Q: What was happening in your treatment room that made you realize you needed to create your own skincare line? What weren’t you finding in existing products?

In my treatment room I was watching skin get thinner, more reactive, more confused. Women were using “medical grade” products that promised transformation, but what I was actually seeing was barrier breakdown. Redness. Chronic sensitivity. Acne that never resolved because the skin was constantly inflamed.

I couldn’t find products that treated the skin like a living system. Everything was about forcing change. Stronger acids. Stronger retinols. More exfoliation.

When I started using plants in simple, whole forms, complex skin issues began to calm down. That was shocking to me. I had been trained to believe that synthesized and highly active formulas were superior. But real-time nutrition in the treatment room was outperforming them. That’s when I knew I had to build my own line.

Q: You have the Atelier, where you treat clients and observe real patterns over time. How does what you see there directly shape the products you create?

The Atelier spa is my lab. It’s long term, real world data collection on human skin. I don’t formulate in theory. I formulate based on what I’m watching happen every single week.

For example, when we developed Fade Serum for hyperpigmentation, it wasn’t created in isolation. I ran a live case study in my treatment room. I saw guests every other week for six weeks. I tracked changes in pigment, inflammation, barrier integrity, and overall tone. Based on what I saw, I adjusted the formula. Real skin shaped the product.

What’s powerful about working this way is that I see consequences. I see what happens when someone over-exfoliates for months. I see what happens when they use products that are aligned with their skin health and when they aren’t. I see what happens when we slow down and focus on barrier repair instead of chasing intensity and marketing outcomes. I also see seasonal changes, hormonal shifts, stress patterns. Skin is not static. It’s responsive.

Products aren’t created from trends. They’re created in response to patterns. If I notice recurring inflammation, I study calming plant chemistry. If dehydration won’t resolve, I look at lipid structure and water retention. If pigmentation worsens from aggressive routines, I move toward slower, corrective pathways that don’t destabilize the barrier.

Q: One of the most intriguing parts of Botnia is the micro farm and farm-to-skin approach. What does staying close to how ingredients are grown and harvested change about the way your products work on the skin?

When you’re actually growing the plants, everything changes.

I’m not just ordering an extract from a supplier and hoping it was handled well. I know how that plant behaved in the soil. I know if it struggled. I know when it was harvested. I know how long it sat before distillation. I know how we preserved the volatile compounds, which are the most delicate and active parts of the plant.

That kind of proximity changes how the product performs on the skin.

You can’t fake freshness. You can’t fake integrity. Plants start degrading the moment they’re cut. If they’re overheated, stored improperly, or processed carelessly, you lose a lot of the chemistry that actually makes them effective.

Because we’re so close to the beginning of the process, we’re protecting those early stages. And when you protect the early stages, the final formula carries more vitality and results. 

Q: You’ve talked about where skincare is headed in 2026 — soft actives, barrier-first routines, and simpler 3–4 step regimens. What are you seeing on real skin that’s driving that shift?

I’m seeing exhausted skin.

People are layering exfoliating toners, retinol, vitamin C, enzyme masks, peels, all in the same week. The short-term effect looks impressive. The long-term effect is inflammation and barrier fragility.

Soft actives and barrier-first routines are not a trend to me.

When the barrier is intact, pigmentation corrects more evenly. Acne resolves with less scarring. Fine lines soften because the skin can hold water properly. When the barrier is compromised, nothing works well.

Real skin is pushing the industry back toward simple skincare that works..

Q: For a busy woman or mom who wants results without a complicated routine, what does an effective, barrier-supportive Botnia routine actually look like, and what do you think people tend to overdo?

An effective routine is usually three or four steps.

Cleanse gently.
Hydrosol to support pH and introduce plant compounds.
A treatment serum targeted to your concern.
A cream or oil to condition and protect the barrier.

That’s it.

What people overdo is exfoliation and product switching. Skin thrives on consistency. It does not need constant stimulation. It needs steady nutrition and time.

If you’re a busy woman or mom, you do not need more steps. You need better ones.

Q: Botnia also lives in treatment rooms across the country through spa partners. How does working with a professional skin therapist make a difference, even in an age of social media skincare advice?

A professional sees your skin under magnification, we see your skin as layers of systems coming together to show us where imbalance may lie with your body. We ask about digestion, stress, sleep, medication, cycle shifts. We track progress over months.

Skin is not a trend cycle. It’s a living organ responding to internal and external inputs.

Working with a professional removes guesswork. It also prevents damage. There’s nuance in when to exfoliate, when to pause actives, when to repair first. That nuance is hard to learn from 30-second videos.

Q: You’ve said the future of skincare is about substance, not just popularity. When someone buys Botnia, what ethos or philosophy do you hope they feel and understand about the brand?

When someone buys Botnia, I hope they feel quality, intelligence and the luxury of self love and touch.

I hope they understand that every ingredient was chosen for a reason. That we are not chasing hype ingredients for marketing terms. That we grow these plants for their skin.  That we formulate slowly. That we care about microbial testing and oxidation and stability just as much as we care about plants.

Botnia is for people who want integrity over intensity. Its food and skincare. It’s for people who believe skin is part of a larger ecosystem and deserves to be treated that way.

Q: For anyone reading who’s curious and wants to learn more or experience Botnia for themselves, what’s the best way to connect with you or the brand – whether that’s online, through a facial, or starting with a product?

The best way to experience Botnia is through a facial with one of our spa partners. That’s where philosophy makes the most sense. You feel what customized plant-based skincare does in real time.

If you’re starting at home, begin with a simple core routine. Cleanser. Hydrosol. Serum. Cream. Stay consistent for 60 days. Let your skin recalibrate. And if you’re curious, just reach out. We’re a real company with real human estheticians behind it.