“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

our brand story is a love story

Chuck and Sam began as our wedding website. On the big day, we gave handmade lotion as thank you to our guests. When people kept asking us for more, the idea for Chuck & Sam was born.

Sam is a writer and herbalist with a background in environmental science and sustainability; her husband Chuck, a designer and former chef, is her only guinea pig (animal testing = gross).

We’re up front about what goes into our products because we respect our customers and the earth. We want skincare to become second nature, with products so simple and effective that they become staples in everyone’s daily routines. High-quality ingredients, simply prepared, no added clutter or wasted time.

philosophy

1. Don't Overcomplicate.

When we formulate products, we don’t think about what we can add—we think about what we can subtract. Only the most simple, high quality, effective ingredients remain in the bottle.

2. Support claims with evidence.

We may dabble in mysticism, but we are skeptical, scientific-types at heart. We believe consumers are smart enough to know what’s effective and what’s just glossy marketing. For our fellow nerds, we’ve included detail ingredients pages that summarize the chemistry and contain links to scientific research documenting the efficacy of the ingredients we use—because every claim should be backed by evidence. (Spoiler alert: plants are amazing).

3. Make the experience easy and enjoyable.

People are busy, and natural products can take some getting used to; we formulate ours with the ease and ritual of use in mind (because we can be pretty lazy, tbh). We try to design multi-tasking products that smell and feel great while remaining super effective.

ingredients

Are plants really as effective as conventional products? OMG yes, but: not all herbs are created equal. We source the freshest, best quality products grown responsibly from local, small-scale farmers. Sometimes this means some products are certified organic, and in some cases, the farms are so small that certification isn’t viable (but plants are grown organically nonetheless). Some of the plants we even grow ourselves! (We’re working on getting better at that).

For ingredients sourced outside our back yard, we look for fair trade labor standards and sustainable growing practices. Transparent supply chains are important to us, so we don’t source from suppliers who can’t tell us where and how their products are grown. Simplicity means only using the best.