Radice: The Small-Batch, Natural Beauty Brand Made By Hand
A natural beauty line that focuses on a small, handmade, product line. (Photo: Radice)
These days, it seems like a new natural beauty line is emerging every week. And while I’m a big fan of a green medicine cabinet, not all natural ingredients work wonders for every complexion. Sometimes shopping natural can feel like a (very expensive) guessing game.
Which is why I was taken so totally by surprise the first time that I met Jasmine Urzia, the ultra-knowledgeable founder of boutique Italian skincare line Radice. I showed up for our meeting toting a bag of the brand’s signature products: one cleanser, two creams, two ointments and a powder mask. Instead of acting as if all was perfection, she was very honest. She proceeded to analyze my skin, giving me suggestions for which of her products to use—and which to avoid. “I’m not always a great salesperson because I just want to help people,” admitted Urzia. “I’ll never let someone take home a product that isn’t right for them.”
Skincare skills run in the family. Urzia’s grandmother was a pharmacist in her native Italy, responsible for formulating beauty products of both the chemical and natural varieties. Growing up, Urzia spent most of her days in the lab watching her grandmother work. On weekends, she decamped to the family’s country house in Tuscany, where she honed her botany skills. Eventually, she went on to study herbs and natural pharmaceuticals. “Radice means root,” explains Urzia. “It refers to the fact that this company really stems from my grandma and my childhood.”
The brand, which started as a passion project for Urzia, is all about high quality and small-batch production. Every product is quite literally made by Urzia’s own hands and the ingredients are individually picked too. She makes her signature oil infusions by combining flowers and herbs (think lavender, thyme, rosemary, lemon and sage) found on her family property with oil, leaving them to soak in the Italian sun for several months. Any ingredients that she can’t grow herself (like shea butter and avocado oil) she sources from high-quality purveyors around the world. “I always choose the green, smelly one,” she says of her signature African shea butter. “I don’t want the beautiful one because it doesn’t work as well.”
I’ve been using a few of the products with excellent results. Urzia prescribed a heavy dose of the light, serum-like Black Currant cream, with a little bit of the heavier Myrrh Cream blended in. When I’m feeling extra dry and in need of a little glow, she suggests a swipe of the Vitalizing Ointment (which conveniently also doubles as a stellar cuticle cream). And though my sensitive skin doesn’t benefit from too many masks, I’ve been using a bit of the Illuminating Powder Mask on problem spots. Mix it with a few drops of rosewater for something lighter or a dab of honey for a super-healing treatment. “What’s magical about the powder mask is that it is flexible,” says Urzia. “To match the constantly-changing nature of your skin.”
If you want to get your hands on any of these organic and ultra-potent products, you’re going to have to go through Urzia first. Instead of traditional e-commerce, Urzia urges customers to contact her directly via e-mail for a custom skin consultation. And if you’re in New York, she’ll bring the products to you for an at-home facial too. “I like to feel close to the people using my products,” says Urzia. But, if a hands-off approach is more your style, Radice sells at New London Pharmacy online. Then again you could just take a trip to Tulum, too. The brand sells custom products at beautiful boutique hotel Casa Violeta (incidentally also owned by a couple of chic Italians).
Up next? A new collection of products including a sweet-smelling orange blossom facial mist that will transport you straight to a Tuscan citrus grove. Just call it summer vacation in a bottle.
Related:
How to Switch to Natural Beauty Products
