Plant-Based, Essential Oils, and Years Ahead of Neurocosmetics

A trend has a way of turning a real practice into a mediocre pitch.

It masks the life of something that was already working, long before it had a name.

Experiencing the Neuroscience

From the start, I recognized how essential oils influenced the nervous system. This was well documented in clinical aromatherapy. What began as observation became a deeper exploration into scent science. I saw how smell altered behavior, shifted physiology, and brought the nervous system into balance.

I was also working with plant-based skin care. True plant extracts were powerful for skin health, and I noticed how these formulas brought balance to the entire system.

Clients left glowing, but also more grounded, breathing differently, more present. Eventually, the research followed. Studies on forest bathing and the therapeutic value of nature—what we now call biophilia—validated what I was already seeing.

Plant-based essential oil skin care didn’t just treat the surface. It supported the nervous system and transformed the entire experience.

Something deeper than a topical benefit was happening.

Neurocosmetics Without the Trending Title

I was motivated by what I was seeing. There were real shifts in people, not just their skin. Their breath would slow. Their tone would soften. There was a visible change in how they moved and carried themselves.

Something deeper than a topical benefit was happening. This was neuroscience. Without the “neurocosmetics” title.

The Art of Pioneering Plant-Based Skin Care

Introducing this approach throughout the 1990's wasn’t easy. The market was asking for “natural,” but what most people really wanted was synthetic-natural. Those white creams, familiar scents, and polished packaging.

Truly plant-based formulas, with their earthy textures, colors, and aromas, didn’t fit the form. Essential oils were considered too unfamiliar, too far outside what consumers were used to. And the scent and colors of unrefined plant extracts? Too weird. The concept of using nature in its real, unrefined form—rather than a lab-generated version—wasn’t easy to communicate at the time.

But I kept going.

I trusted what I was seeing.

I kept formulating with intention, teaching what I observed, and building systems to explain what worked.

I wasn’t following trends. I was responding to real results.

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This Is Now

The current conversation has caught up. We’re finally talking about the nervous system benefits of plant extracts and the power of essential oils. We’re calling it neuroscience.

We’re exploring scent’s effect on the limbic system, emotional balance in skin, and the role of stress in inflammation. These insights are rooted in systems like TCM and Ayurveda.

After leaving the plant-based skin care company I co-founded, I began teaching globally and at a medical university. I watched other plant-based brands emerge, but many missed the depth I saw as possible.

As an educator, I needed structure. I didn't want to over-intellectualize the work, but to make it repeatable and practical. That’s why I created the Holistic Essential Oil Triad™. This shows how one oil could impact emotional, physiological, and energetic levels all at once.

The systems I developed were rooted in what we now call neurobiology.

One oil.

One application.

Three pathways.

That was my framework. I built it because that’s how I saw essential oils work. The systems I developed were rooted in what we now call neurobiology.

Neurocosmetics are built from scent science, therapeutic formulation, and the art of intention.

Biophilia and the Neuroscience of Nature

Essential oils and plant extracts fall within biophilia: the human connection to nature.

We now know nature reduces stress, boosts immunity, and supports healing through the nervous system. The volatile compounds released by trees and plants, what we call essential oils, are part of that response.

My work in scent design, now known as biophilic scent design, follows that same path. It’s a system built around the neuroscience of nature. It restores balance and strengthens resilience.

Old News Is New News

I didn’t create these systems to chase trends. I created them to explain what was already happening. Now, science gives us a language to support it.

What I blend today still works like it did in the beginning. Essential oils reduce inflammation, improve skin health, calm the nervous system, and restore emotional clarity.

The difference is, more people are ready to understand why.

I’m not riding a wave.

I’ve been building the structure behind it.

Plant-based formulas with true therapeutic value work below the surface. They work through systems that drive everything else. The skin tells a story. The body holds patterns.

If we’re going to talk about neurobiology and neurocosmetics, let’s keep it real.

Let it be rooted. Let it be authentic.

And let it move forward with its full potential and grace.

Creating guest experiences that go deeper than skin care

This is where I come in. I work as a visiting expert, bringing essential oil education, scent science, and biophilic skin care to spas, retreats, and wellness programs. From live scent journeys to staff training and signature scent design, I build emotional connection into every layer of the experience.

Want to bring this to your space?

Schedule a 30 Minute Meet Here

If you’re exploring a business partnership or interested in marketing my essential oils and plant-based skin therapy, I’m open to that conversation too.