August 16, 2018 | Style & Beauty
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and such was true for Paola LaMorticella. As a sought-after makeup artist and stylist for more than 25 years, LaMorticella had a depth of experience in the international film and commercial industry. Moreover, she knows a ton about skincare. When she began to look for something to soothe her infant son’s skin, she soon found that over the counter creams, (often filled with chemicals), were doing more harm than good. Like any determined mother on a mission, Paola was relentless until she found something that helped, which eventually resulted in her creating her own balm. She used only natural, simple nourishing ingredients and nothing else. Mother does always know best—the resulting formula healed her son’s skin and just like that, Balm No.1 and Olio E Osso were born.
In 2014, May Albano joined Paola to launch Olio E Osso. Albano’s lifelong love of beauty and fashion, combined with a classic design education and global business background, offered the perfect balance to the craftsmanship of the Olio E Osso brand.
The concept grew and grew. Today Olio has grown into an entire line of simple balms and skin care products that support skin naturally to keep it clean, strong and beautiful, as nature intended! The brand is now headquartered in Portland, Oregon, where all products are made by hand in small batches. The balms use all natural bases of things like olive oil and shea oil, bound together with natural beeswax and grapefruit essential oil. Companies like Goop and Neiman Marcus quickly picked up on the simple genius, and now carry the products.
Naturally, female empowerment has always stayed close to the brand's heart. The team itself provides much inspiration being a diverse and wonderful collection of smart, capable and creative women from all over the world. Sustainability and supporting local communities is also crucial to the brand's ethos, which is why they design, source and hand-produce everything in the USA.
Shop the balms at olioeosso.com.
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