What if your skincare was more than surface-level? What if it was a ritual of communion, where every ingredient was chosen not just for its clinical properties, but for the message it carries from the plants?
In this episode of the Dancing Willow Podcast, herbalist and formulator Julie Williams shares the soulful origin story of Leaf People Skincare—a line built not in a lab, but in conversation with the land itself. Julie’s formulations are informed by years of global study with plant medicine teachers, wildcrafting in the Colorado Rockies, and Buddhist practices that guide her into deep energetic relationship with the plants.
This post distills their conversation into a reflection on ritual, plant communication, and what it really means to craft beauty that begins from the inside out.
Here is the episode for those who would like to listen- Plant-Led Formulation: The Spirit Behind Leaf People Skincare
Listening to the Plants: The Origin of Leaf People
Leaf People wasn’t an idea scribbled in a notebook—it came to Julie in the Amazon, through a series of meditative visions.
What began as a round-the-world journey to explore botanical healing eventually became a calling. Julie studied in Australia, Hong Kong, Central and South America, and Africa, seeking out traditional medicine keepers.
As she tells it, these plants didn’t just inspire her—they guided her.
Instead of taking specific plants from all of these traditions and using them in her practice. What she gained from working with these traditional healers all over the world was the ability to communicate with the plants in her local bioregion to formulate in alignment.
These early conversations became the foundation of her skincare line, where each formula is developed in co-creation with the plants themselves.
Plant-Led Formulation in Practice
So what does that actually look like?
Julie began her formulation process of the original Leaf People line with silent

meditation retreats, surrounded by plants like burdock, horsetail, and mullein—growing wild in the Colorado mountains.
She enters meditation, invoking Medicine Buddha and offering prayers. From that place, she listens—not just with her mind, but with her entire being. Messages come through: energetic blueprints, emotional qualities, visions of ingredients.
Only after that intuitive stage does she begin researching the plants’ clinical actions, drawing on Western herbalism, energetics, and chemistry to refine the formula.
Each product is also energetically encoded:
- Reiki is channeled through Medicine Buddha mantras into every batch
- Handmade talismans with crystals are added to infusion jars
- Buddhist monks bless the entire lab, ingredients, and packaging once a year
The result? Skincare that doesn’t just work, but resonates.
A New (Ancient) Paradigm for Herbal Skincare
Julie’s work challenges the dominant model of herbal formulation as purely functional.
Most skincare, even in the “natural” realm, is made in large facilities, often robotically, stripped of any human or spiritual connection. Leaf People is the opposite. It’s small-batch, human-made, and entirely rooted in relationship—with the land, the plants, and spirit.
This “slow skincare” philosophy is part of what makes her line stand out. And as technology and AI increasingly shape the wellness industry, Julie believes that deeply human, spirit-led products will become more essential—and more revered.
Extraction as Alchemy
One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation was Julie’s multi-stage herbal extraction process. Each plant is extracted in the way that best preserves its gifts:
- Dual extractions for mushrooms like reishi
- Water/alcohol extractions for harder-to-preserve herbs like horsetail
- Oil infusions crafted with intention and layered energetics
- Ingredients are grouped with "communicator plants" like chickweed and licorice to ensure harmony in the final formula
Julie even describes her formulas as having “hierarchies”—some herbs act as stars, some as supporting cast, and some as energetic translators.
This kind of intentionality is almost unheard of in the skincare world, and yet it’s precisely what gives her products their distinctive potency and vibrational feel.
Clinical Meets Botanical
In recent years, Julie has integrated more clinical ingredients into her line—like plant-based hyaluronic acid, peptides, and botanical stem cells—but only after extensive sourcing to maintain the same level of integrity.
For example:
- Her hyaluronic acid is made from organic, US-grown plant material
- Her stem cells are extracted directly from Swiss apples—not lab grown
This allows her to meet the needs of estheticians and aging skin while preserving the spiritual and botanical foundation of her work.
How to Choose the Right Line for You
Leaf People offers four main lines, each tailored to different skin needs:

-
Transform Line
Brightens and activates dull or sluggish skin; supports collagen and cellular renewal
Key herbs: Ginkgo, gotu kola, horsetail, rosehip -
Nourishing Line
A warm hug for dry, depleted, or sensitive skin; rich in antioxidants and glow-inducing herbs
Key herbs: Ashwagandha, white peony, rose -
Balancing Line
Designed for combination, acne-prone, or urban-exposed skin; detoxifies and harmonizes
Key herbs: Reishi, burdock, green tea, astragalus -
Clinical Line
Features fast-acting actives like hyaluronic acid and stem cells, supported by botanicals; ideal for sensitive skin, aging support, or post-treatment care
Julie often recommends blending lines. For example, use a clinical serum in the morning, and a botanically-rich Transform Serum at night to support both immediate and long-term results.
Beauty as an Expression of Inner Radiance
At the heart of it all is a shift in how we relate to beauty.
Julie reframes skincare not as vanity, but as a sacred act of self-connection. When we care for our skin with intention, and infuse it with the radiance of the plants, we allow our inner glow to shine outward.
Rituals, Dermaplaning & Personal Favorites
Julie also shared her own skincare routine, including her love of layering water-based serums with oil serums, her use of the Radiant Mask in younger years, and her ritual of gentle dermaplaning every couple of months to encourage deep absorption.
She rotates between the Transform and Clinical lines depending on the season, and drinks white peony tea for that inner glow.
Here is the episode for those who would like to listen- Plant-Led Formulation: The Spirit Behind Leaf People Skincare
Shop Leaf People
You can shop all Leaf People skincare products in our store at Dancing Willow Herbs or you can order on her website!
Website: leafpeople.com
Instagram: @leafpeople_skincare
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