Our Story

It all began one sunny afternoon when I picked our two boys from summer camp. They were peppered with nasty looking mosquito bites, some the size of glass marbles. On the way home, we stopped at a few drug stores, looking for a gentle and natural solution to our mosquito emergency. None of the products seemed safe for our sensitive skin though.

Modern herbalism, Ayurveda, and aromatherapy have been interests of mine ever since I remember. Even as I was growing up, my family turned to natural and toxin free options first. So instinctively, I sought them out for reference and inspiration. 

Necessity being the mother of invention (no pun intended), after working tirelessly, I finalized my prototype formula. This later became the basis for our Post Mosquito Bite Salve that helps to soothe and calm the mosquito bites and also works on no-see-ums in a natural and toxin-free manner.

At that point, I was no stranger to skincare formulations. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, a form of autoimmune disease in my late 20s. I have been very cognizant about ingredients in food and also skincare products especially gluten, soy, hormonal endocrine disruptors such as synthetic fragrances.  I tend to have very sensitive and acne prone skin and so in my 30s while still in the corporate world, I started making my own skincare for my personal use as even many natural products on the market would irritate my skin. 

Being a mom of two very active boys, wife to a husband who loves outdoor adventures, and tomboy myself has led over the years to few injuries and many unexpected skin-related surprises. They have varied from rashes, chapped lips, eczema, dry and itchy skin, lice, scrapes to minor cuts, bruises, and everything else in between. Many of these became a source of inspiration for our products from the calendula and herbal balms to natural lotion bars, such as the Herb Garden in a Tin, MyLotionBar: Herbal Calm for Eczema, and Botanical Goodness Calendula Balm.

We love dogs and our beloved canine, Carly, often accompanies us on our outdoor adventures, including the winter months. This led to the creation of our Pet Paw Balm.

In addition to outdoor adventures, we love to cook, so it was only natural to start paying closer attention not only to what we eat, and what we apply onto our skin but also to what products we use to preserve our tools, pots, and pans. This resulted in developing a natural alternative that we use in our kitchen, namely our mineral oil-free Wood Conditioner for our wooden spatulas, cutting and charcuterie boards, and salad bowls.

Our immediate family, along with a circle of very close friends, provided inspiration for other products, including our nourishing oils such as cuticle oil, facial oil, beard oils, and double whipped body butter, and lip balm. These same individuals encouraged me to share nature’s goodness in the form of my products with the rest of the world. Hence, the name of our company. Rodina in Slovak, my native language, means family. We officially launched Rodina Botanicals in March of 2021.

Our two most important values as a company are to support:

1. sustainable living and 2. local communities.

One thing that we do not compromise are the clean, organic and natural ingredients. We work on sourcing as much as we can locally. Ultimately all our ingredients are sourced from suppliers from within the USA and we make sure that these were sourced sustainably. Sustainability both as far as ingredients but also as far as our packaging is at the core of who we are as a company. We look for practical and eco-friendly packaging. For instance, our lotion bars come in metal tins that are travel friendly. Our cuticle oil comes in a roller rather than dropper. It is more practical and less messy. 

Our goal is that with the help of our products we contribute to the improvement of the well-being of others, through simple, clean products, while sprinkling extra kindness and love in our local communities. 

At Rodina Botanicals, we create clean skincare products for the entire family. We help you to live your life to the fullest without having to miss a beat as our products have been formulated so you do not to have to worry about mosquito bites, chapped lips, dry cuticles, mild eczema, sunburns, cuts, scrapes, and dry skin.  

Our company’s motto: Keep life simple, LESS IS MORE! 

• LESS in number of ingredients. Most of our products contain less than 10 ingredients. 

Yes, to organic, natural, and wholesome ingredients, including cosmetic butters, carrier oils, essential oils, herbs, and locally sourced beeswax.

No, to any synthetic fragrances, fillers, or stabilizers as many of these are considered hormone endocrine disruptors. 

•  LESS in number of product applications required. A little goes a long way as far as application of our products.

• LESS in number of products required. Our products tend to have multi-purpose applications.

We believe that we are what we eat and what we apply on our skin!

Be kind and be light to those around you!

Anita