The Maine Ingredient
Protect your skin with products from these Maine companies using local ingredients
By Jarrod Joy
As fall approaches, there’s no better time to consider how best to care for our skin. With Maine’s vibrant community of farms and small businesses, it’s no surprise that the state is home to an abundance of quality skincare brands. For as long as people have lived here, Mainers have taken to the land and the sea to make their living — and many of those natural resources are great for your skin. From blueberries and calendula flowers to sea resources like kelp and seaweed, Maine’s thriving ecosystems have everything we need to keep our skin healthy.
Holmes + Hudson is a small-batch skincare company that truly shows how far a personal touch can go. From their glass packaging with hand-drawn designs to their locally foraged botanicals, plant oils, and clays, these products will help protect your skin in winter months and look beautiful on your shelf. Each formulation has a blend of essential oils that were selected to provide aromatherapeutic benefits as well. You truly cannot go wrong with their Dandelion Magic Body Oil, their lip balm, or their bath soaks.
Planet Botanicals works with sustainable Maine seaweed harvesters to source sugar kelp and rockweed, and collaborates with women’s cooperatives and farms in Africa to source their shea butter. They were first inspired to start their brand after being instructed on perfecting the art of shea butter harvesting by one of these cooperatives in Ghana, so you could say they’ve learned from the best. Their brand also focuses heavily on consumer education, so you can read about their product sourcing on their website or attend one of their workshops. Check out their body cream, scrub, bar soap, and hand cream to keep your skin protected from the elements year-round.
planetbotanicals.com/collections/body-care-collection
Pickle’s Potions is the perfect brand if you are looking to buy your entire self-care routine from one local source. What started as a salve to heal the brand owner’s baby’s eczema has expanded into a complete line: oil and water-based cleansers, exfoliators, toners, serums, creams, bath soaks, perfumes, candles — everything you could ask for from a face and body skincare brand. This brand presents the unique opportunity to have all of your skincare products formulated with locally cultivated ingredients in small batches from the same person — a true rarity in today’s world of globalized skincare. Among their award-winning selection are their Berry Antioxidant Ampoule, their tinted and clear lip balms, and their Aura Anti-Aging Daily Oil, but that truly doesn’t even crack the surface of what they have to offer.
Moisturizing your skin, especially during winter months, will do so much to prevent your skin from aging and keep skincare conditions like eczema and keratosis pilaris at bay. Local stores like Tiller & Rye in Brewer and The Natural Living Center in Bangor have ample options from Maine-owned brands to keep your skin nourished and happy all year.
