Real ingredients, made by real people, with lots and lots of real love. The May Lindstrom collection contains the finest organic, biodynamic, wild-crafted and vegan ingredients, all sustainably sourced and mindfully harvested.
With recognition from Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, to name a few… the proof is in the pudding. To experience her products is to understand just how amazing and nourishing they really are.
We were lucky enough to sit and talk with former chef and makeup artist, mom-of-two, and “skin-magician,” May Lindstrom to find out more about her amazing collection of all-natural skincare products.
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Congratulations on your baby boy! We hope that big sister, Talia, is having fun too. And thank you for talking with us, as we are sure your hands — and your heart — are very full.
Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to connect!
This chapter of life has been outrageously full and exciting. Our newest, Sterling (seven months), is a dream. He’s the sweetest little chunk and I’m just enamored with him. It’s been so much fun to watch Talia (almost five years) turn into a big sister right before my eyes.
Q: You began formulating your skin care line in your own kitchen, starting with your Good Stuff Radiance Oil, which so many of your fellow super-model friends fell in love with. Soon, it made its way into all of the top make-up artists’ kit bags, building a vibrant, grass-roots following. What do you believe makes your line stand apart?
The Good Stuff was the first piece I created specific for this collection, but I’ve been formulating since childhood - creating skin potions is a part of my very foundation.
When I made the leap into the retail space after many years of working only with bespoke clients one-on-one, I had some pretty big ideas of what I wanted this line to represent.
I have poured my heart and soul into delivering a beautiful experience with every element of this collection. I wanted to create something special - gorgeous potions that feel incredible to use and provide an excuse to celebrate yourself every morning and night. And in staying true to my roots, I insist on delivering serious results along with every (remarkably beautiful) bottle.
Everything about this collection and what goes into it is deeply personal. I formulate for myself first, always. I have to be madly in love before I release something new to the public.
I create my own proprietary formulas. No outsourcing - this means I do not purchase base formulas, use labs, generics or shortcuts. Each and every ingredient is chosen with intention and sourced at the peak of its harvest's potency to deliver exquisite results. Each bottle is inspired, formulated, blended and filled with love and care from my private studio in micro-batches for ultimate freshness and efficacy.
Q: You say: “Discover your ritual.” We love how your collection fits together, with each fresh treat complimenting the rest, creating an individual frequency so each person’s skin can have its own best radiance and health. Tell us, what is your daily skincare ritual?
I begin my mornings in the shower, brightening my skin with gentle (and powerfully effective) exfoliation with The Clean Dirt. The spicy and exotic aroma wakes up my senses and gives the most incredible start to my day - leaving my spirits lifted and my skin fresh and glowing. I follow with The Youth Dew, layered with The Blue Cocoon, for incomparable glow and health. The Youth Dew provides graceful aging protection, a host of antioxidant superpowers and balancing moisture. The Blue Cocoon is simply heaven on earth, and my greatest skin savior - it eliminates all redness and sensitivity, heals and deeply hydrates and calms both skin and spirit effortlessly. It's also my favorite treatment for eyes and lips of all time.
Before I exit the shower, I massage The Good Stuff over every inch of my skin, all the way to my toes, and even a few drops through my hair. It's the sexiest thing you've ever found in a bottle. I call this my "fabric-free lingerie." After exiting the shower, I mist my face, neck and décolleté generously with The Jasmine Garden, and then go about my day.
In the evenings, I love to wind down with a bath. If feels wonderful to wear The Honey Mud as a masque (it doubles as a cleanser) into the water, allowing the heat and steam to further activate the raw honey enzymes and infuse moisture into my skin.
This is a wonderful treat to rotate with the powerfully effective and warming superhero - The Problem Solver. I try to make time for a full treatment with The Problem Solver once or twice a week. After every cleansing or treatment, it's vital to feed goodness back into your skin with The Youth Dew or The Blue Cocoon. I treat myself to both every day, twice a day, always.
Q: Your practice of self-care is evident, and the results, at least viewed from the outside-in, are amazing. We are intrigued by your suggestion of using The Blue Cocoon as a salve to help ease anxiety and depression, as well as to help improve sleep. Tell us more about this.
Thank you! My skin has been the result of a lifetime of commitment to its care. I’m extremely sensitive and my own complexion challenges were what inspired me to go into formulation.
I’m happy you asked me to expand about The Blue Cocoon. This is my absolute favorite treat of all time and also the formula that has been the most widely impactful - both for myself and for our clients all around the world. It has a following and an endless well of deeply moving personal stories and reviews that humble me to my core.
The Blue Cocoon contains the superhero ingredient blue tansy, which calms and relieves inflammation on a magical level. When applied topically, it releases heat from the skin, reducing redness and discomfort with more ease than any ingredient I have ever worked with. It works magic to clear rashes and allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, as well as all forms of acne. It's a total powerhouse.
Blue Tansy has a very high resonance energy. It's like a meditation and spa vacation for your skin; in aromatherapy, blue tansy is used to reduce anxiety, heal sleep disorders and soften the feeling of being out of control. It releases the emotions of anger and allows more flow in our life. We are able to let go, feel less overwhelmed and feel more at one with ourselves.
Q: What is the best May Lindstrom product that will give us (a) the most woken-up, fresh appearance and (b) the glowy-iest, dewiest, most feminine face?
This is tough, and I think the answer needs to be at least two-fold.
The Clean Dirt gently exfoliates, easing congestion and helping you to shed dead and dehydrated skin. The special formula brightens and tones, fading discoloration and post-acne marks while giving you the most radiant skin ever.
Immediately follow with The Youth Dew - this is vital, as The Clean Dirt essentially provides a gentle resurfacing of your complexion, allowing for the deepest, most effective penetration of your other treats. You will want to apply your oils while skin is still warm, wet, and fully receptive for the ultimate benefit.
The Youth Dew is the ultimate glow potion, providing gorgeous hydration while balancing your natural oil production and slowing the onset of lines and wrinkles - the incredible anti-oxidant protection of scientifically proven Coenzyme Q10 is beneficial at every age.
This duo together wakes up skin and brings on glow like nothing else. Everyone will definitely be asking your secret!
Q: Gratitude, acts of appreciation, and living with an awake awareness seem to be hallmarks of who you are and how you live. You send beautiful, hand-written thank-you notes to every customer with each purchase. What other things do you do to express gratitude daily, both in business and in your personal life?
There is little more important than gratitude. In good news - this is a practice that is easy to foster and feels incredibly positive to do so. There is so much deliciousness happening in the world!
Small rituals, like beginning my day with a pen and beautiful stationery, sending thank you’s and beautiful affirmations out to all our clients… this is really a gift to ME! Words are powerful, and there’s a sweetness to starting your day thinking of ones that are going to touch another.
Q: What advice do you have for other business-owners who endeavor to balance motherhood and family with the challenges and fun of business? Is there a quotation or a mantra that helps you keep everything in check, and stay focused, motivated and happy?
I was having this conversation just a couple days ago, about how this is a question that comes up all the time - in my personal life as well as in interview after interview. And at the end of the day, maybe the goal shouldn’t be balance, but instead, presence. There will never be enough hours in the day for me to give all that I want to to either my children, husband, or my business and clients (not to mention my own self) - but I can give my all within the moments I have in each of these spaces and really be there fully. That is a goal worth working towards.
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Refresh and renew… these words continue to come to mind as we experience your collection. Your products are amazing, your line — from the logo to the packaging to the extra personal touches — elevate it to that next level. Thank you for taking the time to share yourself with us. We have loved getting to know more about you!
I am honored by your words, and so grateful that what we are trying to share is resonating with you. Thank you for this thoughtful conversation and the opportunity to connect!
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Thank you, May! Your products reflect your goodness and your inner beauty, the things that truly matter. We understand why you refer to your products as "treats," because that is what they truly are. And... you are the gorgeous, living proof of just how beauty within is what radiates and reflects outer beauty.
p.s. As if we needed another reason to love May Lindstrom and her beautiful products, please read below and see how The Blue Cocoon’s healing benefits go more than skin deep.
I wanted to share a simple exercise that has made a world of difference for many of our clients who live with anxiety and depression, or who are experiencing sorrow, loss, or feelings of being out of control. It is an equally perfect gift for yourself when in a place of balance and joy, to deepen your celebration of self and the connection to your center.
When feeling overwhelmed, massage a bit of The Blue Cocoon directly into your heart, and from your solar plexus to your throat. Let yourself feel everything hiding deep in these areas. Feel, and then release, breathe. Allow space for whatever fills you to just be, without judgment or trying to shift or change it. Stay in the discomfort as it evolves. Acknowledge the texture of your skin, the temperature, how it feels to be touched. Let this moment be fully yours.
In the evenings, massage a tiny dab on both wrists and the center of your forehead to calm and ground your body for a healing sleep.