VIOLET GREY profiles female beauty entrepreneurs who are considered industry game changers for their individual approach to business. Each one entered the conversation in her own manner and maintained a steady, if not unparalleled, trajectory with her indomitable spirit. Here, we talk to organic skin care guru May Lindstrom.

May Lindstrom, the LA-based beauty entrepreneur, has become a cult figure on the natural beauty scene for her products, which combine hippie know-how with exquisitely sourced ingredients and chic black packaging. Her Blue Cocoon soothing balm has been a runway hit.

As a child, Lindstrom was obsessed with finding natural ways to beautify herself. She dug up iron-rich clays from her parents’ garden and created a sort-of DIY mud mask before it was something you’d spend serious dollars for at a spa. This creativity and curiosity (and perhaps passion for mud daubing) led to art school, where she was first scouted as a model. This probably comes as no surprise if you’ve seen photographs of Lindstrom mixing her products—not many backwoods alchemists look like this. She simply radiates good health and vitality.

Lindstrom’s first products debuted in the fall of 2011. With names such as The Clean Dirt, The Problem Solver, and The Good Stuff, it was clear she was approaching beauty from both a luxurious standpoint and a deeply practical one. The ingredients go back to her childhood—spices, clays, salts, and honey are woven throughout the line, offering the kind of rich nourishment she believes comes only from nature. Shortly after launching her company, Lindstrom gave birth to her daughter, and for her first 19 months as a mother she blended products on her own in her home studio in LA. In 2014, she moved production into a larger-scale facility and now employs a team of 12.

Her story shows that integrity and strength of conviction can be just as important as having the right investors. A true green-beauty success story was born out of passion and a love for the purity of the great outdoors. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to cover ourselves in Honey Mud Gentle Cleansing Silk—maybe we’ll wake up a little more Lindstrom.

MAY BEFORE 10AM