New firm offers natural alternative to skin-care products
“And everyone is already using skin care,” Schacht added. “While you’re trying this raw skin care, have you thought about eating raw or looking at your dairy (intake)? They can bite a tip off of something.”
And the two hope that people stick around to hear their story behind creating Balm and wanting to inspire others to choose cleaner living — even if it’s just by using their facial cream.
Much of their motivation for the healthier lifestyles stems from watching their mothers battle cancer. Schacht’s mother is roughly a year removed from treatment for breast cancer, while Moeller’s mother died in 2015, two years after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer typically associated with asbestos exposure.
Throughout both families’ journeys with cancer, Moeller and Schacht and their relatives adopted healthier diets (cooking with coconut oil, juicing) and explored alternative treatments (chiropractic care, herbalism) in addition to the traditional Western medical care their mothers received.
“There are other ways,” Schacht said, “instead of drug after drug and surgery after surgery.”
After her mother passed away, Moeller harbored a lot of anger, she said, about her mother’s lack of options — both medically and naturally — especially living in a small city such as Lima, where even organic-food sections at grocery stores are limited.
Although Moeller was working in retail marketing at the time, she decided to put to use her biology and molecular-genetics degree — and the time she spent studying in cancer research laboratories at Ohio State University. Along with her cousin, a pharmacist, she founded Botavi Labs in early 2016.
Botavi (Greek for herbs) specializes in creating customized herbal blends for chiropractors, acupuncturists and other practitioners to use.
Shortly thereafter, though, Moeller’s cousin had to return to full-time pharmacy work to support his wife, who was ill — and Moeller realized the company needed a more sustainable revenue stream.
After eight months of market research, she arrived at a skincare line.
“We had done some creams for an acupuncturist, and she really loved them,” Moeller said. “I studied herbalism with an herbalist I really liked. I was making some of my own skin-care products — lotions, toothpastes, deodorants, body wash.”
Moeller named the company Balm after her and her sisters (Brooke, Alison, Lindsey and Mara.)
With Schacht’s business and marketing background, the pair launched their products on Cyber Monday.
Besides honey, the products (cleansers, toner, buffing grains and creams) include ingredients such as charcoal, turmeric, oats, seaweed and apple-cider vinegar. With no preservatives added, the skin-care line does have a short shelf life, varying from two months to one year depending on the product, Moeller said.
The women make the products in Schacht’s basement adhering to manufacturing regulations (temperature, humidity) required by the cosmetics industry.
They rely heavily on word-ofmouth and social media to build their customer base and community.
The products are primarily sold online but can be found at a few central Ohio outlets, including Refresh Aesthetics in Westerville.
Although Moeller and Schacht hope to open a bricks-and-mortar store where they can tailor skincare regimens, for now, they’ve remained busy traveling to trades shows and hosting pop-up beauty events at local retailers.