LEAF PEOPLE FOUNDER JULIE WILLIAMS ROOTS HER SKINCARE LINE IN THE POWER OF PLANTS.
Leaf People founder Julie Williams. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAF PEOPLE
EACH SUMMER, certified herbalist Julie Williams makes multiple treks into the wilderness near her home in Aspen in search of arnica. There, she asks the golden-faced blooms to show themselves. If they do (and sometimes they don’t), she offers blessings, gives thanks for their medicinal properties and prays for both the health of their population and that all beings may benefit from their extractions. Finally, on her fourth or fifth visit, she asks if they’re willing to be harvested. “You can hear the flowers’ desires,” Williams says. “You must have their permission to pick if you are practicing ethical wild harvesting.”
Arnica is a member of the sunflower family. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAF PEOPLE
Having studied botanical remedies and naturopathy on every continent except Antarctica, Williams has a profound understanding of the Kingdom Plantae and, in her words, a deep responsibility as a “conduit in servitude.” She understands both ancestral herbal traditions, including plant blessings and extraction techniques, and modern botanical science (thanks to her postgraduate studies in clinical herbalism). For 20 years, she’s brought that cumulative, East-meets-West experience with plants to Leaf People (leafpeople.com), her boutique line of organic skincare products.
Arnica & Turmeric recovery serum. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAF PEOPLE
Williams uses only responsibly sourced, clinical-grade herbs to create vegan products free from gluten, pesticides and herbicides. She handmakes each item across seven product lines. Collections range from the signature arnica lineup to products like Stem Cell & Peptide Radiance face cream (an IndieBeauty Expo finalist). In her latest line, Ocean Blue, the Stem Cell & Blue Lotus luminosity mist couples the flower of enlightenment with vegan marine algae.
Plants are always at the forefront of her formulas. “They are the heart and soul of everything,” Williams says.
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