About Us
We love your skin. It’s a simple statement, and it cuts to the core of how we formulate our products for you. Every ingredient that we use is carefully chosen to illuminate your natural beauty. By harnessing the nourishing power of plants, our products repair and soothe, nurturing the long-term health of your body’s largest organ.
Over the many years of working with our beloved clients, we have witnessed firsthand how organic, natural botanicals and extracts can dramatically improve skin’s health. This experience is why we take great care to source the highest quality ingredients as locally as possible. We grow many of our own plants and build relationships with farmers and suppliers. Each product is hand-crafted in our lab in Sausalito, CA, so you can trust that your skincare is designed for your skin’s health from start to finish.
We believe that effective, healthy skincare should be accessible to everyone. We want it to be simple and exciting to choose your personalized collection of products. Our formulations are few in ingredients, and they pack the punch you are looking for. Build your own skincare ritual or connect with one of our spas to get professional input. Either way, we firmly believe that Botnia will suit your unique needs and leave your skin feeling great every day.
You spend time and energy thinking about what to put in and on your body because you care deeply about your health. We’re excited to help make that process more simple for you.
Justine Kahn
I am Justine, the founder and CEO of Botnia. I started working as an esthetician in 2002, and after eight years of working in spas, I realized I couldn’t do all that I wanted for my clients’ skin with the ingredients and products available to me. They were marketed as though they were excellent for all skin types, BUT they were made for the masses and not customizable for individual needs.
I started to notice that not only were the ingredients in these products not helping to heal, but they were also causing damage. For example, there were many alcohols that dry out skin, synthetic fragrances that irritate and inflame, and dangerous chemicals used to preserve that are toxic to our bodies and the earth.
Raised by hippies in Vermont, I have always valued organic food and body products, because by nature, they are grown in the sun and are all natural (not filled with chemicals).
I began my mission to help people understand that our skin IS our body. What we put on it will eventually be working its way through our entire system. So, if we want to be healthy, we have to start seeing our skin as part of a larger system.
This motivated me to figure out which ingredients positively impact the skin.
While getting some training in cosmetic chemistry at the Nova Studio in Richmond, CA, I became very clear on this: simple skincare is more effective and healthy. I also understand now that products can be preserved with natural ingredients.
In December 0f 2010, with deep motivation to create something that would truly serve each individual’s needs and desires, I opened Skin Remedy, a luxury spa in San Francisco, CA. Using my new energy and excitement from all that I had learned, I designed the business to be able to customize each client’s experience in the treatment room. This is when I began to develop my signature collection of powerful, raw ingredients that I would use to formulate the perfect remedy for each person’s skin.
Six years later, I expanded on what I’ve been developing and using in the treatment room. I teamed up with an incredible scientist to create a complete line of science-based, truly organic skin care. We craft both retail and spa products that both my clients and my estheticians love and that truly loves your skin.
Sara
Sara came to Botnia from the publishing industry, where she edited a wide variety of lifestyle books, from cookbooks to gardening books to health and wellness titles. Now she’s our manufacturing specialist communications director. She loves being Botnia’s air traffic controller: balancing our schedules and deadlines and figuring out just what to do and when. Sara’s passion for healthy living, eagerness to learn every side of a growing business, and deep and abiding love of podcasts makes her the perfect partner for Botnia.
Jonathan
Hello friends! My name is Jonathan and I am the shipping specialist here at Botnia. I was lucky enough to join this special team in the summer of 2018, and since then my goal has always been clear: to make sure that you receive your Botnia products in a timely manner, well presented, and above all else, in one piece.
Knowing that you all get to receive these skincare products and that I get to be the one to ship them out to you puts a smile on my face. I have come to love this company, and I’m sure you will, too. So order away, I’ll be waiting!
Arturo
Herbalist and manufacturing specialist
Michelle has a background in the fashion industry and after many years of the “corporate grind,” she switched gears in life. She went to school to become a herbalist and completed two years of study. Michelle is also a master gardener and astrology lover. She is one of our manufacturing specialists, and Michelle’s passion for plants paired with her detail-oriented nature makes our skincare truly loved.
Jacqueline
Jacqueline is our community manager; her role at Botnia is to help our community of healers transform how they live, work, learn, and play. Her goal is to provide dynamic support for growth with Botnia that knows no bounds, so all of our wholesale partners feel empowered in their own businesses!
Michelle
Herbalist and manufacturing specialist
Michelle has a background in the fashion industry and after many years of the “corporate grind,” she switched gears in life. She went to school to become a herbalist and completed two years of study. Michelle is also a master gardener and astrology lover. She is one of our manufacturing specialists, and Michelle’s passion for plants paired with her detail-oriented nature makes our skincare truly loved.
David
David is our farmer. His background in permaculture and farming goes back to his family’s long history of working in farming. He’s a nature lover. He runs our compost and soil management and aids our plants in being the healthiest they could be. When he’s not working with Botnia, he works to bring free vegetables for those in need. David helped build the infrastructure of our farm and works weekly with our plants to ensure their health and vibrance.
Perla
Perla designs and creates 100% of all our graphics, packaging the visual vision for Botnia. She creates all our seasonal hydrosols and develops our deep connection to expressing beauty visually with everything we do. Perla came to Botnia after being one of Justine our founders’ best friends. Perla is from Mexico City and grew up loving vibrant natural color patterns and textures. She brings her unique eye to our design and has a thriving design firm company called Golden Section.
Peonie
Hi there! I’m Peonie, the operations and customer care at Botnia! Raised by horticulture-loving immigrants in the East Bay, I’ve journeyed on a path through many industries, including retail, bridal, beauty, floral, a bit of tech, and even healthcare. Botnia came into my life at a time when I discovered the importance of health, community, and connecting with the world around us through nature. Since discovering the community that Botnia has built, I absolutely love connecting with our customers and estheticians, sharing my passion for skincare, and paving the way for a new frontier of clean and organic beauty! Have a question about our products? Drop me a note and say hello. I can’t wait to hear about your experiences: the good, the bad, or anything in between. I’m here to listen.
Arturo
Shipping Specialist
Hi Botnia Family! My name is Arturo, and I’m happy to have joined this growing company as a shipping specialist in July 2021. I’ve worked in grocery and big-box retail for many years and have had the opportunity to hold managerial positions, and now my experiences have led me to be a part of the close-knit team at Botnia. Joining a new company during a pandemic has been a little unusual, but the transition from retail to manufacturing has been great with this amazing team around me.
One thing we really focus on here is quality and we strive to deliver that to you every day. We’re constantly looking for new and effective ways to ship your products in a well packaged and timely manner. I’m new to the skincare industry and have learned so much already. If you’ve tried Botnia’s products, you know how good they are, and if you haven’t, I’m sure you will grow to love them as I have. We are here to help and look forward to packaging your next order!
Sam
Manufacturing Specialist
Hello all! I’m Sam, Botnia’s manufacturing specialist. I have a background in herbal making from co-managing an apothecary in Sacramento, CA. I discovered Botnia as a consumer on my journey to find clean skincare to heal my acne. Then I began working with a Botnia spa partner to address my skin concerns and loved that experience. I now have the honor of making Botnia’s products for consumers and estheticians which is so fulfilling and honestly a surreal full circle moment. Fun fact: my favorite place to be is a cold, foggy beach!
Isabella
Herbalist and Manufacturing specialist
Hi there! My name is Isabella, and I am a clinical herbalist, medicine maker, and gardener. My passion for making products began at a young age when I used to make potions from whatever we had in our kitchen or garden. I love infusing plants into all aspects of life, from cooking to meditation, well-being, and skincare. I completed two years of formal herbal training as well as years of continuous education, which is where I learned about Botnia. While I have a diverse background from working in herbalism, the backbone of my experience comes from my four years as the medicine maker and lab manager for the California School of Herbal Studies. For me, making products is an expression of creativity and connection, and what we create at Botnia is redefining skincare, wellness, and beauty.
Julianna
Community Specialist & Master Esthetician
Hey friends! I’ve been a practicing holistic esthetician since 2018, when my journey with Botnia also began in my treatment room. I love connecting with our community of estheticians so much that I wanted to find a way to deepen those relationships and support future ones in a whole new way. I came to Justine to seek out an opportunity to do so, and here we are! What excites me most about this new role is that I not only get to be an ambassador for a company that I truly love, but I’m also an extra resource for partners who are new to Botnia. My goal is to help our estheticians feel comfortable and supported with Botnia’s professional line!
Clayton
Who is this scientist who helped me create Botnia? Clayton is a Stanford-trained biologist who worked as a plant biologist at the Carnegie Institution. Before working together, we were friends. Whenever we would hang out together, we would spend our time geeking out about chemistry, biology, and the amazing powers of plants. Six years ago Clayton started joining me in the lab on the weekends. Together we created Botnia’s core retail line and a few of our back bar products, His expertise, and passion for plants laid our foundation. While Clayton no longer works at Botnia, he continues to be a friend and support.
Tutorial PDF
– Getting Results Masterclass.
– Getting Results Masterclass.
– Floral Arranging for Your Spa Masterclass
– We Are Nature Masterclass
– Results for Holiday Masterclass
– Botnia Non Botanical Ingredients Class
– Botnia Non Botanical Ingredients Class Part 2
PDF Documents
– Mixing 101 Botnia
– Botnia Handbook June 2022.
– Botnia’s Tester Program
– How to get specific results for your clients.
– Decoding our icons.
– Contradictions and other things to know about Botnia retail.
– Getting results with Botnia Do’s and Dont’s.
– The art of the follow up.
– Become an expert in the difference between organic and conventional skincare.
– Botnia’s vision, mission, and values.