Successful local business is aiming for world-wide sales

Today’s quiz: What company based in Wimberley regularly ships to and sells in 38 countries?

The answer: SKINourshiment, Inc.

Tucked into a commercial complex in a wooded area on La Buena Vista Drive, SKINourishment produces 48 different skincare products that are made with plant-based ingredients and are 100 percent natural.

The company has grown dramatically over the last 18 years. About 85 percent of SKINourishment’s sales are in Europe, with most of the rest in the United States. Company founder and president Polly Glasse is looking to crack the Asian market next.

She will get some bigtime help with her expansion efforts. SKINourishment was bought out last month by the Clarus Corp, a Utah-based company that specializes in outdoor products.

Over the years, the growth of SKINourishment has mostly been through word of mouth. The new alliance with Clarus will provide access to sales representatives and a support and distribution network all over the world. This will allow Glasse and her team to concentrate on making existing products and developing new lines.

For rock climbers

Drawing on her medical and nursing education, as well as her fascination with Asian medicine, Glasse started experimenting with natural skin care products in the mid-1990s in Southern California. Then tragedy struck. Her home burned down and a few years later her husband had a heart attack and died. Glasse, who was born in Houston, decided it was time to return to Texas and settled on 10 acres in Wimberley. “I wanted peace and was drawn to this area,” says Glasse. “It just felt right and I followed my instincts.”

She had friends in Colorado who were avid rock climbers and they asked her to make a product for their skin. Needless to say, a rock climber’s hands and skin take quite a beating. In her kitchen she cooked up the solid lotion stick that was to become her signature product, the climbOn bar.

SKINourishment now has four product lines:

— climbOn is designed for rock climbers and was the first solid lotion bar on the market. The line also features a lighter cream and soap. While aimed at the climber, the bar also works wonders on cuts, rashes and burns.

— crossFIXE is a line of healing products for active lifestyles. It keeps skin pliable and the Muscle Paste helps with strains, stiffness and arthritis.

— POLYN Baby benefits both baby and mom. The Baby Butt Balm is antiseptic, antibacterial and has a soothing, calming aroma.

— POLYN Spa products are for all skin types and all ages. The line includes a foaming face wash, toner, mask and serum.

The key is natural

Everything about SKINourishment is natural. “All the ingredients are food grade,” says Glasse. “You could eat it if you wanted to, but it probably wouldn’t taste very good.”

There are no artificial scents added. “It smells like what it is,” she says.

The base for many of the products is beeswax. SKINourishment recently received a 7,000-pound delivery of unrefined beeswax from a local farmer. The company gets shea butter from Africa and essential oils from Europe. The ingredients in the POLYN line are plant-based. There are no animal products and there is no testing on animals.

The spa products are sold in dark, violet glass that does not allow light to reach the product inside. This protects the natural ingredients and keeps them stable.

Even the packaging is environmentally friendly. Many of the products come in compostable packaging and any plastic used is recyclable.

“Everything I make is for a purpose. Everything I formulate is for the physical body and the emotional body,” Glasse says.

Available locally

While the bulk of SKINourishment products are sold in Europe, they are available in Texas and the Southwest at Whole Foods, REI and Amazon. Some of the products are sold at King Feed in Wimberley.

Products can be purchased at the store at the SKINourishment headquarters at 691 La Buena Vista Drive, Suite 2 and online through their website, https://skinourishment.com.

The ever-expanding facility is where it all comes together: testing, manufacturing, packaging, sales, and shipping.

There are now five fulltime employees, but that number is likely to grow.

Glasse, who is an avid cyclist and tennis player — not a rock climber — is proud of her products.

Early on, Glasse knew she had created something special. She had a friend who was doing volunteer work at an orphanage in Cambodia where a youngster had a seemingly incurable skin condition. Glasse sent over some of her products and the boy improved dramatically.

Says Glasse: “Everything we do is purposeful.”