Essential Oil Free Skincare for Everybody.

Wildcare transitioned into an essential oil free company in 2021.

The Wildcare products you have come to know and love will still exist! First and foremost, EO free does not mean unscented. Our products will remain aromatic, now relying solely on new and creative methods in our formulation process - without the use of concentrated, volatile essential oils. The fragrant nature of every farm and garden-grown herb, bit of mindfully extracted tree resin and each delicate flower petal slowly infused in oil will now take the spotlight. We can look to Bee Rosy Mask as an example of an essential oil free product, exploding with the scent of juicy strawberries and honeyed rose petals. I believe that listening to my own body and rhythms while filling this unique space in the holistic skincare community has created an inclusive line for all beings.

Essential oil free feels invigorating, challenging, bursting with passion and perfectly in alignment with where I am desiring to be. With that, I’d like to detail a few of my personal experiences, as a reflection of how I arrived at this decision. One of the things that I appreciated about both of my pregnancies and going through two very preterm labors, was that when the immune system lowered, I was able to better listen as my body communicated strong messages to me. With my last pregnancy back in 2020, I omitted using scented skincare (my own included) after getting an intuitive hit to do so, then slowly re-introduced it back into my life after our baby was born. I noticed the days I used perfumes or products with concentrated essential oils, my kiddos had more skin imbalances surface, and I had more eczema flare-ups and headaches which was a quick decision to refrain from using even longer. Along the pathways of a few chronic health challenges, I began to experience sensory overload, even from my own skincare at the more therapeutic percentages I used to formulate with. Days I was whipping up large batches and including essential oils coincided with an increase in migraines. This led me to experiment with EO-free versions of our beloved SunRoot Solar Serum. What I quickly uncovered was how much more grounded and connected I felt to the integrity and the aromatics of the foundational ingredients. It allowed me the space to dig deeper into my formulating process and work in closer harmony to source materials, and to grow plants for infusions & unique extractions that offer their own fragrant notes. Working in this way has uncovered a rich appreciation for a completely more nuanced scent world, without needing to elevate (or “hide”) a base formula with any scent.

This more subtle energy reminds me of why I fell in love with Hydrosols in the first place....there’s power behind the gentleness. Moving forward in this way, I was especially eager for our customers with kiddos and/or immune sensitivities to feel comfortable sharing our *entire line* with their children if desired. In addition, I'm happy to have a safe and more inclusive line for those that have been sensitized, are immunocompromised, pregnant and desiring to steer clear, or have skin that expresses a desire to pull away from more concentrated scents. We are here for anyone seeking a streamlined company that prioritizes this method of formulating across all SKUs as an ethos, not a singular idea.

It’s important I briefly touch on the sustainability aspect as well. From a distillers point of view, I acknowledge & intimately understand what an enormous amount of harvested plant material it takes to achieve a very small amount of essential oil. In conversation with EO distributors over the years, I’ve learned what's behind a bottle of organically labeled EO, such as how much water (and what kind of water!) is used in the process, the discarding of valuable Hydrosol (most often considered a wasted by-product), the massive cutting down of plant material for wild-harvested EOs (exactly where and whose “wild” land is this on?) and what imprint it is making culturally there and ecologically? If an ounce of EO requires hundreds of pounds of plant matter, it sparks many questions about the implications and responsibility if all relationships aren’t deeply considered in the process. I’ve been met with many wide-ranging and enlightening answers on both ends of the spectrum when asking some of these questions along the way. With this in mind, it further affirmed my gut feeling that it was time for my business to lessen our harvesting footprint, even if just slightly in this particular terrain, and become better acquainted with where our ingredients come from and the amount of plant matter we’re utilizing. This does not mean I am against essential oils (or that you should be either)- this means that given my experiences personally and professionally, I choose not to work with them in our skincare, and that asking more questions about them is key! When worked with correctly at or below proper formulation levels, 100% I do believe that EO’s can be safe and effective for some people. I want to be clear that one route is not above another. Simply put, my own personal feeling from using on a daily basis and formulating large batches is aligning me towards this pathway. If I keep taking intuitive and conscious steps, listening and educating myself of the processes behind my purchases, I know I'm moving forward in the direction that feels most stable and healthy for all relations.

I appreciate scent for how it connects me to memories and moments in my life, and how it has the ability to shift mood and energy so quickly. EOs are incredibly valuable medicinal remedies- not just scents- and command much respect and care in understanding how they're processed through the body and at what dilution they're utilized at. I like to imagine them in formulations thousands of years ago and how they supported so many through beauty, ceremony, illness, preservation, culinary usage, perfumery and beyond. The beauty of the human body is how we all respond to something in a completely individualized way. Personally, the way I'd like to work with EOs moving forward is in more of a mindful, medicinal way with a deeper connection to the sourcing, in a playful context for personal use (I currently am only using in my haircare a few days a week) or drop by drop when it calls out to me (I keep lavender EO in my first-aid kit) instead of bottle by bottle as a necessity within the constraints of fixed formulations for business. I’m still knee-deep in research about the consistent & daily use of essential oils and the potential disruption of the microbiome & endocrine system, but in all transparency I’m not at a place yet where I feel comfortable going deep here (I encourage you to start to research for yourself if curious). It may be helpful for some to consider areas of long-term or daily usage such as skincare, diffusers, perfumes, bath products, natural cleaners, laundry soaps, hand soaps, and noticing where we have the space to dial back if you’re observing sensitivities. I connect deeply to a select few artisans (and a few EO distillers) that do sit with, learn from, and listen in the presence of plants they work with, including having relations with the land they grow on. As with most things, when we look more deeply into the sourcing and processing behind the scenes, just like with our food, there is much to be discovered about our reactions and responses we may have to them when we discover what’s beyond a label...ask more questions, aim to source direct from a distiller (or form a solid relationship with the middleman) - and do use with care & proper attention.

I thank you with a full heart for trusting me with your skincare and for being witness to our growth! Thank you for being here.

With so much love,

Cortney Herrera
founder + distiller