Meet Laurel

I am Laurel, the founder, formulator, plant communicator, loving center, and driving force behind Laurel Skin. I have led a winding journey filled with education, research, and study that led to my path as a sommelier, and eventually a skin specific herbalist. Those formal training paths, as well as my experience in farm, spa, and mindful wellness have made it possible for me to live the life of a slow farmed beauty advocate and creator of farm-based and hyper-localized spa rituals and formulas. I walk a balance beam with one side in wonderment and appreciation of phytochemistry and the other a world of intuitive trust and respect for whole plant wisdom and ancient traditions. That balance allows me to create formulas of long-standing efficacy. Nature is my greatest inspiration and catalyst for creating formulas and rituals, and my greatest achievements as a formulator thus far have come from a stillness and trust in Nature.

My Journey

A curiosity sparked by my own health is what initially drew me to natural beauty and holistic health practices. I was moved by the power of plants and how they were able to heal so much more fully and completely than pharmaceuticals. As a fervent traveler, I often found there was void in non-toxic beauty options at the destinations I loved. I made it my life’s mission to create products that I wanted for myself: products that harnessed the efficacy of authentic vibrant plant medicine, that were made thoughtfully by hand by real farmed ingredients, and that only elevated the sacred ritual spa experience of each unique destination. My background as a sommelier, discerning nose, and knowledge of the precision of grape farming lent itself perfectly to my education in herbal medicine, with an emphasis in physiology and phytochemistry. I discovered my ability to not only feel and understand a plant’s function as it relates to our skin, but I also developed a rare sense to determine the purity and quality of our raw ingredients from harvest details to age and storage conditions. My love for biodynamic and regenerative farming practices informed my decision to select only ingredients that are artisan-farmed and as local as possible, and at a bare minimum always organic.

My heart

I believe love is the most powerful healing tool available. I love what I do and I feel so lucky to get to bridge the worlds of science and Nature together- sharing all that plants have to offer with others. I see myself as a connector of people and plants and that purpose fills my heart. I love my adorable dogs and my husband. I treasure farms, food, Nature, and music. My favorite days are spent in Nature; redwoods, wildflowers, and an ocean breeze are such gifts. My present journey is one that is teaching me to communicate with plants even more deeply, trust Nature even more fully and live a life in service to Mother Earth.