Angelina Swanson is a natural. From her athletic lifestyle, to the planet-conscious, Bend-based aos (Angelina Organic Skincare) business she created, she embodies her brand as more than a namesake. Starting in 1997 from her kitchen lab, aos now occupies a Bond Street storefront, with a spa sited above it to take customers from a retail experience to a journey to wellness with treatments, such as facials and massage, all using Angelina’s signature, personally-formulated skin care line. We asked Angelina about what inspired her to action.
When did you develop an interest in skincare products?
Growing up in Arizona, I was obsessed with getting to know the plants around me and how they were useful. My mom had a catering business, and I grew up cooking with her. She was incredibly creative, as are all the women in my family, and I loved fostering an intimate relationship with each ingredient. This has carried over into formulating skin care.
What was it like to be a budding botanist in the harsh climate of the Sonoran desert in Arizona?
Wandering in the desert preserve adjacent to our home, I was fascinated by the unique plants and began learning everything I could about how to use them. I studied botany and advanced biology in high school and completed the Master Gardener training, with my botany teacher—so geeky—the summer after graduation.
How did aos get started?
Like many small businesses, it began as a hobby. I was making products, like [best-selling] Skin Doctor Salve, for my family and friends. I started creating labels when I got tired of rattling off every ingredient, or handwriting it on a little slip of paper for the recipient. I think my first labels were on Microsoft Word and I cut them out with scissors. In the early 2000s, I was in massage school and didn’t like using the standard lotions full of chemicals and petroleum, so I began making my own massage butter. A few years later, two local spas called and said their massage therapists were “sneaking in” their own massage butter to use on clients, and they liked it so much, they wanted to buy it by the gallon! They kept asking for more products, massage lotion, oils, sugar scrubs and eventually face products. I wasn’t confident in formulating skin care yet, and since I was studying Ayurveda [Indian folk medicine] at the time, I decided to travel to India and talk with some of their Ayurvedic skin care specialists in Kerala. I returned armed with new knowledge and passion and began experimenting with the help of the estheticians at Sage Springs Spa.
What is the creation story behind your first product, Skin Doctor Salve?
I’ve always wanted to be outside as much as possible. In college, I earned extra money running river rafting and rock climbing expeditions on the weekends. The constant exposure to the harsh elements put my sensitive skin to the test and left my hands and feet painfully dry and cracked. I tried everything I could find, from Bag Balm to salves, but nothing really worked. I had taken a salve making workshop and decided to experiment in my kitchen with ingredients I found at the natural foods store where I worked. This experience inspired my first plant-based product, Skin Doctor Salve, which now three decades later, is still hailed as the ultimate healing salve by doctors, outdoor enthusiasts and devoted fans around the world.
I was intrigued to read about your idea of “Full-Circle Beauty,” can you explain what it means?
We strive to create more beauty in everything we touch, from our products to the communities that grow our ingredients. We call this concept “Full-Circle Beauty.” From choosing ingredients that are sustainably grown and harvested to suppliers who pay living wages and support their own communities, choosing alternative energy sources, riding bikes to work, buying recycled copy paper and long-life light bulbs, we work to create more beauty in the world with every facet of the business.
You have been a long-time supporter of local nonprofits, why is this important to you and aos?
The U.S. government doesn’t create the same kind of social safety nets that many other countries have, so we rely heavily on nonprofits to take care of our communities. I think it’s important to support them as much as we can because they provide so many necessities and valuable resources.
Finally, will you tell us about that cash register?
Oh yes, the cash register! I have a strong affinity for analog tools and machines. When I opened my first store, I searched for a beautiful, non-electric cash register. I don’t like surrounding myself with plastic, electrical things. Many antique machines were artfully crafted, and I like to weave that beauty into my life.
