Makers Series: Wiley Body
Location: Reno, NV | Specialty: Plant-based Skincare
© Wiley Body
You know that feeling when you finally find the perfect skincare product for yourself? After hours of lost time and hundreds of dollars down the drain? That’s how I felt when I came across Wiley Body.
As someone with many skin allergies and sensitivities, I know the value of truly clean skincare. And because I found the company at a time when Alex and I were talking about building our family, Vanessa’s inspiration for starting the company spoke to me; when she couldn’t find a 100% clean skincare brand for her baby, she set out to make one herself. (Talk about a supermom!) We recently had the amazing opportunity to speak to Vanessa 1:1 and hear more about her skincare line. Read along below.
Abby (Willinglee)
Hi Vanessa! Thank you so much for speaking with us :) Can you tell our customers a little more about how Wiley Body got its start?
Vanessa (Wiley Body)
Of course. When my daughter was a baby she had a really bad reaction to a “clean” product I was using on her in the bath. After doing the initial scan of ingredients I learned that it contained an ingredient labeled “fragrance” and after some research I learned how even though a product can be labeled clean, a product with fragrance can be often irritating and contain hormone disrupting ingredients. I searched high and low and nearly every skincare product I found had fragrance, which the FDA doesn’t regulate so it could literally be anything and companies wouldn’t have to be transparent about that information. This was a shock to me and really started me down the rabbit hole of searching for clean products we could use at home.
But I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. And so, armed with an entrepreneurial spirit and the determination to make clean, hardworking, and effective skincare products accessible to every body, I created Wiley Body. We’re a heart-forward BIPOC woman-owned small business committed to inclusivity, transparency, and keeping it real. Win-win-win.
Abby
I absolutely love that. A few years ago I went through rigorous skin allergy testing and found I was irritated by and allergic to the 2 “fragrance” groups. I have similar frustrations with the blanket label; it makes it almost impossible to understand what my body is actually bothered by.
What did life look like before Wiley Body? What was the transition into business ownership & founding like for you?
Vanessa
Before starting Wiley I was a branding and website designer for small businesses. I spent a lot of my days designing and bringing to life other peoples dreams and knew someday I’d want to start my own brand. When starting Wiley, everything was new to me. I really had to learn everything from our numbers and costs of goods to how to pack and ship orders. It was such a learning experience but 4 years later I can say I’m so glad I took that leap. Wiley brings me so much joy and I still get butterflies when a customer orders or when we hear how well a product has worked on someone’s skin.
“I still get butterflies when a customer orders or when we hear how well a product has worked on someone’s skin.”
© Wiley Body
Abby
Ditto! It’s such a rush to provide joy to people across the country.
Why “Wiley Body?”—we love the name.
Vanessa
I initially started Wiley with a partner and we just combined our last names together! Although she’s not in the business anymore, the name we created is one of my favorites.
Abby
Us too! It really rolls off the tongue.
Can you tell us more about some of the things you and your team think about to ensure your products are truly formulated for all types of bodies (all ages, skin types, etc)?
Vanessa
We really try to ensure that all of the ingredients in our products are nourishing and gentle. As someone with sensitive skin I want to make sure that the products aren’t stripping my skins barrier or contain harmful hormone-disrupting ingredients that can really irritate skin. Every ingredient has been carefully vetted and science-backed. Our ingredients are also ethically & sustainably sourced.
© Wiley Body
© Wiley Body
Abby
So important and so good to know as a consumer of your products!
If you had to choose one, what's your favorite product that you create and why?
Vanessa
Hands down(pun-intended!) the Hand & Body Wash! It was our very first product we launched with (formerly known as Body Bubble). We spent a year formulating it to make sure it was perfect. This is my holy grail product I use as a hand wash, body wash, shampoo on my daughters and bubble bath when needed. The product is thick and cushiony so a little goes a long way and it truly does it all.
© Wiley Body
“It’s such a thrill getting to work on a product from start to finish and putting it out into the world but it takes a lot of energy and time.
Abby
Oh wow! That’s one product I haven’t tried of yours yet… guess I need to hop on the hand and body wash train!
What's been the most challenging part of owning Wiley Body so far? And the most rewarding?
Vanessa
I would say the most challenging part is having patience haha. I get SO excited about formulating and coming up with ideas for new products. It’s such a thrill getting to work on a product from start to finish and putting it out into the world but it takes a lot of energy and time. Most products for us take a minimum of 6 months to a year to formulate and having the patience is hard for me because I truly love the products and get so excited to share it with everyone.
Abby
Oh I bet! I can only imagine how awesome release days are for you :)
Can you tell our customers more about your ambassador program? It sounds exciting!
Vanessa
Yes! We are slowly introducing our ambassador program to give some of our best customers incentives to share our products. This means monthly gifting, commission on sales, discounts on products and they’re the first to know of any new launches.
© Wiley Body
Abby
Oh that’s so cool. Without giving any secrets away, is there anything new on the horizon for Wiley Body?
Vanessa
We’re so excited to be bringing back our Wiley Baby line. We launched as a baby line in 2018 but had so many adults using our products that we rebranded last year. But we quickly found that so many people loved the baby line (even though it’s the same product!) so we’re excited that the Baby line will be making a comeback later this summer. As well as introducing our Body line in chic glass bottles and offering aluminum refills :)
Abby
Yes!! I for one am over the moon that you’re bringing the baby line back. Funny that it’s the same product—that goes to show you how important marketing is and how far it goes!
Lastly, at Willinglee we’re passionate about educating our customers on the benefits of supporting small shops, makers, artisans, and companies that have sincere missions. Would you be able to share a few of your favorite small businesses?
Vanessa
Yes! I am so passionate about supporting small businesses (especially woman-owned)! A few of my favorites are: Noble (sustainably made clothing for kids and adults), Mother Mother (postpartum essentials), Tejari (clean protein blends for kids and adults), and Berlin Skin (modern and minimal skincare products).
“We’re excited that our Baby line will be making a comeback later this summer, and we’ll also be introducing our Body line in chic glass bottles and offering aluminum refills.”
© Wiley Body
Abby
Amazing! I only knew about Mother Mother so will definitely check the others out.
Thank you so much for taking the time to teach our customers more about Wiley Body, Vanessa! And thank you for your commitment to better skincare for all 💜.
Be sure to check out Wiley Body to learn more about Vanessa’s work. You can also follow along on Instagram.
© Wiley Body
Find more Makers Series on our blog, or shop Wiley Body below.
