Primally Pure is a natural skincare brand that I’ve been sharing about here on the blog since I first discovered their amazing all natural deodorant. I’d tried so many brands in the past, but nothing worked until I tried Primally Pure. It’s safe to say that once you’ve tried their deodorant, you’ll never go back.
Recently I had the opportunity to chat with the founder of Primally Pure, Bethany McDaniel. In this interview Bethany shares a behind the scenes look into how Primally Pure began and where they’re headed.
When did you first come up with the concept for Primally Pure?
I dealt with sensitive, acne-prone skin for most of my teenage years and well into young-adulthood. I tried every mainstream product you could imagine, many of which offered short-lived results but didn’t truly make a difference in the health of my skin. It wasn’t until after I discovered the power of eating real food that I purged my bathroom cabinet of toxic skincare products and began formulating my own replacements made with real, recognizable ingredients. Much to my surprise, the products I made actually worked better than the dozens I had tried in the past. My acne cleared up and my skin felt (and looked) better than it ever had! But most importantly, I enjoyed using them. I started selling my creations on my family farm’s website and a few months later I started a website of my own. Today, I have a team of 23 and we work out of a beautiful office/warehouse space in sunny Southern California.
How did you decide on the name Primally Pure?
I still remember this moment so clearly! I was sitting with my sister in law at a new restaurant in town that served paleo banana bread and we were trying to think of a name for this new business I wanted to start. Our family farm’s name was/is “Primal Pastures” and she suggested calling my business “Primally Pure” since at the time I had planned on selling my skincare line on the farm’s website indefinitely. The name stuck even though Primally Pure has since grown beyond the Primal Pastures brand.
One of the first products I tried from Primally Pure was your natural deodorant and I’ve been using it ever since. Tell me about what inspired you to create the product and why you chose the specific ingredients you use in the deodorants.
When I first learned about the dangerous ingredients found in conventional deodorant (aluminum, parabens, and phthalates just to name a few), I knew I couldn’t continue to use it. The first place I turned was grocery store brands. I tried many of them with little to no success. As much as I wanted them to work, they just didn’t do the trick. In the midst of my search for the perfect natural deodorant, I read something about the powerful odor-busting effects of coconut oil + baking soda. I filled up two tiny little jars with baking soda and coconut oil and would dab my finger in the coconut oil jar and smear it on my pits followed by the baking soda. It worked great! When I urged my husband to adopt my new method of odor control, he was not about to give up the convenience of a stick for dabbing and smearing his pits with coconut oil and baking soda. I couldn’t exactly blame him – it wasn’t the most convenient process. I decided to try my luck at formulating a natural deodorant stick (at this point, I needed to add beeswax for consistency and decided to also add tallow for it’s deep nourishing properties and arrowroot powder to help absorb moisture). It took me over a year of research, experimentation, and testing on friends and family members before I finally came up with a stick that both my husband and I LOVED. And it wasn’t just us who loved it – all of my testers did too!
Which Primally Pure products are part of your daily routine?
I’m not bound to any single daily routine and like to rotate many products of our products in and out of use, but I could never go long without our Cleansing Oil to wash my face or Everything Spray, which I use daily as a toner. And on any given day, I’m spritzing one of our Complexion Mists onto my face here and there as a pick-me-up!
Is there a particular product that you suggest for someone new to the brand?
Deodorant – definitely! It’s our #1 best seller and what we’re most well known for. Depending on which one you chose, deodorant is either one of the biggest ways you can contribute to the accumulation of toxic buildup in your body OR allow the body to detox naturally. When you consider all of the assaults your body experiences in terms of toxins you may be exposed to (pollution, processed food, drinking water, products, etc.), it’s vital to minimize your toxic load by making changes in the areas you do have control over – which is why it’s so important to chose a natural option when it comes to deodorant. And ours is a great option to start with! 🙂
Are you planning on releasing a new product or products this year?
We have so many new product launches in the works for this year, including a new line of serums and masks in late spring/early summer. I’ve always wanted to add masks to our line, and have been wanting to offer more targeted serums as well – geared towards achieving more specific results for the user. We couldn’t be more excited!
How does seeing customers pictures of your products on feeds across Instagram and social media inspires you?
I still have to pinch myself at times, seeing so many people post about PP and watching the amount of posts/stories grow all the time! I’m grateful for social media because it allows brands like ours to actually see the faces of customers who are using our products! As an e-commerce business, social media acts as a vessel for us to connect with our customers in a casual yet meaningful way that would never be possible otherwise.
As someone who loves skincare, I’m curious about what the environment is like at Primally Pure HQ versus other corporate settings.
Our culture is unique because we do everything under one roof (hand-making the products, sourcing ingredients, shipping, marketing, customer service, etc.). This is extremely uncommon for a company our size, as most brands outsource manufacturing, shipping, customer service or all of the above. It’s really special that anyone on our team is able to get a first-hand glimpse into other departments and how things work/flow from start to finish! We all support one another and know that each area of the company is vitally important to Primally Pure’s success.
What is your favorite way to keep the team motivated at Primally Pure HQ?
I try to touch base with key team members often and also plan activities to keep all of us connected as much as possible – things like regular service projects, team lunches, yoga classes, etc. – it’s good to get out of our normal day to day work every so often and spend quality time together!
Do you have plans for a brick & mortar store or spa in future?
We’re actually launching a spa at our HQ in February, something we’ve been excited to do for years now! Beyond that, we’d love to open additional concept spas at some point but are choosing to take things one step at a time.
What has been the most rewarding part of founding and helming Primally Pure?
So many things – ultimately the most rewarding parts have been three-fold: seeing the PP team grow and having the privilege of employing so many incredible people has been incredible, working with our influencer fam of over 600 talented individuals and seeing their businesses grow as a result is such a joy, and of course, the opportunity to bring safe and effective skincare products into the homes of tens of thousands of people across the globe is priceless. I’m beyond grateful for everyone in the PP community and that Primally Pure is at the forefront of this incredibly important movement.
Keep up with Bethany & Primally Pure via the social links below…
Website: Primally Pure
Facebook: Primally Pure Skincare
Instagram: @primallypure
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