From New York Fashion Week swag bags to kid’s bath time play, former Islander Carleigh Pearce’s Ellison’s Organics products are making a splash.
Pearce, a Mercer Island High School graduate, has a growing business focused on products that are environmentally friendly and non toxic. But they are more than just healthy. Her nail lacquers feature rich, sometimes otherworldly shades. Her organic and soothing soaps for kids are shaped and colored like Legos.
Her fashion fans praise her colors and wit with her ‘Doctor Who’ -inspired colors and names for her nail lacquers. More than one reviewer declared her collection a “must have.’”
In addition to the New York Fashion Week festivities, her nail lacquers were featured in the swag bags at 2014 MTV Movie Awards, where it landed in the hands of numerous celebrities including cast members from “Two Broke Girls,” “Grimm,” “Hart of Dixie,” “Justified” and “Nashville.”
Ellison’s Organics nail polishes are created one bottle at a time by Pearce herself. They are vegan-friendly and gluten, formaldehyde, toluene and DBP free, with no added dyes or chemicals, she explained.
“To keep things fresh, I mix each shade to order, right in the bottle,” notes Pearce. “My concern is keeping our polishes as healthy and environmentally-friendly as possible. So, in addition to being ‘three-free’ and vegan, most colors are derived from natural micas and pigments,” Pearce said. This makes for a ‘friendlier’ polish than the normal options. And it is around the same price as OPI (a well known brand),” she explained.
Pearce founded her company in 2012 in an effort to find affordable organic soap products she could use for her children. The name Ellison comes from the combination of Pearce’s sons’ names, Elliott and Harrison. She explained that her second son was born prematurely and was in the NICU for a time.
“His little body was trying so hard to grow, and I didn’t want to add any more to his system to process out from shampoo or soap,” she said. “In looking for organic bath product options for him, I realized how expensive they are and how boring they were for kids. So I started making my own organic soap and decided to offer it to other families at prices that wouldn’t break the bank. It grew from there as I found I enjoy it; mixing colors and making product is a fun and creative outlet for me.”
Her soaps are also hand crafted and use organic oils including organic, sustainable palm oil.
The kids’ soaps are a big hit, she said, especially as stocking stuffers at Christmas and for birthday party favors. The dinosaurs and Lego men blocks are the most popular. They are also naturally colored.
Pearce, who now lives in Texas, graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1999. She was on swim team for two years and in band all four years, reaching first chair in trumpet as a senior. She also worked at the Mercer Island library during high school. She graduated in 2003 from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority.
She hopes her business will continue to grow. “
Someday I’d love to have an offsite production facility with room to store all of my supplies, but I am not there yet,” she said.
It looks like she might be on her way. The company has a five-star rating on Etsy, a website featuring handmade items. Her nail lacquers have been growing in popularity. In addition to being at New York Fashion Week, her products will be featured at yet another gift lounge at the Golden Globes next year
Ellison’s Organics three-free nail polish comes in a range of colors and retail for $9.50 to $12.00 for a 15 ml bottle. They are available online at ellisonsorganics.com and at select boutiques. To learn more about Ellison’s Organics,become a fan on Facebook (ellisonsorganics) and follow the company on Twitter (@ellisonorganic) and Instagram (@ellisonsorganics).
