“Rain Holds Magic”. This is how our conversation with Rain Organica’s founder, Brandy, started and it gives us goose bumps knowing just how well we resonate with that! Read on to learn more about her 12-year journey to creating this conscious, high-performing skincare brand :
Welcome to Nourish Beauty Box! Please delight us with how you came up with your beautiful brand name Rain Organica and why you founded it?
Rain holds magic. Somehow more life-giving than mere irrigation, rain has the singular ability to nourish & sustain the flora & fauna of this world in a way that cannot be replicated. Rain may be the best visual evidence of prana or life force.
“In Ayurveda, prana refers to the energy responsible for animating the living creatures, from man to tree, and prana is transferred when we eat these plants and also, I believe, when we carefully harvest their botanical oils.”
Rain Organica represents my best attempt to bottle prana. I started making my own skincare in 2008 following an all-out war with acne. Circa 2002, I walked away from Western medicine’s approach to treating acne and decided to start nourishing my skin and treating it as a part of my body rather than a battleground.
Tired of not being able to find products on store shelves that I was willing to use on my face due to the ingredients list, I decided to start making my own skincare in 2008, and 12 years later, Rain Organica launched!
“You may be wondering, why launch another skincare company in an (over)saturated market? Great question! There’s one thing that oversaturated market is missing… a simple routine that you don’t have to second guess over.”
What makes Rain Organica different from the other conscious skincare brands out there?
At its core, Rain Organica offers a 3-step routine consisting of 3 products that are perfect for you regardless of your skin type. Oily skin, check. Dry skin, check. Sensitive skin, check. Acne prone skin, yep, these products work for you too. They’re universal, and they’re also made to be used anywhere.
This takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out which type of skin you have. And, the rest of Rain Organica’s facial products? They’re made for you to customize your routine as you please.
Live somewhere dry? Mix in a couple drops of I am Enough Botanical Oil to your face lotion before applying to create the perfect facial lotion for your skin in a dry climate.
Want something other than sunscreen to protect your skin (you and me both)? Pick up a pocket size antioxidant spray.
Desperately need brighter skin? Use Rain Organica’s dedicated night cream to encourage celluar turnover.
How do you source your ingredients?
Because of my strong belief that life force can be diminished by handling, it’s critical that Rain Organica’s ingredients are sourced in the most ethical & sustainable way possible to retain prana.
“This means partnering with ingredient suppliers that share our ethics and offer Fair Trade botanical and essential oils and are also Zero Waste certified.”
Our suppliers ensure ingredient integrity and offer certificates of analysis for each ingredient to back their claims on purity.
“Where possible, Ecocert ingredients and certified organic ingredients are used. And, most of our suppliers are located in the Pacific Northwest further reducing our carbon footprint.”
Packaging is almost as meticulously sourced as the ingredients themselves and great care has gone into selecting the optimal packaging available from a sustainability, product integrity, and health-conscious perspective.
Despite 12 years in the making, what do you still struggle with when running your business?
I’m a scientist, technically an engineer, so it was really difficult for me to figure out the marketing piece.
“And, it’s true what they say about engineers. Most of the time, I feel like I need a translator so that what I’m saying is actually resonating with you. I’m still struggling with this daily.”
The other thing I struggle with greatly even if I don’t really see it this way is imposter syndrome. Despite 12 years of research in formulation development plus a day job in pharmaceutical formulation development and a side hobby of researching health and wellness, I still feel woefully unprepared to just start a conversation without researching it for hours. While I could easily talk for half an hour about just about anything related to skincare and wellness, my podcast episodes are proof I’ve got an imposter syndrome problem… each one of the episodes represents about 10 to 20 hours of research!
Who do you follow and what brands do you personally admire?
The Tea Spot, which hands down offers the best jasmine green tea, has been a huge inspiration for building a brand that prioritizes giving. The Tea Spot included giving into their brand practices from the start and exhibits their generosity mindset both through collaborations and direct giving.
“Rain Organica borrowed their practice partnering with Outdoor Outreach prior to launch and has been giving since day one.”
Nicole Swartz, founder of Sprout Law, has an amazing podcast Cash Is Queen that is essential listening for any business owner. You’ll find tips about time management and work-life balance in these episodes, and the same is true of Crystal Uncorked, a fabulous weekly podcast about business, life and wine!
And, Nikki Rausch, founder of Sales Maven has been invaluable as a resource to teach this engineer how to speak the language of sales and build relationships with customers.
Do you support any charities or movements?
Yes! Rain Organica gives to Outdoor Outreach, a San Diego based organization providing opportunities for under-resourced youth to connect with nature. We’re also a 2021 community partner for Leave No Trace. We also recently started giving to Sustainable Harvest International.
Each of these strategic giving partnerships harmonizes with Rain Organica’s belief that nature’s health is intertwined with our own.
What exciting things have been happening lately at Rain Organica and what can we look forward to from you in the near future?
Rain Organica has been featured in Well Defined, Fathom, and Clean Beauty Gals.
I have also guested on a few podcasts to talk about skincare, skincare ingredients & your health. Don’t forget we also have our own podcast The Alchemy of Things that dives into topics ranging from skincare to energy healing.
A few of the most popular episodes are :
- Simplify your skincare routine
- Sunscreens & the FDA : Reclassifying Safe
- What’s the difference between floral waters & hydrosols?
We’ve also launched our limited release products Shatavari Face Mask & Himalayan Shea Scrub!
Find Rain Organica’s Halcyon Roll-On Hand & Body Oil in our January 2022 box!