Kristin Miller

Who: St. Paulite Kristin Miller, owner of Zack & Zoë Bath, a vegan line of body washes, hand and body creams, and sugar scrubs, which were just picked up by national retailer Anthropologie.

The Rub: Products are scented (grapefruit, clementine, chocolate mint, and lavender) with essential oils and also come fragrance-free. Though the line is not all-natural—preservatives are used to maintain quality—no artificial colors, scents, or known irritants are used in her recipes. “Save the color for where you need it, like lipstick,” she says.

Hypoallergenic: “I’ve always been a product girl and loved the idea of pampering and relaxing. I started having funny reactions to things, and the dermatologist told me I had allergies. I went shopping, and I couldn’t buy anything exciting! It was depressing. So I started thinking, ‘What else could be used?’ [What] really surprised me was that so many lines designed for sensitive skin contain ingredients that are likely to irritate or cause allergies later.”

Suds Smarts: “There was a learning curve,” admits Miller, who has a background in finance. “I don’t have a strong science background, so I was doing a lot of reading and research and asking dermatologists and chemists questions. I started in my kitchen.” She now has a commercial kitchen where she cooks up her concoctions. “I make lotion for a living. Who would have thought? I get a big kick out of it.”

Global Awareness: “Lately, you hear so much about independent designers [in the design and beauty worlds]. It’s really become a global community. Twenty years ago, I’d just be here [in the Twin Cities]. We’re becoming more aware of what you put on your body, in your body, and how that affects the world.” One of her biggest accomplishments in the global market was the Zack & Zoë mention on Daily Candy. Trunkt, a boutique in TriBeCa, was featured, and used her products as an example of cool stuff it carries. “I was freaking out. I wanted to call someone, but it was two in the morning,” she says, giddily. “I figured it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Up-and-Coming: “I’m working on a baby-and-children’s line, which is a whole different set of issues, and a men’s line, which is the only part of the bath-and-body segment that’s growing.”

Get It At: Anthropologie (Mpls. and Maple Grove), Quince (St. Paul), Zack & Zoe Bath, and Trunkt.