How an Apple Inspired My Custom Oil Lab 🍎

The other evening, something very unexpected happened while I was preparing dinner. I had sliced an apple to use for a marinade. As it turned out, I didn’t need the entire fruit — so I left a small wedge on the counter, planning to eat it later. But days went by, and what caught my attention was surprising:
The apple never browned. It stayed white and fresh-looking for days.

Anyone who’s ever sliced an apple knows how quickly they normally oxidize. The browning we usually see is simply oxidation — the same natural degradation process that affects both food and skincare.

That tiny apple wedge made me reflect deeply on how we preserve not only food, but also our skincare products.

In modern food production, we’ve developed sophisticated methods — whether it’s antioxidant washes, edible coatings, or even genetic modifications — to keep food looking fresh long after it’s been harvested.

In skincare, it’s quite similar.

Large skincare brands formulate products to sit in warehouses, trucks, and store shelves for 1–2 years before they even reach you. Strong preservatives keep these products microbiologically stable — but stability doesn’t always mean potency.

Antioxidants, vitamins, plant extracts, and other actives naturally degrade over time. A serum may still "look fine" two years later, but its real skin benefits may have quietly diminished long before you open the jar. That realization has stayed with me — because this is exactly why I started Botanical Atelier.

Skincare should not be designed for warehouses. It should be designed for your skin.

At Botanical Atelier, I believe in crafting skincare that honors the freshness of nature. Every product is made in small, intentional batches — not mass-produced months or years in advance. We preserve just enough to ensure safety, but we prioritize the potency and integrity of the botanicals, extracts, and actives your skin deserves.

And now, I’m taking this one step further.

✨ Introducing The Custom Oil Lab.

For years, I’ve dreamed of offering my customers a way to receive skincare that’s not only fresh — but also fully customized for your unique skin, season, and stage of life.

With The Custom Oil Lab, you’ll receive a facial oil thoughtfully formulated just for you, using seasonally inspired botanicals, freshly blended and shipped directly from my lab to your door when you place your order.

Because skincare should be as personal — and as fresh — as the food we nourish our bodies with.

🌿 Your skin changes.
🌿 The seasons change.
🌿 Your skincare should too.

The One Thing We Should Customize — Our Skin

Made in San Francisco. When it comes to skincare we believe less is more. Our formulas use the fewest ingredients possible, allowing nature to do what it does best: restore, protect, and nourish. We never overload our products because we trust in the skin’s innate intelligence and the power of well-chosen botanicals. Every formulation is free from mineral oils, phthalates, parabens, polysorbates, PEGs, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, dyes, formaldehydes, and other harsh additives.