GARA Skincare

GARA Skincare is a unique collection of organic, herb-infused remedies designed to soothe the skin and heal the body. We honor the medicinal properties of these plants through small-batch preparation and custom extractions.

Each batch is seasonal, distinctive, and handcrafted. We grow or ethically source all ingredients, and distill and process many of our own oils. We focus on sustainable, slow skincare and are involved in each step of the process. Sowing the seeds, tending the garden, harvest and processing herbs from our micro-farm and we partner with other cultivars for more specific or unique herbs.
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We utilize Miron violet glass for solar-infusions based on the lunar cycles and distill each hydrosol in the traditional method using a copper Alembic still. Many of our hydrosols are created from plants native to Southern California and all of them are distilled of fresh plant material, grown locally and sustainably harvested.

GARA, which represents Grass and Root Apothecary, was founded in 2014 as a quest for personal products with high integrity and truly organic ingredients. Our philosophy is to work with the body's natural defense and regenerative mechanisms for overall skin and body wellness.

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Founder(s), CEO and/or President Emilee Dziuk & Paul Barnett
It was really the plants that first brought us together. Paul and I met in San Francisco in 2013. I’m originally from Utah and was living in Salt Lake City at the time, working as an artist and printmaking contractor after graduating from the University of Utah with a BA. I had been going to California regularly to learn more about this intriguing medicinal plant I read about and here we are, 6 years later with this company we call GARA. It has taken on many forms before its current iteration, from extracts to tinctures, topicals to suppositories, GARA is the abbreviation for Grass & Root Apothecary. It is simply a study of plants, in all of their forms and functions.