Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor03.01.24
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Established: 2009
Hero Products: Fresh Mild Rice Cleanser, Smooth A+ Correcting Serum and Pure Sensitive Care Complex.
As child, herbal chemist Julie Longyear was in her element when she was in the kitchen.
In time, her interests molded into a love for cer- amics, for which she earned a degree from The University of Kansas. The therapeutic nature of the activity came in handy when she suffered migraines, although it wasn’t a complete antidote. Several doctor visits and a bad drug interaction led her to herbalism.
In doing some soul-searching to discern the root causes of her ailment, she dug into the power of plants and aromatherapy. After incorporating this knowledge into her own life, she felt better. Her migraines declined from 20 a month to just two—and herbalism grew into a vocation.
She then set her sights on a new challenge: solutions for her sensitive skin. Longyear wanted skincare products that wouldn’t make her skin taut or shiny throughout the day.
“I took materials I had on hand from aromatherapy products. I was blending essential oils and decided to start tinkering around with trying to make something for my face,” said Longyear, who studied chemistry at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.
“Essentially, our goal is to help people feel really good in their own bodies,” Longyear noted.
Blissoma sells “green” moisturizers, masks, exfoliants, sunscreen, toners, candles and essential oils, among other offerings. For Longyear, products must be efficacious and sustainable.
As lead formulator, Longyear works with compostable herbs and is mindful of the amount extracted from different plant sources—a point she makes clear to the farmers with whom she works. (One farm is a two-hour drive from the brand’s headquarters in St. Louis.) Products are cruelty-free, vegan, made with solar power, organic and free from petrochemicals, too.
“I think plants are a wonderful way to help the skin manage itself better, because providing those building block compounds can really help encourage your own natural production,” she said. “Plant ingredients can help rebuild multiple types of ceramides in the skin.”
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Established: 2009
Hero Products: Fresh Mild Rice Cleanser, Smooth A+ Correcting Serum and Pure Sensitive Care Complex.
As child, herbal chemist Julie Longyear was in her element when she was in the kitchen.
In time, her interests molded into a love for cer- amics, for which she earned a degree from The University of Kansas. The therapeutic nature of the activity came in handy when she suffered migraines, although it wasn’t a complete antidote. Several doctor visits and a bad drug interaction led her to herbalism.
In doing some soul-searching to discern the root causes of her ailment, she dug into the power of plants and aromatherapy. After incorporating this knowledge into her own life, she felt better. Her migraines declined from 20 a month to just two—and herbalism grew into a vocation.
She then set her sights on a new challenge: solutions for her sensitive skin. Longyear wanted skincare products that wouldn’t make her skin taut or shiny throughout the day.
“I took materials I had on hand from aromatherapy products. I was blending essential oils and decided to start tinkering around with trying to make something for my face,” said Longyear, who studied chemistry at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.
The Blissoma Era
Longyear founded Blissoma, an independent, direct-to-consumer business offering holistic and botanical skin care solutions. As its name implies, “Blissoma,” means joyful body as denoted by “bliss” in the prefix and soma, defined as the body as distinct from the soul, mind or psyche in biology.“Essentially, our goal is to help people feel really good in their own bodies,” Longyear noted.
Blissoma sells “green” moisturizers, masks, exfoliants, sunscreen, toners, candles and essential oils, among other offerings. For Longyear, products must be efficacious and sustainable.
As lead formulator, Longyear works with compostable herbs and is mindful of the amount extracted from different plant sources—a point she makes clear to the farmers with whom she works. (One farm is a two-hour drive from the brand’s headquarters in St. Louis.) Products are cruelty-free, vegan, made with solar power, organic and free from petrochemicals, too.
“I think plants are a wonderful way to help the skin manage itself better, because providing those building block compounds can really help encourage your own natural production,” she said. “Plant ingredients can help rebuild multiple types of ceramides in the skin.”
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