Meet Samantha Marut and Kelly Tracy-Holly, CE, CAE, CMLT | Founders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha Marut and Kelly Tracy-Holly, CE, CAE, CMLT and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha and Kelly, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

We saw a HUGE need! The market for a truly clean AND non-toxic, cost-effective line of skincare products is extremely limited.

Seeking fertility treatment in 2016, Samantha was told by her doctor about all the ingredients that she needed to stay away from. She found herself analyzing and scrutinizing everything she was applying to her body daily. She was totally overwhelmed. Through her LOVE of all thing’s makeup, skincare, body care and haircare she discovered that so much of what she was putting on her body daily had a huge cumulative toxic load and that not only scared her but disgusted her at the same time because these ingredients are so easily available and common. Samantha thought, there must be a better way. There has to be better products made available for everyone that aren’t outrageously expensive, that are non-toxic, clean and produce results…Together with Kelly, who also happens to be an Advanced Aesthetician, Results by Nature was born.

It has been an eye-opening journey and we’re really excited about the products we’ve created.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Results by Nature is an indie-brand, small batch, non-toxic, all-natural, multi-functional line of skincare that keeps the skin’s microbiome healthy and produces Results. We knew early on that we wanted to set an extremely specific safety standard and so we strictly formulated and developed our products with the highest standards, removing questionable ingredients keeping the health and safety of our customers in mind.

You’d be amazed at the toxic junk that’s put into products that we use daily. In the US, only 33 ingredients are banned from skincare, body care, cosmetics, and haircare. In New Zealand, EU, Japan, and Australia over 3000 ingredients are banned from these product lines. The cosmetics sector is flooded with products from all over the world and unfortunately, they range from all natural to unbelievably unhealthy for the human body. In fact, some items even have carcinogenic ingredients or heavy metals.

According to the Environmental Working Group, the average US woman uses twelve personal care products daily and is exposed to approximately 168 different questionable ingredients within those products. Too often the beauty industry does not emphasize the importance of understanding the daily toxic load that occurs with multiple applications of these products and we want to change this says Samantha and Kelly.

We set out from the beginning to do something unique and unveil the reality regarding ingredient transparency and the green washing that occurs in skincare marketing. Just because something is advertised as “Clean, Natural, Organic and/or Plant Based” doesn’t always mean that all its ingredients are clean and natural and good for your skin. Furthermore, just because an ingredient is synthetically made does not mean that it is toxic. All ingredients are chemicals regardless if they are produced from food, plants, or synthetics. Our core mission is education and to provide as much knowledge to consumers about safe ingredients so they can make healthier and informed skin care choices.

As we age, the skin often becomes drier and more sensitive than it was during adolescence and within our 20’s and early 30’s. As women age, hair is also affected by the changing levels of hormones. Regardless of whether you are a teen experiencing acne or in a more mature age bracket, our products are multi-functional and address the skincare and haircare needs of all age brackets including those whose skin and hair has been affected by aging and/or hormonal fluctuations.

Results by Nature was created and born from one founder undergoing fertility treatment whose hormones were all over the place and because the other founder suffered from teenage, related acne. “We saw a HUGE need in this category of individuals whose skin was suffering due to the hormone fluctuations that occur as we age and/or are undergoing certain medical treatments” says Samantha, one of the company’s founders.

So many of our friends over the years have said, “I don’t wash my face, or I don’t use anything on it, or I forget to wash my makeup off at night” but then say they want to see changes or improvements in their skin. While in our teens and early 20’s our skin is more forgiving, as we get older, it is imperative that we start taking better care of your skin if you want to see improvements, says founder Kelly (who is also an advanced Aesthetician).

“Most of who we speak to want to keep their skin looking healthy and beautiful no matter their age, the climate they live in and despite the stressors they experience in life and within their body. We have created formulas that not only address the signs of aging but also address the impact of fluctuating hormones on the skin as we age” According to Kelly.

Samantha says, “For me, I have avidly taken care of my skin since I was 17 years old. I LOVE all things skincare and beauty products. When I turned 36, my skin freaked out and for the first time in my life, I had acne. It wasn’t just a pimple or two but full-face acne that lasted for almost a year. I could not use products traditionally on the market like Salicylic or Glycolic acid, which is commonly found in acne related skincare. They were too harsh for my skin, dried my skin out even more and drove my rosacea into overdrive. When I started fertility treatment, I was in my early 40’s. Talk about hormones being all over the place. I saw so many drastic changes in my skin, due to so many hormonal fluctuations, during that time and I was restricted by my doctor to what types of products I could use due to the toxic overload many skincare lines present when using on a consistent basis. Thus, I began my search for a more non-toxic line of products that I could use that also produced the results I was trying to achieve. Because I could not find an affordable, clean, non-toxic, safe line to use that also gave me the results I was looking for, I partnered with Kelly, and we created our own.”

This in turn helped us discover that the market for a truly clean non-toxic line that addresses the impact hormonal fluctuations occurring in our bodies that we experience within as we get older is even more limited. This is where we began to dial in our formulas to address this underserved need.

As an example, it took us about a year and a half to customize our first product. Our first product was RbyNLash, our non-toxic, safe, and clean lash & brow serum. So many of us experience thinning hair as we go through hormonal changes. There were many labs to interview, chemist and microbiologist interviews and a ton of research and testing that went into our first product. The research of these products was eye opening…literally! It was challenging developing RbyNLash mostly because we wanted to be sure it was safe to use around the eyes. “We wanted to get it right,” says Samantha. It’s the only lash and brow enhancing serum that is OptiSafe Approved ™ and deemed safe to use around the eye area. We aren’t looking to produce products that are already on the market. Many of the initial “custom” labs we contacted said they were custom but in truth wanted us to manufacture what they were already producing which was not to the safety standards we set out to create. All our products are full of nutrient-rich ingredients that are results-driven, and we are really excited and proud about what we have created so far.

It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but we set out knowing it wouldn’t be easy because we are trying to do something completely unique in a heavily saturated market where companies place questionable ingredients in their skincare all the time and it’s widely accepted. Time and patience are key in this industry. You will be tested and there will be some who will try to get you to fit in a certain mold. If it isn’t in line with your goals and vision, we’ve learned to move on.

“We are extremely proud of our company and excited about our core mission as we are seeing more ultra-satisfied customers paying attention to their beauty product ingredients just in similar ways, they’ve grown accustomed to reading their food labels,” says Samantha and Kelly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many wonderful spots to hit up in Bend, OR where we are from: We’d likely start off our day by eating at one of our favorite, locally owned breakfast spots in town before setting off on a hike at Smith Rock where this can easily be a full day as there is so much terrain to explore. Next, we would take in some impressive mountain biking trails all along Bend and into Sisters and even take a shuttle to Wanoga or even to Dutchman Flat (these are snow/bike trail parks) depending on the skills of our guest and how adventurous they are feeling. Afterwards, we would grab a latte at any one of our favorite coffee shops that we have in town. There are so many to choose from and if they are up for walking downtown, there are many great boutiques to explore and the Farmers Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays to check out during the summer months.

We would have to float the river on a hot day and then end our evening at any one of the local microbrews in town who also serve great food. We’d finish our week listening to music by floating the river or by securing a seat at our local amphitheater. No matter what we do, it’s going to be full of fun and excitement.

Bend is an awesome place and offers the avid outdoor adventurer and foodie so many choices in any season.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Samantha says, “My husband and the love of my life, Dan definitely deserves to be recognized.” When approached with the idea of creating a skincare company, his first words were, “Do It!” “I support you 100%, I believe in you, I know it will be amazing.” His unconditional love and support of me, my ideas, my dreams, the late nights, the highs, the lows, the frustrations, and the great days inspire me and ground me at the same time.

Kelly says her biggest support is her husband and son, who never cease to stand beside her and tell her how proud they are of her.

In addition, we are both so thankful to have the best business partners in each other. Samantha for asking Kelly at least five times to start a skincare company together until Kelly finally said yes. Kelly for knowing Samantha had the trust and faith to keep asking. We balance each other very well and each use our strengths to drive the vision of our company forward…together. We wouldn’t want to do Results without the other one.

Through our faith and courage, all things are possible and that has certainly been true for both of us in our lives.

Website: www.resultsbynature.com

Instagram: Results by Nature

Twitter: @ResultsbyNature

Facebook: @resultsbynature

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7YeRZYyvoxkPhgmYrvfVQ

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/ResultsbyNature/

Image Credits
Steve Tague of Steve Tague Studios Caitlin Gallivan-Gaertner of Gallivan Creative by Gallivan Photo Suzette Hibble of SHE Photography