Beauty Gone Wild

Hearty plants foraged from rocky mountains and high-altitude meadows are starring in a hot new skincare movement – and their impact is impressive.

- April Long

For Kendra Kolb Butler, it began not so much with a vision as with a view. the beauty industry veteran, who had relocated to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, from New York City, had a eureka moment sitting on her porch one day. She was pondering why so many of the women who shopped in her boutique, Alpine Beauty Bar, suffered from skin issues – dehydration, hyperpigmentation, and sensitivity – that couldn’t be solved by any of the products she sold. “I was looking out at the purple flowers growing on the mountains, and I wondered, How have they been able to adapt to harsh elements like low humidity, high altitude, and extreme sun? Is there something that makes these plants more resilient that might make skin stronger, too?”

Looking for answers to these questions, she began gathering arnica and chamomile from uncultivated woodlands and meadows around Jackson Hole – a practice known as wildcrafting or foraging – and formulating them into a new skincare line, Alpine Beauty. “When we sent our samples to the lab to be tested, they were off the charts in potency, measuring high in omegas and essential fatty acids, which are known to help improve skin,” Kendra says. “I truly believe the answer to more effective natural products – and better skin – can be found in wild forests.” as it turns out, she’s part of a growing skincare trend.

THE RISE OF WILDCRAFTING