Welcome To Meadow & Bark

Meadow & Bark started with a sunscreen — or rather, with looking for one. I wanted something naturally derived that felt good enough on my skin that I'd actually wear it every day. I couldn't find it.

So I started reading labels. And the more of them I read, the more questions I had. Not accusations — questions. Why this ingredient at this percentage? Why does the front of the bottle say botanical when the first six ingredients say otherwise? Why is a product this expensive so unpleasant to use?

In 2018 Hawaii passed Act 104, restricting the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate over concerns about their effect on coral reefs. The law took effect on January 1, 2021. Whatever you make of the science, it changed what was on the shelf — and it made me realize how much of what ends up in a bottle is a business decision, not a formulation one.

I'd rather build than wait for someone else to. Nature keeps a deep pantry — vitamins, minerals, botanical oils, ferments, marine extracts — and that pantry is what Meadow & Bark is built from.

How We Formulate

Every ingredient in a Meadow & Bark formula is there for a reason we can explain. We research what it contributes, how it behaves alongside everything else in the bottle, and how it holds up over the life of the product. Nothing goes in as filler and nothing goes in because it looks good on a label.

We're also honest about what skincare is. Our products are cosmetics. They're made to cleanse, hydrate, soften, and improve the look and feel of your skin — not to treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Some of what they do you'll notice the first time you use them: skin feels softer, looks more hydrated, has more of a glow. The rest builds with consistent use, the way anything worth doing does.

Results vary from person to person, and we'd be suspicious of any brand that told you otherwise.

Our Ingredient Standards

We formulate with naturally derived ingredients — plant extracts, botanical oils, ferments, marine botanicals, and minerals — chosen for how they perform and how they feel.

 

• Naturally derived first. We choose plant- and mineral-derived ingredients wherever we can source them at the quality our formulas need.
• Full disclosure. Every ingredient appears on every product page, in INCI order. No catch-all "fragrance" line hiding a list you can't see.
• Formulated without  parabens, phthalates, SLS/SLES, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, synthetic sunscreen filters.
• Never tested on animals, and never by anyone on our behalf.
• Small batch. We make in small runs so formulas reach you fresh rather than sitting in a warehouse.

 

Our suppliers are chosen for traceability and quality — we want to know where an ingredient came from before it goes into a bottle with our name on it.

Packaging Built to Protect the Formula

Packaging isn't an afterthought for us, because the wrong container undoes the formula inside it. We use UV-resistant glass to help shield light-sensitive ingredients from degrading, and bamboo — a rapidly renewable grass that regrows from its own root system without replanting — for components where it works.

Our glass bottles and jars are widely recyclable and we have a bottle return program with incentives . Check your local program for bamboo and pump components.

Skincare Worth Slowing Down For

A lot of us have bought the expensive regimen, followed it faithfully, and felt nothing but obligation. Six steps of something you don't enjoy is a chore with a price tag.

We'd rather make products you look forward to. The texture, the scent, the two minutes at the end of the day that are yours — that's not a bonus feature, it's part of why the routine sticks. And a routine that sticks is the one that shows up in your skin.

That's the whole idea: take care of yourself in a way you actually enjoy, and let your skin be the evidence.

Questions We Get Asked

Is Meadow & Bark natural? We formulate with naturally derived ingredients — plant extracts, botanical oils, ferments, and minerals. "Natural" has no legal definition in the U.S., so rather than lean on the word, we publish every ingredient on every product page and let you judge.

Are your products vegan and cruelty-free?  We do use beeswax and lanolin in a few of our products.  We never test on animals.

Where do you ship? We ship within the US currently.

How should I store my products? Somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Our UV-resistant glass helps, but heat and light are hard on botanical ingredients.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear from you — questions, feedback, or just to say hello.

xoxo Marisa hello@meadowandbark.com