Hillary Peterson Is Someone We Really Like
by The Candidly Team
Hillary Peterson is the creator of our favorite skincare-brand-to-stalk, True Botanicals. She’s also a mother, a thyroid-cancer survivor, and an advocate for safe, effective cosmetics.
Her brand makes some of the best products for ludicrously glowy, semi life-changing skin— which makes sense, because one of Hillary’s deepest passions is researching the newest, most promising, most effective skincare ingredients.
We like Hillary.
And we wanted to get her professional opinion on essential oils, cilantro, and bangs.
So we asked her about all things wellness and self-knowledge. Her answers did not disappoint.
The Candidly Questionnaire
1. In a word, what is your most compelling quality?
Loving.
2. In a word, what is your biggest challenge?
Perfectionist.
3. What kitchen tool do you use every single day and kind of can’t live without?
Espresso Machine.
4. When do you feel most connected with yourself?
In nature, in my garden, and with my family.
5. Are essential oils anything?
I absolutely LOVE essential oils. For their medicinal value, for their beautiful scents...love, love, love. So much so that I recently became a certified aromatherapist.
6. Do you struggle at all with boundaries? How?
Yes x 100. This has been my #1 growth opportunity. I am learning how to be willing to disappoint others in order to not disappoint myself.
7. How do you dampen self-critical thoughts when they get too loud?
I seek ground through exercise in nature, time in my garden, or meditation. With a grounded perspective, the critical thoughts lose their strength.
8. Describe the most “you” outfit of all time.
Jeans, a t-shirt or silk tank, and a long, oat-colored sweater.
9. What meal can you make the hell out of?
Tortilla soup with all of the fixings and a killer homemade margarita with limes from my key lime tree.
10. What book has made the biggest impact on your life?
Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh.
11. Apart from family, what woman do you deeply admire?
Michele Obama. She and I are almost exactly the same age and I am so moved by the life that she has lived and how she has so gracefully worked to make things better. She is such a wise warrior.
12. Why does the word “feminist” get people so wound up?
That is a good question! I used to tiptoe around that a bit but now I absolutely do not. If someone has an issue with the word, I just ask a simple question: is there something about equal rights that bothers you? I have boy and girl twins who are 25, and when they were younger, we were talking about what it meant to be a feminist. My daughter asked my son if he was a feminist and he paused. We were all over that pause! A discussion ensued and now he definitely would not pause. Somehow it became a loaded term and I refuse to accept that.
13. Which Insta account’s stories do you always tap through until the end?
My kids.
14. Do you think social media’s good qualities outweigh the bad?
Given how central it has been to my work — building a community that is learning to take the best care of ourselves, each other and the planet — I would have to say yes. Social media is helping me and the amazing team at True Botanicals evolve the beauty industry to better serve women and that is certainly a good thing.
15. What quote or phrase has really stayed with you?
“Try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”— Rilke
16. Do you have a phobia? How do you deal?
When I was traveling all of the time for work, I would get anxious about leaving home the day before a trip. I figured out that if I could focus on being in the moment, it was a lot easier and I discovered that I was actually just fine in each moment. The anticipation was the biggest problem and coming back to each moment was the solution.
17. How do you feel about cilantro?
LOVE it! I grow it in my garden year round.
18. Describe, in detail, your perfect bedtime routine.
A hot bath loaded with Himalayan salts followed by my nighttime skincare ritual, which includes body oil from head to toe (I even rub it on my naked nails), a thorough cleanse with True Botanicals Clear Hydrating Cleanser, moisturize with our Clear Pure Radiance oil, and repair with our Renew Serum and Vitamin C Booster.
19. What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever read on the internet?
I love that the internet gives me access to university studies on the ingredients that I am researching all of the time. Universities have the most data on the healing power of nature and I can’t get enough.
20. What’s your relationship with bangs?
Not good. And I have the photos to prove it.
What is your single favorite:
Wellness product that *actually* works: Kick-Ass Immune tincture.
Lip balm: Kosas.
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity.
Mascara: Saie.
Robe: Naadam cashmere.
Sex product: Necessaire Sex Gel.
Last-minute gift: True Botanicals Aromatherapy.
Bra: Sigh, I have nursed three babies so my bras are not very interesting.
Shampoo: True Botanicals.
Comfortable shoes: Ancient Greek Sandals.
Splurge skincare: True Botanicals.
Drugstore skincare: Organic jojoba oil.
Everyday bag: Claire Vivier crossbody.
Podcast: The Daily.
Drink: Margarita.
At The Candidly, we recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love. Sometimes, our friends recommend their favorite things, too. All details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
