Our Story

When we started Camille Beckman, we were focused on perfuming and dry goods.  Susan Camille, our Founder, spent the majority of her time with her hands in the dirt, harvesting baby’s breath and crafting in the evening.  Her hands and feet were dry, tired and cracking.  That’s when she found our Aunt Rose’s Hand Cream formula.  Making her own rendition with vegetable glycerin and sweet almond oil, her hands started healing after one use.  Better yet, the more she washed them, the more it re-activated on her hands, continuing to moisturize instead of needing constant re-application.  Always a creative soul, Susan found she had a great knack for formulating super hydrating formulas with safe, quality ingredients. When customers started using our Glycerine Hand Therapy, they would always come back for more, and soon demanded an entire line of products to be built around our same principles of hydration and restoration. Since then, Camille Beckman has sold over 20 million jars of our Signature Glycerine Hand Therapy, serving repeat customers all over the world who rely on us EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

 

 

Company Origins

Coming from a family steeped in the tradition of farming and gardening, my mother knew the name of every flower, and my father knew the name of every grass type and weed.

I loved all plants, especially the beautiful dandelions. Yes, you read that correctly; I love weeds! Even from the early days of my childhood, such appreciation of all plant types contributed to my philosophy that flowers and weeds are Nature’s helpers to aid and heal us.

My father taught agriculture at the local high school. I spent my summers learning from him the ways of the natural world. Dad gave me the famous leather bound book entitled “100 Things for Boys to Do”. The chapter that immediately captured my heart was “Extraction of Perfume from Flowers”. 

I grew up in the beautiful, small town of Weiser, Idaho. Oh, how times were different then. One of my favorite pastimes was visiting a local pharmacy on the main street of town. I am forever grateful to our old pharmacist, who would let me search the wooden shelves in the back of his pharmacy looking for perfume and soap making supplies. He took the time to answer my questions and custom ordered my first gallon of glycerin. I was blessed to be raised around a group of people who, even if they didn’t know you, would take the time to help in mentor. I know this is one of the reasons we are still inspired to support hometown businesses today.

Each spring the ladies from our neighborhood allowed me ‘Violet picking privileges’. After three weeks of gathering violets from all over the valley, there I stood with my precious vial of violet perfume. It would be untrue if I told you it smelled of beautiful violets, for in reality, it more closely resembled rubbing alcohol and traces of Bertolli olive oil.

As a young adult I spent several years traveling through Europe, living the life of an artist. Renovating old living spaces and painting mythological Cretin and Atlantean history, much of my time was spent studying art history and techniques, while learning how to make painting supplies from scratch. Researching a shampoo and glycerin soap project, I ventured to the Monasteraki area of Athens, near the famous spice market, known to house perfumer’s workshops.  This is where I found my calling. I proceeded to write a list of every job I loved or thought was interesting. The epiphany of my next calling came from this list. 

Equipped with a lifetime of experience gathering information on botany, extracting, and creating exquisite fragrances, I moved back to Idaho in 1984 to start Camille Beckman. Within a few years I had hired 25 women to help gather weeds and baby’s breath, which were dried in a barn and woven into delicate, charming wreaths and sold to local florists. Our business consisted mainly of the creation and distribution of dried flower wreaths, potpourri, silk roses and lace gift items. 

In 1989 I gave birth to my daughter, Roshan Jihan, and rekindled my childhood love of making soaps and lotions. These soon became the bulk of our work as our body products began to help the lives of all who tried them. I have always attributed their transformative results to the quality, wholesome ingredients we use and the loving intent through which they are made. 

From our signature Glycerine Hand Therapy, which is a modern rendition of my Aunt Rose’s kitchen cream, to our NEW Skincare and Women’s Wellness collections, each Camille Beckman product and collection is a reflection of our never ending journey of learning. I am grateful to continue learning the ways of Mother Nature with my daughter Roshan, who now works with me and continues to push me towards growing my understanding and connection in the same way I taught her. As we continue to deepen this knowledge together, we look forward to bringing you new products and ways to use her goodness to support our lives. For all things we are eternally grateful. 

Susan Camille Beckman Roghani

Old photos of a the family, a newspaper article and an original Camille advertisement.

The Factory

The business has grown out of a couple of warehouse locations. Growing this company as a family, many of our team members have stayed with us throughout the years. It was always my dream to build us a home where we would love to come to work each day. In 2002, we completed and moved the factory andoffices into our new location; 35 acres of wild rose bushes in a wooded area bordered by the beautiful Boise River. The first awarded ‘Green Building’ in Idaho, our factory utilizes skylights, triple water filtration, water recycling and other innovations that allow it to run on the same energy as five households despite being 105,000 square feet. 

 

Camille Beckman factory in Eeagle, Idaho on sunny day and an interior photo.
Exterior facade of Chateau des Fleurs on a clear afternoon.

The Rosebud

Our signature trademark, the hand tied rosebud, is rooted in my passion for herbs, plants and flowers. A major goal when establishing this business was to provide jobs for stay-at-Home mothers. The delicate fabric rosebuds which appear on many of our classic products are individually hand tied by someone in this highly dedicated group-a tradition still carried on to this day.

The Foundation

In the mid 90’s my husband and I started the Camille Beckman foundation with the purpose of serving the women, children and elderly of our world. To date, we have worked with over 120 organizations to build orphanages, schools, educational programs, food banks, medical missions and much more. While we must accept we cannot be all things for all people, we are passionate about doing what we can for those whom our expertise can help the most. We envision a world where women are empowered with knowledge, freedom and opportunity; where children and elders care for eachother, and where all beings realize their complete connection to the Earth and all that is.

May all beings have food to eat, clean air to breath, clean water to drink and shelter over their heads. May all beings have others to share love with and know their true purpose. May all beings be happy; may all beings be free from suffering. 

Ingredients

We pride ourselves in using the very best ingredients within all of our formulations. We are known to spend years cultivating the perfect ingredients and ratios for our formulations and strive for complete transparency with our customers. Read on to learn more!

Camille Beckman Women’s Wellness:  Our Women’s Wellness collection is always 100% natural and utilizes essential oils, herbal remedies and ancient beauty secrets to help you find real solutions to create a life of whole happiness. 

Camille Beckman Classic:  Our Classic collections are comprised of the rich and creamy formulas that have remained the same for 30 years. The products in this collection are all gluten free and made with rich oils, pure pH balanced water and our signature herbal blend to heal and restore the skin. Until now, they contained small amount of artificial preservatives called parabens to sustain shelf-life and consistency.  Effective October 2016, these preservatives have been removed from all products after three years of research and replaced with a cleaner, more natural alternative. 

MOST USED INGREDIENTS

Glycerin

A natural lipid found in our skin, glycerin is hyper replenishing, defending against dryness and restoring the skin.  Our vegetable glycerin is safely derived from plants and purchased with special attention to ensure a food safe, kosher grade product.  

Sweet Almond Oil

Extracted from almond kernels, sweet almond oil is rich in Vitamin E, monounsaturated fatty acids, proteins, potassium, zinc, minerals and vitamins.  A non-comedogenic oil, it is typically safe for people who suffer from oily skin and acne, providing luxurious moisture without clogging the pores or making the skin greasy.

Aloe Leaf Juice

Known in ancient Egypt as the ‘Plant of Immortality’, aloe vera is cactus plant that produces a clear gel in it’s leaves which is known to help topically heal wounds and soothe the skin. In naturopathic medicine it has a large variety of other healing properties that benefit us on the outside, inside and even within our vital organs.

Proprietary Herbal Blend

Mallow Extract: Anti-inflammatory properties for delicate, sensitive skin

Ivy Extract: Reduces inflammation, speeds up healing, soothes the body & increases oxygenation

Cucumber Fruit Extract: Hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties. Rich in vitamins, polyphenols, polysaccharides, minerals and other nutrients. 

Elder Flower Extract: Anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. Rich in Vitamin A, C, B-1, B-2 and B-3

Arnica Mountain Flower Extract: Reduces sweeping & provides pain relief for dryness, bruises and sprains 

Pellitory Extract: An old English secret for protecting skin against moisture loss