Our story

 

Hey! We're Kim and Damon. LA-based creators and founders of Octobod. 

CRISIS MODE

We started making our products during the Covid pandemic, when we became acutely aware of two things: we wanted to take better care of ourselves and our surroundings. It was during that time when Kim was diagnosed with three autoimmune diseases, culminating in a debilitating health crisis. We learned that auto-immune diseases often lay in wait, and are often triggered by sudden illness and environmental factors. We went into crisis mode and took inventory of what might be contributing to ill health. Stress levels were sky high, exercise quotient was low, but there wasn't much to purge in the kitchen, as our diets were pretty solid. But the toxic wasteland in the bathroom was another story altogether. One product after another contained a litany of ingredients known to be carcinogenic, neurotoxic, allergenic, and endocrine disrupting. It was a wake-up call. There had to be better choices out there.

F*** PLASTIC

We also began to realize the staggering amount of single-use plastic packaging our family of four goes through in just one month.  Not only was it harmful to the planet, but the BPAs in plastic are believed to be damaging to human health. Harmful chemicals can leach out of the plastic and contaminate the personal care products they contain, especially over time and when exposed to heat or certain ingredients within the product (like oils and solvents). When you use these contaminated products, these chemicals can be absorbed through your skin. 

Billions of unrecyclable plastic jars, bottles and other personal care containers are discarded globally each year. In the US alone, hundreds of millions end up in landfills annually. These plastic bottles take hundreds of years to decompose, contributing to the growing problem of landfill waste and taking up valuable space. A large proportion of plastic waste makes its way to the ocean. It ultimately degrades into microplastics, which harm wildlife that perceives these plastics as food. During lockdown, we could no longer ignore the fact that plastic was a problem that rippled from our bathroom to the environment.

THE RELUCTANT GURU

It all began to feel overwhelming. Soon, that overwhelm turned into anger, and then into inspiration. Kim began learning everything she could about formulating and creating simple, effective products using natural ingredients. Pretty quickly, one thing led to another, and we found ourselves solely using products made by her. It was actually very freeing to embrace a minimalist approach to personal care that was no-fuss but had a big impact. We gave our products to friends to try, and they absolutely loved them. They were just as hungry as we were for clean, plastic-free products and convinced us that there were scores of other consumers looking for the same thing. After a bit of cajoling, we decided to jump in and make Octobod official. 

Over the next two years, we perfected our products, defined our brand values and are proud to now offer our first line of personal care products, free of toxic chemicals and plastic packaging. Kim's health crisis began as a personal journey that lead to remission and revealed a greater purpose - creating a brand that can improve the lives of others and the earth, too! We've only just started: we're a small company with giant plans, so get in and join us!

Welcome to Octobod, we're so glad you're here.