Inspired by a life of discovery.

Essential Journeys® began in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1999 with a batch of handmade soap and a curiosity about where making things by hand might lead.

For founder and creative designer Kimberly Masters, inspiration has always begun with exploring.

For more than three decades, she has traveled the world by bicycle, on foot, and sometimes simply by following whatever interesting road appeared next. Along the way, she began noticing the things that make a place unforgettable: lavender fields and fragrant gardens, herbs growing along a trail, the colors of a market, the scent of the sea, and the botanical traditions woven into everyday life.

Those experiences found their way home.

Today, Essential Journeys® creates botanical skincare inspired by travel, nature, and the beauty discovered along the way. From handcrafted soaps and goat's milk lotions to arnica skincare and lip care, our products are created in small batches with thoughtfully chosen ingredients and a sense of curiosity about the world.

Travel continues to shape what we make. Sometimes inspiration comes from somewhere halfway around the globe. Sometimes it is waiting in a garden, on a bicycle ride, or along a mountain trail right here in Western North Carolina.

Because after more than 25 years, we still believe the same thing:
The more you discover, the more there is to discover.
Established 1999 · Asheville, North Carolina

All my best,

Kimberly Masters
Soap Peddler Extraordinaire

Kimberly is also a Bicycle Tour Guide for www.womantours.com which feeds her desire for having shared community experiences, encouraging cycling as a means of travel, and connecting with others.