At Mera Merus, I specialize in handcrafting high quality skincare products that are meticulously formulated with the finest natural ingredients. 

This journey began when my son was a toddler and he had what his doctors said is the worst case of head to toe eczema they had ever seen. After six years and thousands of dollars, these professionals threw in the towel.

I researched and learned much about health and nutrition and from there, my son's skin healed seven years ago and has been perfect ever since. One of the biggest revelations from this experience is realizing the enormous role good health has on skin function. The other life changing revelation I had is that I don't like the majority of skincare ingredients or methods that the market offers.

While I was trying to heal my son's skin, I learned to read between the lines in marketing and I obsessively researched raw ingredients. So many grand promises out there, but nothing helped, at best. Unfortunately on the other end, many products ended up worsening his condition despite the marketing pinpoints, "For eczema!" "Great for sensitive skin!" "Skin barrier repair!" etc.

My eyes were opened when an acquaintance approached me, swearing that her MLM products will help my son. Knowing she lacked the background in chemistry/skincare/eczema/nutrition etc, it was apparent that the marketing here was trying to prey on my desperation. I looked at the ingredients and saw that they were no different from everything else I had already tried.

Thankfully, I instead decided to peel back on topicals and focus on the internal. As a result, my son healed thanks to nutrition (in his specific case, it was the need for choline, copper + retinol).

But now, I couldn't see skincare the same anymore. I saw behind the curtain and was no longer paying attention to marketing tactics. As a gardener, I know that my rosemary plant is very different from rosemary essential oil. The plant is made of many different constituents, not just the essential oils (aka volatile oils, aka fragrance). Although I am not a patron, I have immense respect for the art of perfumery and the perfumer's skills with essential oils. With that said, I am of the opinion that volatile oils belong in a perfume and not in skincare. 

Back to skincare: essential oils are only a tiny percentage of the plant. Did you know that over 22 pounds of rose petals make only 5mL of rose essential oil? When the rest of the precious plant material is trashed, you're left with a highly concentrated volatile oil that is unbalanced and representing only a fraction of the wasted plant.

Some skincare brands excuse this away by saying that they only employ small amounts of essential oil into skincare in order to keep it safe. My question is, why would one want to create such waste while depriving the skin of balanced and full spectrum herbal benefice? Plants have so much more than fragrance to offer skincare.

Another issue I take is with outsourced plant extracts. When trying to employ process of elimination in uncovering a potential allergy, I learned that most skincare companies do not disclose the base that the outsourced plant material is extracted into. A small amount of time spent on a wholesale raw ingredient website will reveal that there are extra ingredients within that outsourced calendula extract. 

Working with added essential oils and/or outsourced plant extracts is leaving incredible, beneficial plant constituents on the table and trading them for unknown solvents and bases in the name of efficiency. As a gardener, this breaks my heart and as a craftsman(woman), this is my calling.

Founded in 2021, Mera Merus is more than just skincare. It is a celebration of the beauty found in nature and artistry. My mission is to empower you to embrace your natural beauty and indulge in the beautiful experience of self-care. I invite you to explore the collection and discover the transformative power of clean, natural skincare.