THE STORY OF SARAH BAUMGART AND MOMMY SPA
The founder of Mommy SPA shares what inspired her to start her business
and the importance of being a completely sustainable brand.
BY SHIRLEY ERSKINE-SCHREYER
There is a new brand on the block that is perfect for our growing group of expectant pandemic Moms. Introducing Mommy SPA, the non toxic and vegan maternity beauty brand created by Sarah Baumgart. Living in the heart of Berlin with her husband and two children, Sarah began her career as a product manager for various cosmetic companies. After the birth of her son, she felt there was something missing in beauty for expectant mothers and thus began her journey to create a nontoxic and sustainable product for Mama’s. Sarah shares with us her beauty routine and how she manages motherhood while building her business.
Wunder Stories Tell us a bit about Mommy SPA...
Sarah Baumgart Mommy SPA is the first clean beauty body care brand for pregnant women and breastfeeding moms. It’s a lifestyle brand known for its nontoxic, fragrance-free and 100% vegan formulations. It’s perfect for expecting and breastfeeding moms with sensitive skin, a common problem as hormonal changes can make skin extremely sensitive. It is also safe for little ones, meaning you don’t have to worry about anything toxic and can focus solely on the magical changes happening to the female body during pregnancy.
WS What inspired you to create Mommy SPA?
SB When I was pregnant with Max I wanted to have the best and safest maternity products in the market, but nothing convinced me. They were either too oily and sticky, not vegan or they had a strong scent, which I couldn’t tolerate at all during my first pregnancy. I also felt like most maternity care products had such a cheesy look and none of them had the obvious appearance of being a pregnancy skincare product. I just felt there was a lack in the maternity skincare market and many of the moms around me confirmed this lack.
WS What are the main ingredients in your product and their benefits?
SB Currently Mommy SPA has three skincare products (more to be launched soon!): Belly Elixir Oil, Belly Balm and Silky Skin shower oil. We also have a dry body massage brush and our well-known belly tattoos.
First and foremost: all products are 100% vegan and sustainable, even our belly tattoos. I didn’t want to launch a brand that was just pretending to be “green”…we have glass packaging, labels made from stone powder instead of plastic, no extra outer carton, shipping boxes that are made from renewable forestry and fully compostable filling material.
All of our body care products are NaTrue certified, the official international label for natural and organic formulations. Every product has different botanical ingredients, but with one thing in common-caring for and soothing sensitive skin during pregnancy and beyond. The lightweight Belly Elixir Oil contains precious argan oil, that is famous for soft and elastic skin while rosemary extract strengthens the connective tissue effectively. Bisabolol from chamomile reduces feelings of tension and soothes the skin. Tamanu Oil is the hero of the hydrating Belly Balm texture, which has a deep moisturizing effect and repairs severely damaged skin. Precious rose hip seed oil regenerates cell renewal and accelerates the healing process of irritated skin. And the ultra-rich texture of the shower oil Silky Skin helps with its moisture-binding care formula to prevent the skin from drying out. Seabuckthorn oil helps to reduce stretch marks thanks to its elasticity-promoting and highly caring properties, while Chamomile flower extract accelerates the healing process of irritated, dry skin. Each of our ingredients is designed to address the specific skin care needs of pregnant women and postpartum and breastfeeding moms in a natural, safe and effective way.
“First and foremost, all products are 100% vegan and sustainable, even our belly tattoos. I didn’t want to launch a brand that was just pretending to be “green”.”
WS Tell us about your own beauty routine?
SB Each day with something very important, water. One glass of lukewarm tap water for improving my metabolism and cold tap water for washing and refreshing my face – both awaken me in seconds. I have quite sensitive skin and don’t use too many cosmetic products. After washing my face I use my rose quartz roller for puffy eyes (which I keep overnight in the fridge) and follow with a tinted moisturizer. My hair always gets a quick birch water refreshment that treats my scalp and helps against my statically charged hair, which I've suffered from since my first pregnancy. If I have the time I use my dry brush. Dry brushing is not only a soft peeling and detoxing skin care, but it also helps to wake up me up within seconds, because it has a has a stimulating effect and boosts circulation immediately.
WS What are your beauty must-haves?
SB Definitely the Mommy SPA soft dry brush. I had never used a dry brush before, but when I started to search for beauty accessories for Mommy SPA, I found out how good dry brushing is for both the skin and personal wellbeing.
WS What does your typical work day look like?
SB My work day starts after I drop off my son at KiTa. I go for a walk with my younger daughter, and during that time I make phone calls or write emails ( I have become a pro at writing short-but-to-the-point emails ;-) ). At home I work mostly on business development, social media, accounting and every couple of days I pack up some parcels. At 3 pm I pick my son up from KiTa and then I’m off work for a couple of hours. After putting my kids to bed I usually start working again for at least 2-3 hours.
WS You just had your second baby, how do you manage the juggle of family life and running your business?
SB After 5 months with 2 children, I have found a stable routine to some extent. I don’t plan too much during the day, as it causes me to become unmotivated if I cannot finish everything. We have a babysitter on weekends who helps us with the kids so I have at least a couple of hours where I can work a little harder on my business. Family always. comes first , but as Mommy SPA is also kind of a family member to me, I try my best to integrate it in the best way I can.
WS What advice would you give to mothers transitioning from one child to two?
SB My best advice is not to worry too much! You already have one child and therefore enough experience for the second child, so don’t worry how it will be with two children. I was so worried how to breastfeed peacefully while my son wanted to play with me at the same time, or how I could handle putting both children to sleep. When I put these thoughts aside, everything worked out well for us. I truly believe in the idea that your own calm transfers to the kids and will feel automatically comfortable and secure.
QUICKIES
1) Favorite kid-friendly spots?
I’m a big fan of Berliner Tierpark, because you can easily spend an entire day there and neither the parents or children will get bored. Besides all of the different animals, there is a huge playground and enough space for strollers and biking through the entire site. There are also two restaurants in case the kids get hungry or the parents need a coffee
2) Favorite kids book?
I don’t have one specific favorite book for kids, but we love all kinds of “Wimmelbücher”. It’s so much fun searching for people or objects and no matter how often we’ve read the book, we always find something new that we haven’t seen before. Sometimes we also invent stories around different scenes in the books so they promote creativity and concentration.
3) What are you currently reading?
I have started to read Verena Pausders (the co-founder of kid’s app Fox & Sheep) latest book Das Neue Land – Wie es jetzt weitergeht. I have always been astonished by her impressive achievements while being a mom of three kids. She sifts through the digital world with open eyes, observing severe deficiencies in our outdated systems and has the courage to talk about it in public. In this book she discusses she also offers solutions on how to become a more digital, networked, innovative, mobile and sustainable country.
