Plant Forward: Aspen-Born Leaf People Showcases Botanical Healing Powers In Its Vegan Skincare Lineup

Medical herbalist Julie Williams — a.k.a. Chief Leaf and founder of Aspen, Colorado-based skincare company Leaf People — pairs western botanical studies with Buddhist medicine-making practices and indigenous traditions to formulate vegan cosmetic products. Williams’ boutique organic skincare line reconnects us to nature while hydrating and nourishing faces and bodies.

Photo courtesy of Leaf People

“It’s been an amazing and rare journey,” Williams says. “I’ve been able to study with medicine people in huts in the jungle for extended periods of time. I’ve been with my mentor studying plants under the stars in the U.S. — I just feel so fortunate.”

Williams, 54, resides in Aspen, where she runs Leaf People and blends cutting edge botanical science with western medical herbalism in a private lab. These coveted and effective skincare products use botanical extracts and cold-pressed plant oils to improve skin tone, texture and radiance. Williams extracts whole plant ingredients at low temperatures to preserve vital properties, placing special care on retaining plant purity and potency. The end result: award-winning skin care favorites that include a saffron and green tea eye area toner, tea tree and calendula bug bite relief, and a skin 36 reviving luminosity mist that calls on Swiss apple stem cells and blue and pink lotus flower.

Leaf People product devotees appreciate the line’s lack of synthetically manufactured ingredients commonly found in department store and spa skin care brands. Williams keeps a close pulse on environmentally safe practices, using Forest Stewardship Council-certified packaging and post-consumer recycled, recyclable and compostable materials with vegetable and water based inks.

Williams’ herbal medicine journey threads back to her childhood in rural Alaska, where she was taught how to use plants for wilderness survival. This fascination flowed throughout her life, guiding her to a three-year educational journey that spanned 17 countries on five continents. After returning to the U.S. in 2001, Williams began her formal botanical studies, attending herbal medical school and practicing under master herbalists Lillian McCracken and Lynn Albers, as well as making annual trips to Bolivia to study with indigenous master herbalists in the Amazon and Andes.

A deep respect for indigenous cultures and the health of the planet continues to drive Williams’ mission. She honors and tells the story of the plants used in Leaf People products and, after 18 years of vending at the Saturday Aspen Farmers Market, has cultivated a dedicated and loyal clientele.

One summer, a young woman came to the Leaf People market booth with an extreme skin peeling issue on her hands, likely due to cleaning and exposure to detergents. She was in tears due to the pain and frustration of seeking help and not f inding relief. Williams had her wrap her hands nightly with Leaf People rejuvenating balm and within a few weeks her hands had completely cleared.

“She came by my market booth weekly to show me the progress,” Williams says. “On her f inal visit, she brought her husband and young son to thank me because she had not been able to hold their hands due to the pain. They were all so excited that she could hold their hands and enjoy daily activities with them again. It was truly touching.”

Williams imports certified organic virgin pressed oils from Europe and South America and harvests wild herbs herself, including ashwagandha, reishi, ginkgo, yarrow and willow. Active Coloradans love Leaf People’s arnica body lotions, restorative radiant masks and transform serum for its nutrient-rich, skin-brightening properties. Leaf People’s bug bite relief formula is a must have for time spent outdoors. The growing movement towards natural products with earth derived ingredients is a win that stirs incredible gratitude in Williams.

“It’s so great to see people finally getting it,” she says. “They’re reclaiming their health and it warms my heart. You can see people becoming empowered. They can choose these things that will make them feel better. There’s beauty in the strength there.”

Learn more at leafpeople.com.