I started out by making my own body oil, because in my teens and early 20s, I moisturized with baby oil after every shower. I honestly loved how it felt and thought I was doing something good for my skin, because, well, it was for babies. Then I found out how bad mineral oil was for us as well as the environment, and creating my own body oil felt like a logical solution. Years later, when my kids flew the coop, I needed something to fill the void and I opened up gia b goods. It’s been a total pleasure creating beneficial + luxurious body care products, enhanced with aromatherapy, to encourage healthy self care rituals.

As I researched, I began to discover and experiment with more advanced active ingredients: natural retinols, vitamins, extracts, acids, esters, herbs, proteins, algaes, bioferments, clays, absolutes + hydrosols, that work to heal, nourish and improve our skin. And likewise, I realized that a huge amount of harmful synthetic components are also being used in many formulas that we deem “healthy + natural” — toxic, hormone + endocrine-disrupting, skin-damaging ingredients that are often masked within the INCI listings on product labels. I’ve dedicated much of my time in the past 2 years to furthering my education, which has resulted in my more recent releases: hand créme, dry oil, salve stick and a clay mask. My goal is to create products that appreciate and incorporate science, yet contain the smallest amounts of preservatives, emulsifiers and surfactants possible, resulting in the cleanest possible formulas. I’m currently working on rounding out my body care line with more elevated formulas, including a body serum, a shower wash, an exfoliator and my new “everything/everywhere” balm — all containing beautiful + truly natural ingredients and improved textures. I hope you’ll join me on this journey. It’s because of your support that I’ve been able to expand my efforts into this more nuanced world of skin care formulations.

I’ve also recently finished a lovely lab/workspace that doubles as a mini brick-and-mortar and I hope you’ll come visit me to shop in person. This has been years in the making and I’m thrilled that it’s finally complete. It provides me with enough room for lab-grade tools, making it possible to experiment with new ingredients; it’s also easier to fill orders and most importantly, it’s a great way for you to come and sample my new creations. I desperately needed this extra elbow-room, and I hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunity to see how it’s all made so you can trust this line (in the literal sea of skin care products.)

From the beginning I have made it a priority to emphasize the benefit of incorporating tools in order to get the most out of any skin care product, and my offerings in this space are rooted in centuries-old therapies: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurveda, Hanbang (TKM) and Maderoterapia. I’ve recently discovered a beautiful stone gua sha that is customized for body care (as opposed to the smaller heart-shape gua shas for the face) and this new tool can be charged with energy, similar to crystals. They should be arriving any day now, so stay tuned.

Another important reason I started all this is because distractions and responsibilities often spread us too thin, requiring us to carve out the time we need to stay centered and balanced. We, as carers, get overwhelmingly busy — with work, family, partners, chores and our efforts to make the world a better place. It’s my hope that you will come to rely-on and trust my offerings to provide you with the tools for “you-time” and turn your self-care routine into a priority… to unknit your brow and capture a few moments for yourself. Keep your bath salts (any bath salts) on a little table next to your tub to remind you that they’re there and happy to help. Light a candle, pull a chair out into the sunshine, curl up with a blanket, go for a walk, read a book, listen to a podcast, stretch, watch a movie, whatever floats your boat. Never, ever judge downtime. Just take it.