How I Started An All-Natural Skincare Line
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
I’m Jonathan Plotzker-Kelly, and I’m the founder of Heliotrope San Francisco. We’ve been making our all-natural skincare line here in the Bay Area for over ten years. Our line has expanded to include an extensive body care offering, face care, shaving & beard care, aromatherapy & massage, and hair care.
We add no synthetic perfumes or artificial colors - most items are either fragrance-free or scented with pure essential oils. What this creates is a line that’s completely gender neutral - did you know there’s really no difference between women’s and men’s skincare? The marketers & the big department store brands would like us to believe there is, and they scent each of their lines to differentiate them - but honestly, we have the same skin. By removing those perfumes & fragrances, we remove that false dichotomy that was created on Madison Ave.
We’ve chosen slow, sustainable growth - unlike many of our competitors, we started with one small shop, because we really wanted to have face-to-face conversations with our clients, and learn what their needs were. Retail may be the hardest of the sales channels and have the highest overhead, but...
