OUR STORY

OUR CREATOR

My love affair with beauty and nature began at a young age, growing up on the eastern plains and in the southern mountain ranges of beautiful Colorado. Nature was then, and is now, my true home and where my heart will always live. 

At the young age of 18, my journey into the world of beauty began when I became a professional hairdresser, and to this day, I still have a passion for the craft of hair and beauty. I began to be exposed to beauty products of every kind and type-from haircare, to hair color, skincare to makeup and every professional product you could imagine. I quickly became enthralled with the endless lists of ingredients and formulas before me. I wanted to understand everything I could about the products I was using and recommending. I would study each and every ingredient to learn its function and it’s benefit. Whether it was for a filler or had a specific purpose, I was hooked on understanding more. 

Botanical and plant based formulas held particular fascination for me, because I found them more pleasurable to use, because they simply worked better, and because they seemed to have more lasting benefits for my clients. My budding curiosities were the first seeds of what would become a lifelong study of plants and nature in relation to beauty. What awakened inside of me was a deeply held belief that nature itself provides us with all we need for our beauty, wellness, and our lives. After we are nature.

Motherhood deepened my respect for the planet, and for a nature respecting and holistic approach, and after my first child was born, I became a practicing birth doula. This began a deeper study into essential oils, plant oils and the wide array of gorgeous botany used in wellness work. I became more and more conscious of what I was using, recommending and buying. I wanted to use products that I could truly feel good about, and at times, I found that hard to find. 

The more I learned about what goes into products, the more I learned that many products which claimed to be “natural” were anything but. They would have some natural ingredients in them, but would also be filled with ingredients that may have had a function, but had little benefit for the human body. The other thing I discovered was that many product companies had little or no actual involvement in the crafting or in the creation of their products, called white labeling, and their products were just copies of what had been used and made for decades. Sometimes, was little innovation, intention or craft involved in the making of these products, and despite claims otherwise, they were no better or more natural than what had been before them. The other thing I discovered was that a common practice in the cosmetic industry was to mass produce products, which resulted in products that were often unsustainably made, and  could be many years old by the time they found their way into their customers hands.

I had a different experience with more naturally formulated products. I liked what they stood for, but choosing them often meant that while I could trust the ingredients, they didn’t always perform well. They could be unpleasant to use and often left my skin and hair feeling heavy and oily.

I was also concerned about the messaging around beauty that I was hearing. I believed that beauty rituals should create a sacred space of self love and would support a deep sense of personal value and self care, rather than encourage fear, comparison or insecurity. I knew it would create a more lasting sense of beauty if the messages went deeper to heart of love for self and others.

There had to be a way to create products that were intentionally crafted, focused on truly beneficial ingredients, were made in a sustainable way, and actually worked- all while supporting a space of self love and value, right? 

In 2017, I began my formal study to become an organic and natural skincare formulator, which seemed a natural expansion of the different paths begun so long ago. Soon, I was developing my very first products. At this same time in my life, my husband and I bought an old building in our community and built a beauty collective with a design studio, a hair salon and a barbershop, but there was one space left. What would go in there, we wondered?

I remember the moment as if it happened yesterday. We were driving to our mountain home when suddenly, the idea fell upon me, almost as if physically. I could build a sustainable, fresh skincare kitchen. I could make the products I had wished for, for so long. They could be fresh, and consciously crafted. I could create them to be soothing, nourishing and effective. I could do this all with an intention of love and care. And, this is how the idea for La Recette Skincare was born. It's been a challenging path,  but we have been walking it with gratitude, love and grace ever since. 

As a formulator, I rely on a blend of ancient wisdoms, evolutionary and astro herbalism, as well as updated scientific understandings to craft formulas that deliver noticeable and lasting results.  

Nearly a lifetime of studies and experiences have flowed into the making of La Recette Skincare, and you can feel it. I heard the invitation to be a part of bringing more healing and light to the greater collective through what I create, and I accepted the call. <3

 THE PRODUCTS 

La Recette Skincare is a highly effective, yet simple, and deeply nourishing skincare brand that is thoughtfully designed and consciously crafted. I want the experience with each product to feel intimate and personal, to grow positive self and body awareness, and to evoke mindfulness. I believe that self care rituals can be a valuable and beautiful space in which to practice presence on a daily basis. 

Our products are formulated using only beneficial, natural ingredients, that are intentionally chosen for their skin loving and beauty supporting qualities. Our products are made in fresh micro batches. We make our batches so small in order to ensure that each products arrives to you fresh and stays that way from the moment of birth to the very last drop. This guarantees the most potent possible products, with ingredients still in their full vitality. They are made using cold processes, as much as possible, in order to maintain the highest concentration of phytonutrients and bioactive compounds often lost to high heat, over processing or to too long of a shelf life. Our formulas are consciously crafted by hand with simplicity, elegance and Love.

I deeply believe in the importance of creating sacred space dedicated to the simple daily practices of caring for oneself. After all, I've spent my entire career dedicated to the art of it. I believe, that holding space for self care is a simple way to create a loving relationship with your closest circle of intimacy, your own self.

I truly hope that you enjoy using my products as much I have loved crafting them for you. <3

With Love and Gratitude, 

 Ivy

WHAT WE BELIEVE

It is our belief that one of the greatest resources we have is our attention, and creating space for our own minds, bodies and spirits matters deeply. As a company, our attention is focused on the natural gifts and ways of our earthly planet.  After all, we are not just in nature, we ARE nature. As people, we experience the most meaningful, magical results when we align with this simple truth.

La Recette Skincare was created with this value as the cornerstone of all that we do. We only choose from ingredients which are created by nature herself, and have long been used for their beauty revealing benefits. We choose to use primarily plant based ingredients, with the exception of a select few ingredients, (beewax, organic honey, or organic goat milk) and are always conscientiously chosen for the nourishing gifts they offer. The healing and endless benefits of nature didn't start with us! It's been here all along.

We are committed to choosing ingredients that are earth friendly, sustainably harvested, are never tested on animals, and do not exploit the people who harvest them. 

We also believe that, as stewards of the Earth and lovers of people, we are responsible to give back to the place where our abundance has come from. We choose to support organizations that are dedicated to our Earth's wellbeing, and to those who are Her caretakers. We dedicate a percentage of all of our sales to organizations that are helping to make the Earth a more sustainable place for future generations to come. We commit 1% of all sales to organizations which support our common planets health.