defining quality
QUALITY IS VISIBLE VITALITY
The phrase โhigh qualityโ loses its meaning when it isnโt defined.
Ingredient quality determines the efficacy of a formula. And while it is a common phrase, we see our own standard for quality as anything but common.
We have an unreasonable standard for our ingredients and formulas that we havenโt seen elsewhere.
Here, we define what quality means to us and how our standards shape our formulas.
laurel skin’s unreasonable standards
- 100% whole-plant ingredients, always raw and unrefined
- Organic always, with biodynamic, regenerative, and regional sourcing whenever possible
- No synthetics of any kind, including bioidenticals, isolates, or lab-created derivatives
- No water, alcohol, fillers, or diluents used to pad or stretch formulas
- No carcinogens, hormone disruptors, synthetic fragrances, or GMOs
- No conventionally grown plants and no chemical processing post-harvest
Our belief is that anything other than a whole, organically grown plant has the potential to cause long-term harm to the skin, the body, and the planet in ways we may not yet fully understand. Even ingredients considered โsafeโ or acceptable within the skincare industry are often not of Nature. So, we donโt use them.
These standards are demanding. They require time, patience, close relationships with farms, and a willingness to work within natureโs constraints rather than override them. But they are also the reason our plant medicine behaves differently on the skin.
Herbs & Flowers
Every whole plant we work with is organic or biodynamic. We make no exceptions.
We partner with small, regional farms as close to our Apothecary-Lab as possible to source the flowers and herbs that thrive in our California climate. Many are grown by us at the Laurel Skin farm. Our work with these farms begins in winter, before seeds are even planted, and continues through harvest.
Once hand-harvested, the plants travel directly to our apothecary-lab, where they are transformed into plant medicine for the skin. We process them as little as possible to preserve freshness, vitality, and their full-spectrum medicinal integrity.
Standard commercial botanical extracts are far removed from their source, often separated by continents and years. As a result, the plants are nutritionally depleted and then highly refined with chemical solvents to make an extract. What remains may still carry a botanical name, but little of the plantโs original intelligence.
Our extracts are made by herbalists, with whole plants using whole plant mediums like organic flax glycerine or biodynamic grape alcohol, without synthetic chemical solvents. This approach keeps each plant as close as possible to what Nature intended, allowing its full medicinal and energetic qualities to remain intact.
plant lipid oils
The integrity of our plant oils is one of the primary reasons our products are so effective.
All of the oils we use are organic or biodynamic, raw, cold-pressed, unrefined, and pressed fresh for us by the farms that grow them or by artisan seed pressers. This level of quality is unmatched. The term โcold pressedโ alone tells you very little about an oilโs true integrity, because the frictional heat from those presses is still capable of damaging delicate lipids. Our lipids are either carbon-pressure pressed or slow-drip pressed, taking as long as 10 hours per gallon.
True oil quality is rarely discussed in skincare, yet it is foundational to efficacy. Fresh, unrefined oils are richly hued and carry a distinct vegetal aroma, clear indicators that their antioxidants, nutrients, and enzymes remain intact.
Commercial skincare oils are chemically or physically refined to remove color and scent. While permitted under organic certification, this process strips beneficial phytonutrients and antioxidants, destabilizes lipid structure, and leaves petrochemical residues behind. The result is an oil that may feel pleasant, but offers little long-term nourishment.
(Our oils are so nutrient-dense that they are exempt from common PUFA concerns. You can read more about this in our Seed Oil Apothecary Pages Entry.)
hydrosols
Our hydrating products are made with hydrosols: distilled plant waters that are raw, living, and bioactive.
Every hydrosol we use is organic or biodynamic and distilled exclusively for us by our artisan partner farmers, primarily in California and Washington, to keep these sourced as regionally as possible. Some are distilled by us at the Laurel Skin farm. This is a slow, careful process that begins with early hand harvests and a gentle distillation that can take an entire day. Through steam, the water captures various medicinal constituents of the plant, including its aromatic, volatile compounds, as well as what some call the โsoulโ of the plant.
Most hydrosols are the byproduct of international mass essential oil production. Laurel Skin hydrosols are made domestically and with the primary intention of creating a hydrosol, which means the process varies, and the end result has a wider range of medicinal phytonutrients.
Hydrosols are naturally hydrating humectants. They are cooling, soothing, and supportive to the skin, making each formula more effective and more complete. We choose hydrosols in place of more conventional formula base ingredients like water, aloe, glycerin, or alcohol, which are commonly used to dilute formulas rather than contribute meaningful benefits.
essential oils
Like our plant oils, the essential oils we work with are of a rare and artisanal quality.
They are distilled by artisan master distillers, many of whom farm the plants themselves. In many cases, these distillations are created exclusively for Laurel Skin. This level of transparency and relationship is uncommon, but essential to preserving the integrity of the plant.
Adulteration of essential oils with synthetic components is widespread, and lab documentation alone is often falsified or insufficient to detect it. Laurelโs background as a sommelier allows her to assess essential oils beyond paperwork, using sensory evaluation to ensure they have not been diluted or contaminated with synthetics.
Because essential oil production requires significant plant material and land, we consider regenerative farming a non-negotiable ethical standard. We do not use conventionally grown or wildcrafted plants for essential oil production, as these unsustainable methods place undue strain on communities and ecosystems, and do not support long-term planetary health.
QUALITY IS VISIBLE VITALITY
