About True Origin Skincare | The Founder's Story

About True Origin

How I got here

I never thought I'd be making skincare. Life had other plans.

In 2018 and 2019, I was rushed to the ER three times for pancreatitis. If you know, you know. It was incredibly painful, something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. After the third visit, the doctors decided my gallbladder had to come out. They weren't sure why I kept having these episodes. I didn't have gallstones on the ultrasound. I'm not an alcoholic. They just knew the pain was too much to keep enduring.

After my gallbladder was removed, things got worse.

While I was recovering from the surgery, I developed a rash. It started at the incision points and spread fast. Head to toe. Red, scaly, burning, itching. Within weeks I looked like a different person.

Six months waiting, and then nothing worked

It took over six months just to see a dermatologist. This was peak COVID and specialists were impossible to get into. When I finally got in, we tried everything. Steroid creams. Steroid shots. Soolantra. Prescription medications. Dozens of treatments across more than a year. Nothing worked.

The doctors suspected autoimmune. My blood work was inconclusive. Thirty biopsies came back inconclusive. My case was eventually sent to a panel of specialists who reviewed weird and rare cases. They looked at it and came back with nothing.

The only option left was methotrexate. A chemotherapy drug. I didn't want to do it. I knew there had to be another way.

Finding tallow

I started doing my own research. Joined autoimmune Facebook groups. Scoured the internet. Went down deep rabbit holes on Reddit. That's where I came across tallow for the first time. People were talking about how it helped them with itchy, irritated skin. Since I already like to make things, I figured I'd try it.

It worked.

Nothing else had given me relief. Not the steroid creams. Not the steroid shots. Not Soolantra. Not the dozens of other medications. Tallow did. I was amazed. I was in tears.

I started making my own tallow skincare for myself, then for friends and family. I never thought it would become a business.

Why True Origin exists

This brand exists because simple, natural ingredients made a difference for me when nothing else could. I built True Origin to share what saved me with people who are struggling with their own skin, or who just want something that isn't heavily processed and full of ingredients they can't pronounce. Or who want to get away from petroleum-based products and what passes for "natural" in mainstream beauty.

Every jar of Deep Hydration Whip is built on regeneratively raised tallow, the Hydration Trinity of castor, meadowfoam, and squalane, and whole botanical infusions of rose petals, vanilla pods, and marshmallow root. No essential oils. No synthetic preservatives. No retinoids. Nothing that wouldn't have been on my skin the year I was trying to heal.

True Origin is the first tallow skincare brand carried in integrative and functional medical clinics. The doctors there screen products against criteria most retail buyers don't apply, including avoiding essential oils, synthetic fragrance, and unclear sourcing. We built the formula to clear that bar.

What I want for you

If you're struggling with your skin, or if you just want skincare that respects what your body recognizes, this brand was built for you. I made it because I needed it. I share it because I know what it's like to feel like you've tried everything.

If you want to see what came out of this experience, the Deep Hydration Whip is the result. If you want to read more on how I think about formulation, my piece on why essential oils don't belong on your skin is a good starting point. For readers in specific life stages, I've also written about tallow during pregnancy, tallow for postpartum, and tallow for babies and kids.

Thank you for being here.

James Founder, True Origin Skincare