Behind The Brand With Nature Of Things
So many brands these days say that they are natural or inspired by nature, but in the case of Nature of Things, their very essence is ingrained in the natural world. Founders JP Collett and Jamie Leilani Pelayo took their concept of holistic wellbeing and created an entire philosophy rooted in nature, inspired by nature, and created with nature. The result was one of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful body care products we've ever laid eyes on. One sniff of the brand's Restorative Floral Bath and we wanted to draw a bath and float in it forever.
This month, the brand expanded into the face category, bringing that same ethos of nature and wellbeing harmony to the skin above the neck and the products, predictably, are nothing short of spectacular.
To celebrate the launch, we thought now would be the perfect time for you to get to know Nature of Things a bit more intimately with their very own Behind The Brand feature. Keep reading to learn how the brand came to be, how the facial line came to be, and the product that people can't stop buying in bulk.
Brand Name: Nature of Things
Founders: JP Collett and Jamie Leilani Pelayo
Date Founded: 2019
What was the inspiration for the line?
We are based in the endeavor of holistic wellbeing. Our name takes inspiration from a didactic poem "De Rerum Natura," (written around 50 B.C. by the Roman poet Lucretius), which translates to Nature of Things. One of the things that Lucretius was arguing was that Epicureanism was not at all about Hedonism, but rather what defined true pleasure in life. He determined that eliminating two things — pain and fear — is what allowed for people to truly live an enjoyable life. And so that’s what we sought out to do with our line by incorporating naturally derived, safe ingredients proven to help ease stress, anxiety, pain and inflammation while calming the mind and beautifying the skin.
What is the Nature of Things philosophy?
Nature of Things is a modern wellness house rooted in the enduring wisdom of nature. We believe that healthy is harmony. It’s the synchronicity of body, mind, and the natural world. Our ingredients come from the Earth — plants, minerals, and elements. Our formulas are equal parts curative and preventive, designed to give you a good today and even better tomorrow.
What was the first product you developed?
We started working on the main launch collection products in tandem as we felt it was necessary to utilize internal and external delivery methods for the benefits to make them as efficacious as possible.What's your favorite product in the line?
JP’s favorite product is our Superlative Body Balm because of the cooling, almost instantaneous relief it provides for muscle tightness and soreness.
Jamie’s favorite product is our Restorative Floral Bath. It’s the perfect way to relax and reset the mind while soaking in the benefits through the skin. She loves to start and end her day with the bath.
What is your bestselling product?
Our Fortifying Magnesium Soak is definitely our bestseller. Possibly because it is our entry-level product for those who want to tiptoe into trying the brand, but most often we see people come back and buy multiple soaks to have on hand or even gift because the muscle relaxing and pain-relieving benefits are so potent.
What makes Nature of Things unique?
We think it harkens back to our brand philosophy and approach to product development. We don’t believe it is enough to try to remedy or rectify external signs of inflammation or discomfort when so much of the disruptions we see on the surface are more deeply rooted within. That’s why our launch collection was based on a three-category approach to deliver the benefits in the most efficacious ways through full body absorption, topical treatments, and ingestible powders.
What's one surprising thing people might not know about Nature of Things?
Our current collection is formulated with CBD, but we don’t consider ourselves a CBD brand. We believe in the power of CBD to work on pain, inflammation, and sensitive skin conditions, but our products are based in the philosophy of the entourage effect of layering that buzzy,-in-the-moment ingredient with other botanicals and minerals that can combine with it for the intended impact.What do you want people to think of when they think of Nature of Things?
Quality, effectiveness, thoughtfulness, and a lack of excess.
We don’t have any interest of filling up someone’s vanity with new product launches that continually drive excessive purchasing to fill in the gaps of all needs. Our product line is comprised of well-rounded body- and face-care essentials that work for anyone regardless of whether or not you identify male or female or what skin tone you have. It’s really about a wholesome, considered approach to beauty and wellness that aims to help us feel most comfortable in our own skin.
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced when you launched?
Covid-19 has certainly been a huge challenge as it has for so many around the world. We had about three true months in market before the pandemic hit home. Upon launching, we had planned to really focus on our brick and mortar partners contrary to trends, because we felt that in-person still provided the best platform for education and a tactile relationship with the collection. Obviously that wasn’t possible with many of our partners closed and testers banned for the foreseeable future. We have been super fortunate to be able to be approached by so many incredible partners, including Shen, in those early days and ramp up our launch, but so much of what is driving the brand is social media and e-commerce now. It definitely remains challenging not to be able to travel to other markets we are launching in (like the UK and Hong Kong) and have the opportunity to connect with the retailer and to educate the consumer as we’d like.
How did you know you'd made it as a brand?
There have been multiple moments, inclusive of partnering with Shen, that really cemented our early success as a brand, but overall it’s when we get emails and DMs from clients who have discovered our brand and have had life-changing experiences with the products. Hearing from people who have solved acute and chronic pain issues, managed their anxiety, or slept better because of what we have provided is really the surest sign that we’ve started to accomplish what we’ve set out to do.What is your proudest moment as a founder?
The first email we received from a client on the huge impact that the brand had on her quality of life.
Can you tell us a bit about how the face-care line came about and how it fits into the Nature of Things story?
We set about looking at the journey from the bathtub to the vanity and all of the wellness touchpoints in between those two pivotal spaces within the bathing sanctuary. Leaning back on our ethos and inspiration, we realized that not only is the face the most vulnerable part of the body to sun and environmental damage, its also apt to show visible signs of internal discord, from inflammation and lack of sleep to stress and anxiety. So we really see the facial skin-care collection as an extension of promoting total health and wellbeing from head to toe. We have a simple three-step daily routine to be used twice a day to give everything it needs to thrive and nourish it deeply from the inside out and outside in.
What can we expect from Nature of Things in the future? Any exciting news you can share?
There are definitely a few exciting products beyond the facial skin-care collection that will release later this year, again focusing on the head-to-toe wellness experience and where we have identified a few opportunities to bring unique and highly effective products to the market to continue to help people take care of themselves — mind, body, and spirit, as we like to say.