I’m a curious person.

Growing up in southern California, I spent much of my free time body surfing the Pacific waves and many summers harvesting vegetables at a family farm. In my early 20s, as a top buyer for a French fashion designer in Beverly Hills, I was constantly on the go, hitting the Paris fashion show circuit. So when I became pregnant with my first child, it didn’t occur to me to slow down. Some say I sped up.

Like many expecting moms, I started scrutinizing my lifestyle. Okay, I admit, I took it farther than most! With a mission to raise my family in an all-natural, non-toxic environment, I initiated what has become an ongoing endeavor to purify body, home, and way of life. I became a vegetarian, eating only locally grown, organic foods purchased from my local farmer’s market. I stocked up on organic cloth diapers for my newborn and devoted myself to breastfeeding. I started gardening and composting. And for the first time in my life, I began scrutinizing labels.

Unable to decipher some of the ingredients in the baby shampoo I purchased from a local health food store, I consulted a chemical dictionary at the library and found that many of the cleansing agents and synthetic fragrances listed were not only harsh on the skin, but suspected carcinogens.

This is where the story of California Baby® begins.

Determined to come up with a gentle, safe baby wash, I began cold-calling chemists. For the next few years, my kitchen became my lab. I experimented with organic herbs and plants, essential oils, waxes, and powders until I discovered a key ingredient: Decyl Polyglucose, a gentle, biodegradable cleansing and bubbling agent derived from renewable and biodegradable plant sources. Here was an effective, organic replacement for the damaging cleansers found in the so-called “natural” brands at the time. My blends contained no harsh or harmful ingredients, no synthetics, no common allergens, and no pesticides. Scented solely with aromatherapy quality essential oils to promote baby wellness – a concept I pioneered in the baby products sector – I knew I was onto something good.

By the time my second son was born, I had turned my kitchen experiments into a thriving business. Introduced in 1995 with a single hit product – Calming Shampoo & Bodywash – California Baby® now encompasses over 50 pediatrician and dermatologist recommended products that span hair care, diaper care, non-chemical suncare, bath fun, wellness, and more. Celebrity moms such as Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Katie Holmes, and Courtney Cox, to name a few, are fans of the brand, which has earned cult status in such trendy Asian countries as South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Growing a Green Business

With my husband running business operations, California Baby® continues to innovate and grow. We are proud that California Baby® is the only complete natural baby line to make the jump from a niche market to a nationally recognized brand that is sold in top retail stores like Whole Foods, Babies R’ Us and Target. Heading development, I work with leading raw material suppliers to create and pioneer safe, new and improved green ingredients. True to our toxin-free, sustainability-focused roots, we steer clear of Diethanolamine (DEA), sulfates, dyes, numbing agents, and ingredients that can trigger allergies in young ones or chemically sensitive adults, including synthetic fragrances, dairy, soy, peanuts and gluten. Our strict standards ensure that all of our products are CA Prop 65 compliant, which means they contain no carcinogens such as 1-4 Dioxane or phthalates. Our essential oils are third party tested for purity.

As a mother of two, I completely relate to the anxiety that accompanies the steady stream of toxic and environmental crises in the news -- phthalates in fragrances and sippy cups, arsenic in talcum powder, pharmaceuticals in our water. That is why I’ve been committed to sustainable business practices from the get-go, using sustainable and biodegradable ingredients and recyclable packaging for our products. Eager to take green to the extreme, California Baby® is converting all aspects of business and manufacturing processes to earth-first, zero waste, solar power and recyclable systems.