How an upstart skin care company has mixed natural ingredients with ‘scrunchy girl’ branding – Post Bulletin

Rochester’s self-proclaimed “maker of magic potions”—better known as Haley Reynolds—gets out of bed every morning and meditates.

The 29-year-old then writes out an hour by hour agenda of all she plans to accomplish that day, which includes tasks related to running her beauty product business, prettypeoplepop.

Reynolds has had this routine going ever since she decided to share her passion for holistic health with others back in 2020.

With a background in cosmetology, Reynolds decided to create beauty products derived from natural ingredients for her family and friends that came to her for help regarding varying skin conditions, such as acne and eczema.

“We would call them my magic potions, and they worked really, really, really well. Better than anything else that had ever worked for them,” she says. “That turned into them asking me for more and more.”

Gigi Dunn

Soon, Reynolds decided to turn her new hobby into a side gig.

“I already had a business doing lash extensions back then,” she says. “But, after a while, I felt like it didn’t really align with me anymore.”

So, in 2023, Reynolds decided to follow her heart and turn that side hustle into her full-time job. Her 40-year-old husband, Reed–her “numbers guy”–became her business partner.

Her 15-year-old sister, Hana Barbra, began helping out every Sunday shortly after.

Eventually, Reynolds hopes to expand the business and hire staff to join her team, but, for now, “it’s a family affair,” she says. “It’s been absolutely amazing.”

Since turning all of her attention and efforts into prettypeoplepop, business has been booming, she says.

Reynolds sells products (like body balms, face masks, cleansers, and even candles) made from all-natural ingredients (jojoba oil, almond oil, honey, coconut oil, Vitamin E) through their website at prettypeoplepop.com.

Her best seller is Pretty Girl Body Care, which is a $39 body balm composed of mango butter, essential oils, vitamins, and rose powder.

“It leaves your skin feeling extremely soft,” Reynolds says. “It also makes your skin look like it’s literally sparkling.”

Long-time customer, Abbey Holscher, 27, says she is a big fan of it.

“It very quickly became my go-to,” she says about the product. “As someone who has struggled with dry, acne-prone skin and scarring, prettypeoplepop was my answered prayer,” she says.

After just one night of using Pretty Girl Body Care, Holscher’s face was no longer dry, red, or inflamed, she says.

“That was rare,” she says. “I finally had hope in a product.”

Holscher remembers waking up the following morning and smiling at herself in the mirror.

“My face has always been my biggest insecurity,” she says. “I am so happy and proud to say I finally feel so comfortable and confident.”

Reynolds attests the brand’s success to two main things: the 100% all-natural ingredients used and how the products are marketed.

“What makes my products special is the fact that they are truly clean,” she says. “I don’t add any fluff in them. They are as pure as pure can be.”

Despite being a holistic brand, Reynolds does not believe her products should only be geared toward people who fit a certain lifestyle or aesthetic.

“We market ourselves towards what we call a ‘scrunchy girl,’ which is a combination of the words crunchy and selective,” she says. “It’s for women who are selective about how crunchy they are.”

According to Reynolds, a “scrunchy girl” is a modern woman who, for example, still enjoys getting her hair and nails done, is not afraid of consuming Red Dye No. 40, and would consider getting Botox, yet understands and values holistic practices and incorporates them into her life.

“It’s about finding the perfect balance,” she says.

Reynolds incorporates that balance into her business by selling her all-natural products in what she describes as “fun, girly, and brightly-colored” packaging, reminding women that they can be both glamorous and health conscious at the same time.

After all, Reynolds says, “holistic doesn’t have to be boring.”