Melissa Meisel, Associate Editor06.03.19
Legendary Apothecary is a new beauty brand based in Los Angeles that was inspired by a century-old family recipe. Its leading product, Smooth Feet, is powered by plant-based ingredients and is both organic and vegan.
Described as a “passion project,” Legendary Apothecary was co-created by beauty industry veterans Sara Saidy and Todd Douphner. Saidy, a Persian immigrant, was drawn to the City of Angels’ vibrant, ever-shifting culture. For nearly a decade, she worked with brands such as Estée Lauder, Glamglow, Lisa Hoffman Beauty and Astara Skin Care in production, supply chain, operations, product development and marketing. Douphner, a Southern California native, has more than 20 years of marketing and design experience, and has worked with Sephora, Glamglow, Nordstrom and Bliss, among others.
According to its founders, the Smooth Feet formulation is a simple “Old World” recipe that includes vegetable glycerin, pure lavender oil and grain alcohol. In addition to its own website, Legendary Apothecary’s Smooth Feet is available at Old Pasadena Pharmacy & Marketplace in Los Angeles; Med4You Pharmacy in Atlanta; and Basmati.com. It also recently released a “how to” video.
“When we founded Legendary Apothecary, we had one goal in mind; we wanted to build a brand that treated everyone and everything it touched, with kindness,” said Saidy. “Lack of clean and organic skin care motivated us to create a brand that combines our passion for a cruelty-free lifestyle with love for our planet and all of her inhabitants.”
Smooth Feet was inspired by Saidy’s grandmother Masy, who used to make this century-old concoction for the whole family. In fact, the recipe has been passed down four generations.
“It was my grandmother’s dying wish for us to take this product to market. She said to me, ‘put it in a bottle and share it with the world,’” she explained. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I realized that it was very difficult to find quality ingredients to make my grandmother’s recipe so I was forced to try other foot products. Nothing worked as great as my grandmother’s foot product.”
The vegan brand practices what it preaches. Legendary Apothecary donates 10% of its profits to human, animal and environmental efforts, noted Doupher. Plus, Smooth Feet is dressed in eco-friendly packaging sourced responsibly in the US. It is USDA Certified Organic and is 100% cruelty-free as certified by PETA and The Leaping Bunny.
“We believe it is possible to achieve powerful results without using ingredients that are harmful to us and our planet,” added Douphner. “Making the decision to become USDA Certified Organic delayed our launch by over a year—not to mention the financial implications, but it was extremely important to us to launch a brand that truly walks the walk.”
Described as a “passion project,” Legendary Apothecary was co-created by beauty industry veterans Sara Saidy and Todd Douphner. Saidy, a Persian immigrant, was drawn to the City of Angels’ vibrant, ever-shifting culture. For nearly a decade, she worked with brands such as Estée Lauder, Glamglow, Lisa Hoffman Beauty and Astara Skin Care in production, supply chain, operations, product development and marketing. Douphner, a Southern California native, has more than 20 years of marketing and design experience, and has worked with Sephora, Glamglow, Nordstrom and Bliss, among others.
According to its founders, the Smooth Feet formulation is a simple “Old World” recipe that includes vegetable glycerin, pure lavender oil and grain alcohol. In addition to its own website, Legendary Apothecary’s Smooth Feet is available at Old Pasadena Pharmacy & Marketplace in Los Angeles; Med4You Pharmacy in Atlanta; and Basmati.com. It also recently released a “how to” video.
“When we founded Legendary Apothecary, we had one goal in mind; we wanted to build a brand that treated everyone and everything it touched, with kindness,” said Saidy. “Lack of clean and organic skin care motivated us to create a brand that combines our passion for a cruelty-free lifestyle with love for our planet and all of her inhabitants.”
Smooth Feet was inspired by Saidy’s grandmother Masy, who used to make this century-old concoction for the whole family. In fact, the recipe has been passed down four generations.
“It was my grandmother’s dying wish for us to take this product to market. She said to me, ‘put it in a bottle and share it with the world,’” she explained. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I realized that it was very difficult to find quality ingredients to make my grandmother’s recipe so I was forced to try other foot products. Nothing worked as great as my grandmother’s foot product.”
The vegan brand practices what it preaches. Legendary Apothecary donates 10% of its profits to human, animal and environmental efforts, noted Doupher. Plus, Smooth Feet is dressed in eco-friendly packaging sourced responsibly in the US. It is USDA Certified Organic and is 100% cruelty-free as certified by PETA and The Leaping Bunny.
“We believe it is possible to achieve powerful results without using ingredients that are harmful to us and our planet,” added Douphner. “Making the decision to become USDA Certified Organic delayed our launch by over a year—not to mention the financial implications, but it was extremely important to us to launch a brand that truly walks the walk.”
