Meet Cindy Jones | Cosmetic Formulator, Herb Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Thinking back to my thought process about starting a business is interesting. I’m not sure I had a thought process. With no background in business, I didn’t know what it took. I simply followed my passions.

I was brought up with an appreciation for nature and took that interest to study science in college. I earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry because I like to get down to the nitty gritty in understanding things. After graduating, I did basic research to further our understanding of cellular mechanisms in cancer growth. Then I went on to teach a variety of science subjects in college as well as do medical writing.

The idea of being my own boss was always strong. Much of my reading and writing had been in the area of herbalism and I realized that herbs were a great sustainable resource. I grew herbs in my backyard and made a hobby out of making various products using these herbs. This interest grew and grew until I knew I wanted it to be my life’s work.

By combining my knowledge of science / biochemistry with my knowledge of herbs I began creating skin care products. Being an outdoors person, I knew I needed some help for my skin so it seemed a good place to start. This hobby became a business which grew very slowly with profits going back into the business. Soon, other small skin care businesses began asking my advice and my consulting business grew. I now have my own brand of skin care products, Colorado Aromatics, and my consulting business, Sagescript Institute, where I formulate and manufacture products for other skin care lines. If I had known better and had a business background, I might have pushed my business more when I first started and the field of skin care products was not so crowded.

Since first starting, my husband and I have bought farm property where we grow the herbs that are used in the skin care products. It is a true farm to skin brand. I love being connected to the earth and the herbs in such a way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Many people do not realize that science is in fact a creative field. It takes a great amount of creativity in a lab to come up with solutions to problems and visualize the next steps. This carries over to formulating cosmetic products. I love learning about various properties of a given herb and thinking about how I can use those properties in a skin care product and what other non herbal ingredients would compliment that herb. Our products get their activity both from herbs and from a number of other sustainable active ingredients such as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. The products are both sustainable and active. This is where our products stand out. My science background has given me an understanding of skin physiology and what skin needs to thrive as well as to understand t product ingredients.

All of our products contain herbs that we grow on our farm. We are literally involved in the product from the ground up! Farming itself is an education and being involved in a basic practice like that is grounding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in Colorado means there are a variety of beautiful and stunning places to see. I would probably take someone to the mountains for a hike to a place with a great view first thing! Probably a few hikes if they are visiting for a week, maybe even a trip to a lake for some paddle boarding! We have first class breweries in Colorado too, so beer tasting would be a must. I love going to farmers markets when I visit places because it really gives a sense of the community. Since we are at the farmers market every Saturday with our products, my guests would be visiting the farmers market as well! And we would of course spend time on my farm watching the sunset over the mountains.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been so many influences in my life that it is difficult to name. Certainly my parents had an influence on my love of nature and having great expectations of me. There are so many great books on both herbalism, business and cosmetics that have taught me. Various organizations and groups I have been a part of have given me much encouragement.

Website: http://www.coloradoaromatics.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloradoaromatics/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-jones-sagescript/

Twitter: https://x.com/COAromatics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoAromatics/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coloradoaromatics6227

Other: Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/COAromatics

Image Credits
Fern Crossway