From emergency room to chief formulator and CEO, Sarah Villafranco, MD, took her medical education and experience and transformed them into a skincare line called Osmia.

Villafranco’s choice to pursue medicine was rooted in a desire to help people live healthier lives. “However, after losing my mom to pancreatic cancer, and as a mother to two girls myself, I felt compelled to find a way to practice medicine that felt more impactful and
unique,” she explains.

As a doctor, Villafranco spent a decade in the emergency room where she managed a wide array of illnesses and diseases. However, during her tenure, she felt frustrated that much of her care seemed like putting out fires; she craved the opportunity to help people make better, more proactive choices regarding their health.

Photos courtesy of Osmia

After spontaneously signing up for a soap making class in Basalt, Colorado, her journey of healing others through skincare products began. “I was enchanted by the artistry of form, color and scent that could be woven into the soap process. And when I began to research the impact of ingredients most people were using on their skin every single day, a bigger idea took shape,” she recalls.

In 2012, after several years teaching herself how to formulate products, Villafranco decided to launch Osmia, a skincare line dedicated to helping people find healthier, happier skin with better ingredients, taking human and environmental health into consideration at every turn. “I never imagined I’d land in the beauty industry, but I feel like I’m finally practicing a brand of medicine that makes sense,” explains Villafranco.

Osmia’s first storefront was in Carbondale, Colorado. Some of her earliest products were focused on healing her own skin issues, like eczema and dermatitis. Osmia’s Black Clay Facial Soap has helped thousands of people with skin conditions like acne and perioral dermatitis, and the Purely Simple Face Cream is very popular among those with super sensitive skin.

“We never use synthetic color or synthetic fragrance, ethoxylated ingredients, petrochemicals, phthalates, parabens or sulfates,” notes Villafranco. Her line has now expanded to include face cleansers, lip products, hand creams and body oils, as well as a seasonal line of products called The Craft Series, with artisanal scents to match the seasons.

“Our products fall into one of two categories; they either solve a skincare problem using healthy ingredients, or they make you smell and feel absolutely amazing. And, many of them do both,” says Dr. Villafranco.

Osmia skincare products range from $12 for a lip balm to $98 for their beloved Nectar Nourishing Drops. “We call them unicorn drops for good reason,” adds Villafranco.

Customers can visit Osmia’s retail boutique in Carbondale or contact the Osmia team to take a deeper dive into individual skin health needs. Osmia is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and is also sold at retail locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Originally published in Winter + Spring 2023-24 issue of Well.