Fine Fragrance Manufacturer USA

Calendula - Fairytales and Facts

December 28, 2020 1 Comment

Calendula comes from the daisy family often known as marigolds. The Latin meaning is "little calendar", "little clock" and the marigold often refers to the Virgin Mary. Romans would wear golden calendula crowns and garlands; they nicknamed the flowers "Mary's Gold" referring to the flowers used in early Catholic events in some countries. Calendula are sacred flowers in India and have been used to decorate the statues of Hindu deities since early times. One 16th century, potion containing calendula claimed to reveal fairies. We have no knowledge of these events personally, but found the folklore fascinating! The version commonly used in skin care today and what we use in Yummy Life and Pepper Hill products is Calendula Officinalis.

Back in 2008, our family was blessed with twins! We hit the baby lottery. Born about five and a half weeks early, we had a short stint in the NICU. Our son, baby B, went home at 5 days old with a little Bilirubin light due to slight jaundice: he was adorable and looked like a little glow worm. After a few days he was good to go! Our daughter, baby A, went home at 10 days old. We noticed redness on her face and legs but thought it was from the tubes, tape and unusual handling the first few days. Our pediatrician diagnosed the skin irritation as eczema. Dry, itchy red spots that were sensitive to clothing rub, water and skincare products. Bath time could be pretty rough for her, the water and products burned and we both cried. I searched the shelves for anything that would help. With little luck from Rx and store brands, I began researching the internet, library, book stores, and finally one day I decided I had to figure this thing out and took matters into my own hands. I began formulating!

I went to natural food stores and purchased herbs and oils. I ordered a few things online and went to work. Soap was my first formulation and I had picked a few extracts and oils that were known to soothe and heal. I learned quickly to keep the ingredient list clean and simple. I still use this philosophy today and it has served us well! The Calendula Lavender Soap bar was my first successful product; that I never meant to sell. But, when a good thing happens, sometimes it just needs to be shared. Eczema is a dry skin condition, so the second product formulation was a calendula lavender body butter. These are two of our top sellers to this day.

Plot twist... we later learned that our daughter did have eczema, and also psoriasis. The eczema is gone at age 12, but psoriasis is an auto-immune disease that she will always have to manage with clean diet and clean skin care.

Calendula has been a botanical we at Yummy Life believe in and love. It has a beautiful story of healing properties and a little bit of magic that has made our lives a bit more comfortable and a lot more interesting. For that we are grateful.

Missy