WHAT WE DO
The POPPY School & Herbalist Classes
ABOUT
Our Founder's Story
Colleen Bingham, a California native, began developing her first products as a young child, playing with soaps and perfumes found in cupboards. As an adult she discovered that every ingredient was special and had its own story from where it was grown and when it was harvested. These unique stories taught her that the source and quality of each ingredient would define her health and her impact on the planet. She learned how to refine her choices in the food she ate and the products she bought to slather on her skin. Then in 2010, she signed up for her first herbal studies class, made her first batch of natural skincare, and began her journey as a product formulator and herbalist. Colleen's knowledge of whole plant medicine fused with her topical formulations resulted in the development of POPPY BOTANICALS. Colleen is also Lab Manager, Medicine Maker and an Instructor at The California School of Herbal Studies, and is developing and producing natural, plant based beauty products for companies nationwide.
Our Mission
POPPY BOTANICALS aims to educate and inspire others about the healing intelligence of plants. We use traditional herbal preparations to produce beauty products that allow the skin and body to remember it's most natural state of health and beauty through assimilating raw plant nutrients. All of our handcrafted products contain 100% non-toxic and all-nourishing ingredients grown, harvested and extracted with passion and love.
POPPY BOTANICALS is devoted to a life defined by what we find growing in the soil and fueled by synthesizing these organic components into accessible healing potions for everyone. In our fast moving, high tech world, POPPY BOTANICALS’ offers a simple and real connection to nature.
POPPY BOTANICALS is named after the beautiful California Poppy flower, which can be found all over the state from spring to fall. The golden bloom was traditionally used medicinally, cosmetically, and in cooking by Native Americans and is now the official state flower of California, where POPPY BOTANICALS and its founder, were born.
Our Ingredients
Every plant based ingredient used in POPPY BOTANICALS is chosen with clear intention to highlight and utilize the innate healing power of plants. Therefore, in our products you will never find 'water' as a key ingredient, but rather hydrosol, or gentle floral waters, which are the byproduct of steam distilled essential oil production. We also preserve products with grape alcohol-herbal extracts, or tinctures, to further introduce as many healing & protecting plant properties to the skin as possible.
Herbs and flowers used in formulas are grown at organic farms in Northern California. From seed to bloom, when the time is right ingredients are hand harvested and extracted into various oils, grape alcohol, plant glycerine, and essences that are folded into all POPPY BOTANICALS herbal skin care products.
POPPY BOTANICALS’ signature is that each batch is slightly different in fragrance and properties depending on the season and time of year when herbs and flowers are foraged and collected. We call this seasonal herbalism, like a farmer’s market for natural skincare.