Philosophy & Purpose

"We're dedicated to creating the purest, intuitive skin care, promising to honor your natural lifestyle. Our thoughtful formulations are honestly natural and clean, so you can worry less about ingredients, and feel like the healthiest version of yourself."

Cruelty-Free · Certified Organic · Wild Harvested · Vegan · Plant-Based · Non-GMO

Botanicals in a bowl
Our Foundation

Honoring Nature

Wilder North Botanicals is green, intuitive, small batch, and hand crafted skin care — made from the purest botanical-based ingredients. We are inspired by nature to provide beneficial products to encourage your healthiest, most radiant skin possible.

Each plant ingredient is chosen for a specific skin-loving benefit, free from needless synthetic additives which can harm our precious skin barrier. These plants work in harmony with our body and support our skin's bio-individuality — the natural ability to heal itself.

Honey spoon
Our Approach

Obsessively Holistic

There's no such thing as an instant fix. We must look beneath the surface of our skin struggles to treat deeper issues within the body, alerting us through the body's largest organ.

This is why we formulate our products to support our body functions such as the lymphatic system, the circulatory system and the nervous system, while never harming our micro-biome.

Botanical balm
Beauty & Wellness

Beauty in Harmony with Health

We use fresh potent plant ingredients that support purification of our bodies, to elevate our wellness and ultimately amplify our natural beauty.

The most beautiful scents come from Nature. That's why we combine some of the most intoxicating natural ingredients on the planet to envelope your senses and transform skin care into an experience that truly makes us feel beautiful.

What We Make

High Vibrational & Holistic Skin Care

Serums

Our skin serums are the heart of Wilder North, thoughtfully and passionately formulated from the herbalist mindset, with a great respect and appreciation for nature's abundance of botanicals. Serums are one half of the skin moisturizing process — we package and deliver essential moisturizers (oil) and hydrators (water) separately, eliminating the need for additives that have no benefit to our microbiome. The lion's share of our serums begin with a maceration of organic whole plants, most often locally sourced from small farms in New England.

Hydrating Mists & Hydrosols

Our Hydrosols are the other half of the moisturizing process. Unlike conventional skincare which combines both oil and water with sometimes irritating synthetic chemicals like emulsifiers and preservatives, we choose to separate the lipid-rich oil from our botanical waters. A hydrosol is a beautiful result of plant distillation — the combination of pure water and fresh plant material. We distill our Rare Native hydrosols the traditional way, using our copper alembic still and solar energy.

Cleansers

We offer three types of cleansers: Cleansing Oils, Milky Cleansing Balm and a Powdered Cream Cleanser. Each is formulated to preserve the skin barrier and replenish skin while purifying effectively. Our Cleansing Oils are formulated purely with lipid-rich plant oils, free of surfactants, emulsifiers, water or solubilizers. We recommend massaging onto dry skin, followed by a steamy washcloth and then a light buffing away until skin is clean.

Our Commitment

Eco Credentials

Always plant-based, gentle, active, effective and transparent. When you use our products, there should be no question in your mind about what you are putting on your skin and why.

Naturality

  • Whole botanicals bio-regionally sourced from small farms
  • 100% Natural plant-based ingredients, with the exception of honeybee ingredients
  • Vegan (excluding bee products), cruelty-free, gluten-free, GMO-free
  • Crafted by hand in micro-batches by a single formulator
  • Organic and wild harvested ingredients whenever possible
  • Pure, un-adulterated ingredients, free of additives
  • Therapeutic grade, steam distilled essential oils, hexane-free absolutes & alcohol-free extracts
  • Recyclable / Reusable / Compostable packaging
  • Everything we do is powered by Solar Energy

Never Made With

  • Petroleum
  • Animal testing
  • Surfactants
  • Fillers
  • Alcohol
  • Parabens
  • Synthetic preservatives
  • GMOs
  • Artificial or Synthetic Fragrances
  • Synthetic chemicals of any kind

Sustainability

  • 39-panel solar array powers our entire business
  • Nearly all products packaged in reusable/recyclable glass
  • Thank you notes and promotional materials made from recycled paper
  • Orders shipped in compostable/recyclable cardboard and paper
  • Only certified organic, wild harvested or non-GMO ingredients
  • Sourced from local small businesses in Maine, Vermont and Nottingham, NH
  • Sustainably harvest ingredients from our own land using our natural well
  • Partner with small women-owned brands and estheticians committed to sustainability
At a Glance

Quick Facts

Founded2015 · New England
FormulationHolistic Herbalism · In-House
IngredientsOrganic / Wild Harvested / Non-GMO
SourcingBio-regional · Local New England
Powered BySolar Energy
Micro-BatchAlways
VeganYes, except honey
Artisan HydrosolsYes
PackagingGlass · Recycled · Compostable
Who We ServeWomen & Holistic Estheticians
Hyaluronic AcidNever
RetinoidsNever
SurfactantsNever
Artificial FragranceNever
Artificial ColorNever
Synthetic PreservativesNever
ParabensNever
AlcoholNever
Animal TestingNever
PetroleumNever
Where It Comes From

Thoughtful Ingredient Sourcing

Oils & Hydrosols

The lion's share of our plant oils and select hydrosols are sourced through our local Maine botanical distributor, or reputable trusted sources such as Eden Botanicals or Organic Infusions. We prefer to source most of our ingredients from Lotus Garden Botanicals in Maine, due to the unmatched quality and the meticulous quality standards their founder has implemented. Founder Karen Yarnold sources direct from distillers, ensuring premium quality aromatherapy products backed by GC-MS testing.

We also artisan-distill many of our own hydrosols for our Rare Native Collection, using locally grown or sustainable ingredients — cucumber, frankincense, strawberry, juniper, balsam, herb garden hydrosol and more.

Raw Botanicals

Many of our whole plant ingredients are sourced from local farms committed to regenerative and organic growing practices. We source from local organic herb farms throughout Vermont and Maine, such as Foster Farm Botanicals in VT and Meeting House Farm Herb Collective in Maine, as well as through our local herb shop right here in Nottingham, NH.

"We plant and harvest according to the moon cycle. Herbs grown on the farm are used as fertilizers, and as support for plants under pest or fungal pressure. Mycorhizal fungi is our passion as is healthy soil. A primary goal of ours is to improve soil health every year."

— Meeting House Farm Herb Collective, certified organic by MOFGA
Honey

We source our honey from three exceptional suppliers:

Granite State Apiaries — right here in our home of Nottingham, NH. A small family-owned business dedicated to raising honey bees and producing raw natural honey.

Bee the Change — a Vermont initiative to plant pollinator habitats in the unused space surrounding solar fields. As a solar-powered business, supporting Bee the Change is a natural fit.

New Zealand Honey Co. — radically transparent, traceable back to the hive. UMF™ certified, containing no GMOs, Glyphosate residue, antibiotics or additives. Just like Champagne can only come from the Champagne region, authentic Manuka honey can only come from New Zealand.

Specialty Plant Whisperers

We source from several East Coast independent gurus, distillers and enfleurage artisans for special ingredients such as our Sustainable Frankincense and Peony Enfleurage. Apothecary's Garden and Cherry Valley Lilacs are among our favorite artisan ingredient suppliers. We have been impressed by their passionate care for the plants, transparency and craftsmanship.

Essential oils
Our Standards

No "Performance Enhancing" Synthetic Ingredients

We formulate without additives such as foaming agents, surfactants, unnatural preservatives, and limit emulsifiers. This is why we don't make any lotions, creams or foamy cleansers.

There are other ingredients we also refuse to use — retinoids, hyaluronic acid, fragrance, and alcohol. You choose what's best for you, but we don't make products with these ingredients.

"Organic substances like essential oils have a structure which only mother nature can put together. They have a life force, an additional impulse which can only be found in living things."

— Robert Tisserand, founder of the Tisserand Institute
Low dilution essential oils
Fragrance Philosophy

A Low & Safe Dilution of Essential Oils

We use essential oils as both formulation enhancers and the only source of fragrance. We never use synthetic fragrance — the scent you smell is the actual scent of the plants used.

We choose to use essential oils because of their undeniable skin benefits and vital life force. Using essential oils responsibly means adding a dilution of less than 2% of the total product — and in many cases 1% or sometimes none at all.

Powered by the Sun

Renewable Energy... Wilder North Runs on Solar Power

We have a 39-panel solar array, making use of the sun's energy and sending a surplus back to the grid for others to use. We operate semi-off grid, in rural New Hampshire with our natural well, solar power, and abundant plant life. We are surrounded by farmland in a tiny town of just over 5,000 residents.

Local New England sourcing
Local Roots

Sourcing Locally... Profoundly Important

It's not always easy to source locally in New England due to our long winters when nothing grows. For this reason, we source the lion's share of our ingredients through New England farms in the summer, our local Honey Bee Apiaries, our Maine oil supplier, our own land, and several other trusted organic plant suppliers.

Because New England produces such vibrant, nutrient-rich plants, they are an important part of our products.

Why Wilder North

What's the Difference?

We truly believe we need to be humble and respectful of the plants in order to use them well and gain the greatest benefit. But we can't help but want to shine a light on the things that make Wilder North different as a holistic skin care brand.

Holistic Skin Care isn't new — many plants and modalities such as gua sha and massage have been used holistically since ancient times. We cannot make claim to these things, we can only perpetuate the practice of them. Skin care has seen every innovation under the sun, but we choose to pull from our roots and formulate our products in the most "whole" way possible.

Our products, formulations, creativity, business direction and ideas are completely unique — born from wild creativity, research, herbalism, customer feedback, customer requests and problem solving.

New England landscape
Rooted in Place

We Are Based in New England, Founded by a Vermonter

There is something incredibly grounded here in the North East — an ethic of working hard, farming the land, respect for the animals and eco system.

The harsh and varied conditions of New England breed dynamic and rugged people and plants. The deep snow and ice storms give way to hot sticky summers where the dormant plants not only thrive, but invade wherever they can reach. This region is lush, mountainous, vibrant and abundant. Sustainability is not a trend or social virtue here — it's a way of life ingrained by generations past.

Our Partners

If You Visit One of Our Esthetician Partners, You Are Experiencing Something You Can't Receive Anywhere Else

We provide our practitioners an Apothecary Style Backbar, meaning she can formulate a facial treatment just for you, on the spot using her expertise, observations and intuition. There are some other brands who provide apothecary backbar, but none which offer such a broad selection of truly deep green whole plant ingredients. We have less than 50 partners, so receiving a facial from one of them is a rare and valuable treat for your body.

"What I love about having an apothecary product line is having every ingredient I need for your skin right at my fingertips. Most product lines come with premixed formulations, which is fine, but there's a lack of customization. Now I can choose out of 22 apothecary items which formulation is going to be best for you!"

— Jen, Love & Esthetics
Marissa Masterson, Founder & Formulator of Wilder North Botanicals
The Person Behind the Plants

About Marissa Masterson

Formulator & Founder of Wilder North Botanicals

My passion for crafting holistic skin care grew from the branches of a deeply rooted tree, so deeply grounded in the earth, that nothing else truly served me until I realized that my life's work was to partner with plants. My Vermont roots started with the formative influence of my grandfather — a salt of the earth carpenter, thoughtful beekeeper, gardener, and woodsman. Wilder North was born from these roots.

By the time I became pregnant with my first child in 2013, I had been struggling with hormonal acne for 15 years. During my pregnancy, I started switching to natural and plant-based cosmetics and tried Argan Oil for the first time. It was the magic bullet — making me realize I had been approaching my skin all wrong. I incorporated hormone-balancing Maca root and went "All In" with natural beauty oils. The combination worked and I've been mostly acne-free for 10 years.

Practicing herbalism through product formulation has fulfilled me in a way I didn't know I needed. I want women to feel supported and nurtured through wellness and whole plants, rather than pressured to meet unattainable standards. Today, I live with my family in New Hampshire on our semi-off-grid property, where I am the sole proprietor and operator of Wilder North — from formulation, to sourcing, bottling, labeling, artwork, marketing and more. I truly love what I do.

Naturally yours, Marissa Masterson

Go Deeper

The Seven Beliefs Behind
Every Formula

Living Formulas. Elemental Botanicals. WildBiome Philosophy. The Sensory Ritual. Explore the foundational convictions that shape everything we make.

Explore Our Core Values

"Empowering women through plant knowledge and holistic wisdom is a paramount value within Wilder North."

Explore the Collection →