Ipothecare grew out of something familiar in my family: sensitive skin and a preference for simple ingredients. I’m helping develop the products, packaging, and website, learning how an idea becomes something people can use.
a little introduction ✦
Could skincare be simpler?
Glycerin has been part of my family’s skincare routine for generations. Ipothecare builds on that experience with a developing line of simple formulas and dry actives mixed fresh before use. For me, the project connects ingredient research with design decisions that affect an everyday routine.
A family habit became a much bigger project.
Building Ipothecare.
From glycerin and meadowfoam oil to fresh-mixed DewPoppers, each part of the line brings its own questions. These photographs follow our early experiments, formula development, packaging prototypes, and startup planning.
Early botanical exploration in the garden.
Understanding what goes into a formula
Our family’s experience with sensitive skin shapes the questions we ask about every ingredient. Research into madecassoside and vitamin C helped guide the morning DewPopper concept. We’ve also explored niacinamide and N-acetylglucosamine for the evening formula, looking at how published research might inform our own development work.
The flowers reflect our early botanical exploration. The developing line also draws on glycerin, licorice extract, meadowfoam oil, argan oil, bakuchiol, and shea nilotica. We’ve been comparing ingredient grades, suppliers, textures, and how the materials mix. I’m learning that choosing an ingredient means understanding both the research behind it and the practical questions it brings to a formula.
Each ingredient choice gives us something specific to investigate.
Rose petals during an early botanical experiment.
Before the finished formula
These rose petals belong to our early experiments with botanical materials. Preparing them for infusion gave us a way to follow an ingredient through several stages, from the original plant material to a small sample. It also made the less visible work tangible: preparation, handling, labeling, and keeping track of each batch.
That exploration helped us think more carefully about what belongs in the developing line. Our aim is to keep ingredient lists simple, with particular attention to sensitive skin and minimal fragrance. The petals document an experiment; deciding whether a botanical belongs in a finished formula requires further evaluation of the material, its preparation, and its role.
The preparation becomes part of what we need to understand.
Small infusion samples from the early experiments.
From an experiment to a product idea
The infusion jars show one stage of our early experimentation. Working with small amounts lets us keep track of the materials and compare observations before deciding what to investigate next. Each sample needs a clear connection to its ingredients and preparation so we can understand what changed between versions.
The developing line includes DewBright, DewLight, DewLift, and DewButter. DewBright combines glycerin and licorice extract; DewLight centers on meadowfoam oil. DewLift explores meadowfoam and argan oils with bakuchiol, while DewButter is a shea nilotica balm. Organizing the samples and observations helps us compare these different textures and understand how they could fit into a routine.
Useful notes make the next batch easier to understand.
Early samples labeled Dew Drops, Dew Butter, and Dew Lift.
How the products fit together
These hand-labeled jars and pump bottles capture an early version of the line. Our developing routine brings together fresh-mixed actives, a glycerin-and-licorice step, and oils or balm. Seeing the samples together helps us think through how they would be measured, applied, and layered, as well as how each container should work.
The DewPopper concept keeps dry actives separate from water until use, with morning development focused on vitamin C and madecassoside and evening work exploring niacinamide and N-acetylglucosamine. That choice makes mixing, portion size, pH, and moisture control central design questions. The formulas and packaging are still being developed, and the observations from each version help shape the next.
The handwritten labels capture the line while it is still taking shape.
A printed DewPopper prototype with its scoop.
Meet the DewPopper
The DewPopper is our packaging concept for organizing small dry portions that can be mixed with water just before use. This blue prototype shows how that idea becomes a case, removable pieces, and a scoop. A physical print lets us examine the fit and handling of parts that are harder to judge on a screen.
One layout uses three removable trays with ten compartments each, arranged in two rows of five. We’ve explored pull tabs, space for a 1 mL water scoop, and a separate area for a desiccant pack. A divider and partial ledge give the scoop a place to rest. Each revision helps us work through the space needed to store, remove, and use the pieces.
Fresh mixing gives the packaging a very specific job.
Tray, case, and scoop variations from the design process.
Small changes, a better fit
The printed pieces show how many decisions sit inside the DewPopper case. We’ve compared tray orientations, compartment layouts, lid designs, and pull tabs. We’ve also worked on reducing the overall size while keeping the walls substantial enough to handle. Laying the pieces out helps us compare the space each arrangement uses and how the parts fit together.
Our Bambu Lab A1 Mini and PETG prints let us explore those shapes and revise them. Powder sticking, humidity, surface finish, and material suitability remain questions to evaluate. A compartment’s volume also needs to be checked against the actual powder it would hold. The prototypes help us assess handling and fit while dose consistency and storage performance still need testing.
A tray tab can change how easily the whole case is used.
Dispenser concepts, company research, and website planning.
Bringing the pieces together
These papers show the planning behind Ipothecare’s packaging and business. We’ve explored separate powder and liquid dispensers, along with dual-fluid concepts for keeping water and glycerin apart. Comparing the mechanisms, materials, and possible manufacturing costs helps us judge how each idea might work in an everyday routine.
The wider project includes ingredient sourcing, company planning, packaging design, organizing observations, and building the website. I’m helping with the design, testing, and web work while learning how those decisions connect to the formulas. A routine that looks simple to its user still asks us to solve questions about storage, mixing, instructions, and production. Working through those details is a large part of building Ipothecare.
The formulas, packaging, and website are developing together.
Inside the process.
Early samples, printed parts, and the tools behind Ipothecare. Select a photo to see more.
↗An open DewPopper prototype with its insert and scoop.↗A closed prototype case and printed scoop.↗Printing a DewPopper case to check the physical design.↗Labeled botanical infusion samples from the early experiments.↗Ingredients, sample containers, and measuring supplies.↗Capsule pieces and a scoop while exploring portion storage.
