conscious farming just from one skincare brand’s website.

Basically, Laurel, the founder and formulator of the products, and herbalist,  is insanely passionate and knowledgeable about the healing power of plants. She started making her own skincare products from the plants that she loved and eventually started her own skincare line.

“I see myself as a connector of people and plants and that purpose fills my heart.”

One Of My Favorite Quotes From Laurel

Laurel focuses her brand not only around the healing power of plants but also around the concept of  ‘Slow Beauty’. Slow Beauty suggests that we make our beauty regimens a part of our self care routine. It encourages us to not just wear make up and use skincare products because society tells us that we should want to look a certain way, but to choose the products that we use wisely and to use the ones that make us feel good about ourselves and that make us feel like we are taking care of ourselves as well as our skin.

This could mean anything from choosing a cream highlighter over a baked powder highlighter because the cream feels more nourishing (this is just what makes me feel good, if you love a pressed powder highlighter then by all means, use it and enjoy it!), to enjoying the aroma of a plant based facial cleanser or mist (more on this later ♥), taking the time to massage a body oil into your skin after showering because having moisturized skin makes you feel good, all the way to practicing sustainable beauty routines by choosing products that are environmentally friendly.

Another thing that I ADORE about Laurel Skin is that they practice sustainable and Biodynamic farming.

Nearly all of Laurel’s ingredients are sourced from within 100 miles of the brand’s Sausalito based lab. They source from artisan and organic farmers who choose to grow their plants Biodynamically. This means that they take a holistic approach to farming and grow their plants in a way that benefits the earth, natures inhabitants and their eco systems, and the health of the land. I loved reading this blog post on Laurel’s website to learn more about Biodynamic farming. Laurel works closely with all of her suppliers to ensure that her products are made of only the purest and most responsibly grown ingredients.

 

Laurel circles Biodynamic and sustainable farming back around to Slow Beauty. The thoughtfulness of Biodyanamic farming has everything to do with the thoughtfulness that goes into curating an aromatic plant based skincare ritual. It’s all about appreciating the ingredients that are used in Laurel’s products even when they are just seeds being planted in high quality soil all the way up until it is packaged in Laurel’s adorable glass bottles and nourishing the skin. I find this appreciation for plants and flowers so grounding.

The last thing about the Laurel Skin website that I have to gush about is how much information they offer about the benefits of the ingredients in their products. Every product page lists the products key ingredients and why the ingredient was chosen for the function of the specific product.

For example the website explains that Helichrysum is in the Blemish Treatment formulation because, “It reduces redness and swelling. It strengthens tissues and supports cellular healing activity; and prevents and reduces the appearances of scars.”

I can’t even count the amount of times that I have found myself geeking out reading this website from top to bottom.

While I am incredibly interested in nearly every product that Laurel creates, so far I have added two to my skincare collection and have been so thrilled to use them.

The first is the Elixir for Oily to Combination skin.

Remember that aromatic plant based facial mist I was enjoying earlier in the post? This was it.

It smells like a relaxing summer evening spent eating oranges. The main scents that I pick up when I spritz it are the Chamomille Hydrosol, the Orange Blossom Hydrosol, and the Lavender Hydrosol. & Keep in mind all of the hydrosols in all of Laurel’s products are made in house by herself or her small production team by using the whole plant, not just extracts from the plant.

Laurel’s website says that,

“This German Chamomile Hydrosol, grown and distilled in Oregon is the ultimate cooler, soother and reliever for reactive, red, inflamed or acneic skin. It is a true skin game-changer, and is as powerful and strong as it is delicate and gentle.”

Laurel Skin

The elixir also contains Meadowsweet,

“Deep pore clarifying Meadowsweet is a soothing and balancing plant. It is cleansing and purifying, while at the same time calms and reduces irritation in the skin.”

Laurel Skin

Laurel also says that this toner focuses on balancing, calming, and hydrating the skin by delivering anti-inflammatory plant medicine in each spritz.

I have found this product to be incredibly balancing and also have found that it sits amazing over top of make up!

The other Laurel beauty I have loved every second of having is the Anti-Inflammatory Serum. 

I love using this serum (and all other oils/serums!) with the Oily to Combo Elixir. Adding the elixir adds a water component to the oil; often times the skin needs, either water itself, or a water based ingredient to be able to absorb the oils that we put on our skin. The hydrolsols in the elixir are water that has been infused with whole plants.

 

The Anti-Inflammatory Serum has instantly lessened inflammation in my skin on many occasions. The first time I experienced its affects I was blown away. One night I had one too many beers (classy, I know) and woke up the next day with an incredibly red and inflamed face. I wasn’t at all surprised by this, but I was incredibly surprised when I applied the Anti-Inflammatory Serum and instantly saw the inflammation go down. Again, not my proudest moment, but, a true story that is worth sharing.

Lets move away from talking about drinking too much beer to the lovely aroma of this serum, shall we?

The Anti-Inflammatory Serum smells a bit less like summer to me and a bit more like fall. It smells like unwinding at around 7:30 pm on one of the first days of fall at the end of September. The sun is going down a bit earlier but it’s okay because it feels nice to be all cozy inside. I picture a vase full of flowers and feel myself appreciating them just a little bit extra because I know that they’ll stop blooming as the cold weather approaches.

This serum is jojoba oil based so it is super lightweight. Another carefully chosen and carefully sourced ingredient in this product is,

“Baical Skullcap – As lovers of herbal medicine, this is by far the most potent anti-inflammatory that we have found. It has a strong antihistamine like effect, and supports the skin to work through reactivity with ease. This yellow root is also specific to allergic reactions, and supports skin that often reacts to food and environments negatively.”

Laurel Skin

I’ve basically been swooning over this brand every since the incredible training we had at work back in April.

Not only are Laurel’s products so lovely and thoughtfully curated, I have loved being able to learn more about plant medicine in skincare on their website.

This skincare brand has truly re-sparked my love for skincare and I have loved every second of it.

Thanks for reading!