We always love discovering new, groundbreaking products within the green beauty space and Bedrock’s multifunctional blemish corrector, Porefector, was no exception. We speak to the brand’s founder about how she founded this innovative company, read on here :
Welcome to Nourish Beauty Box, we’re so happy to have found you! Please let us know how you founded the business and how the idea of your game-changing products came about.
I'm Rachel, owner and founder of Bedrock in Seattle, Washington. I've been intrigued by business since college. I left the corporate world in 2013 to freelance and started pursuing business ideas.
In August 2016, I was trying to enjoy an anniversary getaway with my husband in California, but I had a raging armpit rash. I was going nuts. I had been driving around with ice packs under my arms and couldn't find anything to fix it!
“On a whim, I thought of zinc oxide for redness and did extensive research on what it could do. I instantly knew I wanted to create a zinc skincare brand because all I could find was zinc sunscreen.”
After the trip, I found a great formulator to help me make a plant based redness cream and blemish corrector + pore minimizer. Bedrock launched at the end of 2017 with two products, Bedrock Balm and Porefector. The name Bedrock is a little wink and nod to where mighty minerals are found. In 2019, I added Freshstick, our mineral + matcha deodorant. We are launching a zinc lotion stick this summer.
“As a mom, I cannot live without Bedrock and find endless ways to use it : irritated skin, eczema, razor bumps, ingrowns, dry hands, itchy butts, chapped lips, cracked feet, PMS pores, bug bites, and more.”
How does your brand differ from so many that are already out there?
Zinc, baby. Our products are made to solve skin concerns. Our gentle formulas work for sensitive skin, babies and kiddos. Bedrock products are vegan, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free) certified and made in the USA. In the crowded skincare space, those things aren't special anymore, and we expect them.
Bedrock has four more advantages : our products are gender neutral, made for sharing.
“Every product is super multipurpose so you can use it in at least three different ways. Our products are waterless and concentrated, so they last. They ship free in the USA and are wallet-friendly under $30.”
Where do you source your ingredients & packaging?
Our zinc oxide is from Peru and the other ingredients vary from all over the world. I love my vendors - I work with a female-owned packaging company on the West Coast for my compostable tubes, a local graphic designer in Seattle, and a local bookkeeper. I wrote a fun post about firing our bubble wrap mailers and took lots of time to source curbside recyclable mailers without plastic.
There are no ends to the demands made on a small-batch beauty brand owner. What struggles have you faced in your business and were you able to overcome them?
So many! Last holiday, my Freshstick order was delivered and I found a third of them had bumpy, partially unglued seams. I refused to sell them, so I donated them to refugees and local yoga studios.
“They loved them and although I took a financial hit, nothing went to waste. The tube manufacturer discovered they needed to let the tubes dry more before packing them.”
I was stuck for a long time thinking about a lotion. There are a million moisturizers and I knew mine had to be different. I didn't want plastic packaging. I didn't want the lotion to be mostly water. It had to be multipurpose. It had to have zinc. I finally thought of creating a lotion STICK.
“My lab delivered a version of my moisturizer stick without carrot seed oil, which I had wanted. They revised the formula, sent me the new version, but it was slightly grainy and I realized that I preferred the version without the carrot seed oil. Sometimes problems work in your favor!”
Glowstick will launch this summer and I'm super excited. You can use it on your face, lips, body and brows. Perfect for on the go, and the tube is super cute.
Speaking of design, I hired an expensive design agency for my deodorant. I liked it, but couldn't make the look work for three new stick skincare products.
“I wanted to pay for a silver bullet, but I knew in my gut if I was going to love it, it had to come from me. I spent months racking my brain.”
One day when I was at the skatepark for my son, the design idea hit me. I went home, mocked it up with magic markers, emailed my designer and she brought it to life. You can see the sporty stripe designs now on Freshstick and soon Glowstick. Be patient. You'll be amazed at what your brain can do.
Who would you say you admire in the business world?
I admire my business owner friends. They inspire me. Erin is the brains behind her local family fireplace business, Wallace's Stoves. Crystal and Anthony built Regal Credit over the last decade. Taryn pours her passion into a successful coaching business called Ignite. Kristi is my newest Seattle friend, making beautiful hand soap at L'AVANT. I'm proud of my friend Crystal who built up her concrete business, sold it, and is now living her best life on a ranch in Texas.
Do you support any charities or movements?
Bedrock loves to give back. We started giving back before we broke even. We donated thousands of products to front-line healthcare workers in 2020 during the pandemic. Last year, we held a "contest" for customers to submit their hometown heroes, and we sent Bedrock to every single entry. School nurses, YMCA workers, dentist offices, salons. It was so fun!
What’s the best part about owning your own beauty business?
Bedrock products are a blessing to my family. They make me feel confident. I personally use Porefector for PMS breakouts and to keep my t-zone matte. Porefector has been a lifesaver for my tween's complexion. My son is usually covered with scrapes or scratches from playing, so we regularly “Bedrock” him before bed.
Besides our products, the best thing about Bedrock is our customers. They are scrappy, savvy, smart and sweet. My customers are hilarious, sending emails when they discover new ways to use Bedrock Balm. Debbie used our Balm for her split ends, Jacquie used our Balm for her dog's scraped nose. Mind you, this is skincare! I'll never forget a cancer survivor in Florida who used Freshtick for painful skin folds. She had tried everything. Our all body deodorant changed her life. Another story is from Michelle. She would get painful shingles and would have to miss days of work. She used our Balm and her skin calmed down much faster so she could leave the house.
Bedrock customers are the best in the world and I love that Nourish Beauty Box mavens are part of it now!
Find Bedrock’s Porefector in our November 2022 box!