An interview with Eskimo Kissez

Danielle Buckley is the creative genius behind Eskimo Kissez, an organic bath and product company.

How did you get into making beauty products?

When I was a little girl I locked the bathroom door and spent hours combining things I found in the medicine cabinet, such as toothpaste, hand lotion, perfume and liquid soap. My parents would knock on the door and ask me what I was doing and I would answer: “Just making some beauty potion.”

When they asked me what profession I wanted to have when I grew up I said: “An actress, writer, teacher, mommy, and person who mixes stuff together. What would you call that?” (They thought maybe a pharmacist, but as it turns out I wasn’t too interested in all the intense schooling required.) I received a degree from Cedarville University in Theatre with minors in Creative Writing and Bible, but after college I ended up opening my own business. Why?

I realised I was using beauty products with multiple parabens in. Petrolatum in my lip balm basically causes sun damage due to photosensitivity, as well as interfering with the body’s own moisturising mechanism, leading to dry skin and chapping. In a nut shell, my problems were being made worse by using cheap, inferior lip balm to alleviate the very conditions that it is supposed to take care of. So I decided to make my own stuff, using organic, paraben-free products.

When did you start the company?

In 2009.

Why did you choose the name Eskimo Kissez?

I was trying to think of a really cute name. I love to give eskimo kisses (when you rub noses with someone you love) but Eskimo Kisses was already taken so I changed the S to a Z.

What materials do you use when making your products?

The main ingredients in Eskimo Kissez lip balm are beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter and sweet almond oil (for the vegan version I use calendula wax.) The body butter’s main ingredient is organic, raw, unrefined 100% pure shea butter from he karite shea nut tree; manufactured by the villages, not the factories.

I make all my products from the purest ingredients possible. For example, in my eye shadow, I use mica as the main ingredient, which is obtained from natural derivatives, such as metamorphic rock. All of the ingredients used in our mineral makeup have been approved by the FDA for cosmetic use on the eyelids and face.

What inspires you?

My faith in Jesus Christ and His unconditional love and grace; children; friendship; laughter; bright colours; yummy smells; poetry; a good book.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I plan on developing my perfume and making more homemade soap and candles. I will be releasing five new eye shadow shades next month for the Fairy Tale collection, including a colour called Black Magic, which will work well as an eyeliner when wet with a bit of water. 

Jenny Rodgers

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