Embracing flaws
Kinstu is fueled by the mission to help others take care of and nourish their bodies. The very word “kinstu” is derived from a shortened version of Kintsugi or kintsukuroi—the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold, as a way to strengthen, highlight, embrace, and celebrate the marks of wear. Kintsu roughly translates to ‘golden one,’ a feeling that I believe should be more widely embraced when it comes to our bodies. It’s about accepting the inevitable signs of wear—scars, acne, aging, and all—while embracing, loving, and celebrating your body as it is.
Inspired by nature
All Kintsu products are inspired and created around the healing properties of plants. With an interest in medicinal and beneficial plants, I research and design each product around how to harness their unique properties to make the highest quality product possible. Each Kintsu product is formulated with a special need in mind — sensitive skin, skin in need of healing and repair, dryness, acne, redness, inflammation. I then focus on how to provide the best overall product to meet those needs, selecting not only vital oils and essences that can help restore but also carefully testing which carrier oils (the base of the product) possess similar qualities. My philosophy is that an amazing essential oil won’t work well for your skin if it’s not paired with the right base to enhance that feature, and this is what I strive to do—to make products that are holistically designed to care for you.
Handmade with care
I aim to make every Kintsu product special and unique. With the utmost care going into the ingredients and formulations, I’m constantly looking for ways to provide the absolute highest quality possible. Whether that means growing my own Calendula flowers to ensure local, organic, and sustainable farming practices are in place, to working with trusted suppliers with eco-friendly practices for the harder-to-source ingredients. I am 100% committed to continuing to reduce waste, not only in the production of the products, but also in the packaging and shipping process. Each Kintsu product comes in recyclable and recycled material where possible, and I’m proud to be utilizing 100% compostable labels for all products. Each of our packaging pieces are made by eco-conscious manufacturers right here in the US, who are similarly seeking out better alternatives as they become available. For the few plastic components necessary on some products (the serum pump and sprayer tops), I’ve worked to provide a fully recyclable refill option so that you can turn that would-be ‘single use’ plastic into one that will last for years. All products are shipped utilizing 100% recycled and recyclable material.