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A little about Julie Longyear and Blissoma...
Blissoma's roots extend back over 20 years ago to a time when green beauty was not trendy and wellness wasn't an industry. Founder Julie Longyear was led into a path of researching and using herbal medicines when debilitating migraines took over her life at age 19.
Prescription drugs caused more problems than they solved, and so she turned to medicinal plants to help rebalance her body. This effort began a lifelong fascination with the infinitely varied chemistry of botanicals and the benefits they offer people. When Julie's skin began having painful and persistent acne problems in her late 20s she applied the herbal knowledge she had gained and put her chemistry training to work. Clear skin and the initial recipes for Blissoma were the result.
It took two full years of experimentation to devise the initial collection of Blissoma skincare. The products were completely original and not based on contract manufacturing stock bases or sample recipes from ingredient manufacturers. Each came from a "beginner's mind" in an effort to reinvent skincare construction to better benefit the health of the skin.
Julie saw that most of the botanical ingredients in cosmetic products were so stripped of their initial vitality and nutrition that they were totally ineffective. The standard cosmetic extracts offered nothing to the end user but empty claims and pretty flowers and leaves printed on the bottles. Julie's goal was to turn this situation on its head and create an authentic, nourishing experience that showed the full extent of what plants can do.
Many people don’t realize that herb extracts available from cosmetic ingredient suppliers often include barrier-disrupting, petroleum-based solvents like propylene glycol and hidden, irritating preservatives that never appear on the final ingredients declaration due to FDA labeling loopholes. For people with sensitive skin, this makes shopping for skincare a minefield of potential reactions.
Blissoma started making extracts from whole, organic herbs to be able to control potency and to be able to offer botanical nutrition without all the unwanted carriers and preservatives. Their process uses time-honored techniques from herbalism. Organic alcohol acts as a solvent and preservative, allowing the extract to be processed without heat that would damage sensitive compounds. It helps carry more beneficial nutrients from the herbs into the extract and then to the skin.
Products like the incredibly popular Fresh Mild Rice Facial Cleanser include willow bark and echinacea extracts that are made in-house. The Adapt Bio Balance Tonique is also preserved primarily with alcohol and includes a cold brew infusion of rhodiola, red clover, and calendula for acne-prone skin.
Herbs for Blissoma skincare are sourced from regenerative, independent, and organic farms around the world. Money is spent directly with farmers who are nourishing soil and healing the land.
Every Blissoma skincare recipe is based on scientific research, testing, and feedback from people with seriously sensitive skin. The recipes prove that beauty doesn’t have to hurt. Compassion and support guide their philosophy. The recipes follow the principles of corneotherapy and prioritize skin barrier health. Skin improvements are usually visible within days to weeks, and clients have seen major transformations even when dermatologists and big brands have failed them.
The company is still independently owned and has enjoyed more than a decade of grassroots growth. In 2015 the brand renovated and moved into a 5750-square-foot building to expand manufacturing, and in 2018 they purchased that same building after several years of hard work to save a downpayment.
Every Blissoma product is still made in-house at this same vertically integrated, solar-powered facility. Every day the Blissoma team comes to work with open hearts, ready to challenge the beauty industry norms and show people the true value in whole plants and healthy beauty.
Certifications, Awards, and Celebs:
Blissoma is a Certified Cruelty-Free and Vegan brand. They have won 13 industry awards and help thousands of people achieve clear, calm skin each year. Celebrity clients have included Carice Van Houten and Lena Headey of Game of Thrones and the Fanning sisters. The products are used by over 200 estheticians and spas in the USA and are sold internationally in Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Europe.
Special Ingredients:
Fresh, organic extracts are made from scratch at the Blissoma studio from herbs like organic heather flowers and olive leaves. Fresh juice from raw, organic carrots and celery is used in serums and masks. The few extracts that Blissoma does not make themselves are procured from extraordinarily clean, pioneering companies. Superplants like Pomella (R) pomegranate extract, ginseng extract, green coffee, and wasabi extracts are among the uniquely potent ingredients included. Unrefined botanicals are the highest in active compounds like antioxidants and phytonutrients and so raw, whole plants are the focus of each product. The products show the authenticity of their raw ingredients in their range of beautiful yellow, green, purple, and amber hues.
Ingredients we don’t use:
Blissoma recipes are constructed with a strict palette of simple, biodegradable, healthy, and plant-based ingredients. Synthetic and artificial ingredients like carbomers, polysorbates, silicones, glycols, and many others are not included. Blissoma products are preserved with naturally based antimicrobial ingredients like salicylate-rich aspen bark extract and compounds like glyceryl caprylate that are friendly to the health of people and the environment. The line completely avoids synthetic preservatives like parabens, methylisothiazolinone, and even phenoxyethanol. Blissoma also does not use retinoids, intense acids in peels, and neuropeptides because of how these ingredients affect the skin and body. The products are also entirely free of petrochemicals, nuts, gluten, and offer intelligent, considered options for people with skin allergies to many botanicals.
Every Blissoma product is far more than what it does not use, however, as the real focus is on building a recipe out of the most vibrant, nutritious plants possible. Products have a "Full Ingredient Disclosure Guarantee" that all ingredients in the products are proudly declared on the website and on the products. Blissoma exceeds FDA labeling requirements by declaring all preservatives for individual ingredients so that you can make intelligent decisions about what you choose to put on your body. Nothing is hidden.
Thank you Blissoma for being our September Customer Spotlight! Check out all of Blissoma's products here!
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