Q & A with Boulder Baby Company Founder Jay Palmer

Posted on November 14, 2014
Jamie Siebrase

Colorado-based manufacturer and salon owner Jay Palmer is excited to announce a special chance for Sola stylists to carry his quality new baby line at a steeply discounted price. We caught up with Jay to learn what Boulder Baby Co. is all about.

Sola: What is Boulder Baby Co.?

Jay: It’s our new line of eco-friendly and natural baby care products. We set out to create the healthiest, cleanest products you can use, and have them still work. Our products are free of sulfates, parabens and phthalates. They’re vegan and gluten-free, and you won’t find any synthetic fragrances or GMOs in our line. Like our clear packaging, we aim to be 100 percent transparent in our marketing and manufacturing.

Care to elaborate?

Our product is 98 percent natural, but we don’t claim to be organic, even though we could. In doing our research, we learned there are a lot of products claiming to be organic when they simply aren’t. Last year, a lawyer even suggested we change our company’s name to Boulder Baby Organics to fool people — but that’s just not what we wanted to do. As for manufacturing, everything – even our labels – is made here in Colorado. Our chemist is in Englewood, and we had a great time coming up with the ingredients and tweaking the products with him.

Let’s talk ingredients. Why was toxin-free important to you?

Especially when dealing with developing newborns, babies, toddlers and teens, chemicals have a greater effect on the body, and some research indicates that introducing too many chemicals at a young age can cause lasting problems.

What sorts of problems?

Take parabens. They’re all over the place, and are mostly used as a preservative system. Testing has linked them to various forms of cancer. So, to enhance shelf life we used a more natural mixture of honeysuckle flower and potassium sorbate, which is the only thing in our product that isn’t natural. As for sulfates, there aren’t necessary awful for you, but they are a very harsh cleansing agent. People like the suds, but, unfortunately, they take away essential natural oils from the body. We wanted our products to be gentle for kids, so we nixed sulfates.

You mentioned phthalates earlier. What are those?

They’re an elasticizer primarily used to soften plastics. In hair and body products, they help with consistency. The problem, though, is that they can potentially disrupt hormone activity, which can be problematic for boys and pregnant women. Right now, the research is conflicting. We figured that if we could avoid something that might be harmful, then we might as well do that.

Anything else special about your ingredients?

We use natural oils – lavender, peppermint and wild sweet orange extracts – instead of synthetic fragrances. That’s one of our biggest costs, but it’s worth it to us. We are also gluten-free, and thus totally safe for Celiac kids. A lot of people don’t realize gluten can be absorbed through the skin. As for GMOs, well, we don’t know what the general effects are yet, so we decided it was best to err on the side of caution.

What kinds of products do you offer?

Right now, we have three products: a shampoo and body wash, a tangle-free conditioner and soothing body lotion. They are mild, tear-free and feel great on the skin. My wife uses lotion on daily basis, and she uses the shampoo as her body wash.

Any plans to expand into an adult line?

We’ve discussed that, but right now we are interested in growing our children’s line at a steady pace, possibly by doing a couple of versions of bubble baths. Our short list of items we’d like to add includes sunscreen, belly balms for pregnant women and bath scents for kids. We rolled out in January of 2014, and we don’t want to grow too fast.

How did you come up with the idea to make baby products?

I started out in hospitality, and transitioned to the hair industry about eleven years ago. I have children from a previous marriage, and had always been interested in doing a children’s product because it is hard to find ones that are honest and straightforward. When my good friend Josh Ginsberg told me his wife was expecting, we decided to partner up and develop something.

Where can folks buy your stuff?

We’re mostly local at this point. You can find Boulder Baby in several Colorado salons, most of which are geared toward children. My wife Shaylin of Shaylin Seymour Studios has been with Sola for years, and we are really excited to launch our national campaign by offering a special through Sola. Sola stylists will receive a special 30 percent discount on our wholesale prices if they order online before the end of the year (2014) — all they need is the promo code from the Sola newsletter.

What about Sola stylists who don’t specialize in children’s hair? Would they still benefit from carrying Boulder Baby products?

Absolutely! Even if you don’t have kids coming into your studio, you have parents. Our products pop because of the great, high-quality packaging. They’re also a good talking point, and can be marketed as a great holiday gift. Regardless of who you cater to, it’s worth having Boulder Baby on your shelf.