“Growing” A Skincare Brand

Dreams Blossom
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Gently Soap began with the dream of a girl with eczema who simply refused to settle.

Kristen Dunning was tired of living a life restricted to boring, chemical bath products and decided to use her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and agricultural heritage to do something about it.

A Personal Skincare Battle
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Kristen Dunning was only four years old when her hair began to fall out in large clumps due to a battle with Seborrheic dermatitis (commonly known as scalp eczema). As if losing hair wasn’t traumatizing enough, the eczema on her arms, legs, and face grew worse. Her skin condition grew severe enough that when retelling the story of her childhood, her family likens her appearance to that of a “baby gator” due to the extreme scaling and peeling of her skin.

Her parents relentlessly struggled to find her relief and were prescribed the most common eczema solution on the market: steroid shots and creams.

Journey into Herbalism and Natural Remedies
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Eczema made using any soap from drugstores and commercial brands extremely difficult and painful. Growing up, Kristen dealt with it all: burning, peeling, itching, breakouts, flare-ups, you name it. Trying everything on the market for eczema and sensitive skin and receiving little to no results, she developed an interest in herbalism and DIY natural remedies.

The All-Natural Path
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Kristen soon fell in love with the world of medicinal plants and botanicals. In 2018, she knew she wanted to further dive into this newfound passion.

As a freshman in college at The University of Georgia, Kristen lived in a research living learning community and pioneered a project to develop a deeper understanding of medicinal plants, their healing properties, and effects on common skin conditions like her own eczema. Falling in love with plant science, she chose her degrees in agricultural communication and horticulture.

Kristen's Breakthrough Research
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With the guidance of her horticultural faculty mentor, Dr. David Knauft, she identified pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) and chamomile (from genera Matricaria and Chamaemelum) as botanical alternatives for chemical ingredients in conventional anti-inflammatory medications. At her forever favorite place on campus, the UGArden Student Community Farm, she planted and analyzed different cultivars of calendula and chamomile.

Cultivating Natural Solutions
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In early 2019, the first soap recipe was born. She then spent the rest of the year and all of quarantine expanding her knowledge on eczema, its causes, its aggressors, and irritants. Little by little Kristen filled a binder with herbal soap recipes, ideas, results, and observations. She spent all of her free-time perfecting formulations, testing batches, and discovering ways to increase the environmental integrity and skin safety of her soaps.

It wasn’t until October of 2020, that she mustered up the courage to release her herbal creations with the world.

A Bath and Body Brand Rooted in Passion and Agriculture
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Gently is the product of Kristen’s horticultural studies, personal struggle with her skin, and her passionate imagination. However, the foundation of the brand lies in her family’s heritage and her love for the agricultural industry. The Dunning Family hails from and owns 84 acres in Dixons Mills, Alabama where Kristen’s grandparents - Nancy and Raymond Sr. - made their living as farmers.

When Gently first began, Kristen handcrafted the products with herbs she sourced from UGArden. Now, following suit of her initial brand dream, all products are handcrafted utilizing herbs and botanicals grown by US farmers.