A message from our founder on our mission and what Earth Day means to us
Before I started my own indie skincare company, I enrolled in a certification program at a small aromatherapy school in the East Village in New York City. I knew from my career as a trend consultant that natural beauty and small batch beauty was on the rise. I also knew from growing up in the Bay Area and from my own family that essential oils were delicious smelling and full of benefits. It wasn’t until six months later that I was able to link those two ideas together and concept out what would eventually become my brand, Esker. I learned about the botany, chemistry and skincare benefits of plants like lavender, eucalyptus, geranium, and so many more. I knew that not only did I want to create products around these incredible ingredients, I also wanted to honor them. There's a lot of confusion and murky information about essential oils and I wanted my products to bring clarity to the conversation and really show how functional they can be.
Essential oils are as diverse as herbs. Each one comes from a different plant that has a totally unique composition, aroma and skincare benefit. As I began to think about how to bring my natural body care line to life, I spent a lot of time thinking about these plant ingredients and what goes into harvesting and producing them. I wanted to create a brand that made people think more deeply about plant life. A huge part of that is acknowledging and appreciating the role that pollinators (bees, butterflies and birds) play in the ecosystem. As I learned how factors like urbanization and pollution contributed towards decreased population in pollinators, I knew that Esker could help make a difference and fight this problem. I was surprised to learn that the solution is quite straightforward - plant more flowers! Such a simple idea that was so inspiring. We include custom pollinator-friendly seed packets in each box of Body Oil to encourage the Esker community to add more flowers to the world.
As Earth Day approaches, let’s find time to slow down and take a moment to participate in a mindful ritual. Appreciate what beautiful plants this Earth provides and think about what we can do to help keep it growing . Let’s stop and smell the flowers--and of course, plant them too.
xo Shannon
