The Healing Power of Tulips with Bloomeffects Founder Kim Van Haaster

Summary

Gloss Angeles Podcast Episode Summary Episode Title: The Healing Power of Tulips with Bloomeffects Founder Kim Van Haaster
Release Date: May 16, 2025
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan
Guest: Kim Van Haaster, Founder of Bloom Effects

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Introduction: A Blooming Collaboration

In this enchanting episode of Gloss Angeles, hosts Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan transport listeners to the vibrant tulip fields of Amsterdam, where they meet Kim Van Haaster, the visionary founder of Bloom Effects. Although the podcast’s visual counterpart showcases the picturesque Dutch landscape, this audio summary delves deep into the conversations that unfolded amidst the blooming tulips.

Bloom Effects: Cultivating Beauty with Tulips

Bloom Effects, established in 2019, has swiftly become a beacon in the beauty industry by harnessing the regenerative power of tulips. Kim Van Haaster shares the brand's inception and its mission to integrate tulip-derived compounds into effective skincare solutions.

"Every product has our proprietary Dutch tulip complex, which is really just bulb and stem, and we extract the stem cells." [03:32]

Must-Have European Beauty Products

Responding to listener inquiries about top European beauty picks, Kim recommends:

• Maristella Water: A philanthropic water brand by the founder of Scotch and Soda, where purchases contribute to providing water in Africa.
• Nimia Eyeshadow Palette: Created by Dutch influencer NikkieTutorials, blending beauty expertise with local craftsmanship.

"It's great for a souvenir as well." [03:15]

Immersed in Dutch Culture

Kirbie and Sara discuss their experiences in the Netherlands, highlighting the ease of communication due to widespread English proficiency and the unique cultural nuances. Kim lightens the mood by sharing fun Dutch phrases, emphasizing the local's directness and friendliness.

"They're really easygoing and really direct. So you truly know where you stand with a Dutch person." [05:06]

The Tulip Farming Process: Precision and Passion

Kim delves into the meticulous process of tulip cultivation, explaining the critical two-week blooming period where quality and color consistency are paramount.

"The flower has two reproductive systems, the seed box and the bulb. Just like in the beauty industry, we want to quality control." [07:16]

She poignantly describes the necessity of chopping off the tulip heads post-bloom to prevent unwanted pollination, ensuring vibrant, uniform flowers for the bulb market.

A Love Story Blossoms: From Ibiza to Innovation

The conversation takes a heartfelt turn as Kim recounts meeting her husband, Hein, a fourth-generation tulip bulb grower, in Ibiza. Their shared passion for tulips spurred the idea of transforming tulip byproducts into skincare marvels.

"The aha moment was all about regeneration. We just came from a different angle." [25:01]

Bloom Effects vs. Traditional Floral Beauty Brands

Kim distinguishes Bloom Effects by focusing on tulip regeneration properties rather than just fragrance, setting the brand apart from others that primarily leverage floral scents.

"We aren't using the bulb extract. We're using the petal extract." [27:22]

Her collaboration with the University of Leiden led to the discovery of auxin and kenatin in tulips, pivotal for enhancing skin barrier strength, hydration, and firmness.

Signature Products: Innovation in Every Drop

Regenerative Brightening Serum

A standout product, this serum combines multiple peptides and advanced delivery systems to boost skin regeneration without the harshness of traditional actives.

"It's really kind of my powerful powerhouse ingredient that I use on the off days." [18:54]

Tulip Nectar

Originally formulated to soothe Kim's eczema, the Tulip Nectar serves as a rich, decadent treatment for dry and sensitive skin, acting as a comforting balm for various skin irritations.

"It truly is the warm blanket that soothes everything." [30:02]

Black Tulip Collection

This collection utilizes pure black tulip petals, rich in flavonoids, offering enhanced benefits for skin firmness and reducing fine lines.

"We have clinicals backing us in regards to firmness and specifically lines around the smile line, nasolabial folds." [26:22]

Addressing Common Misconceptions About Tulips

Kim clarifies that tulips generally lack natural fragrance, debunking the myth perpetuated by brands marketing "tulip-scented" products.

"There’s no such thing as a tulip. Absolute. There’s only tulip accord out there." [21:03]

Exciting Product Launches: Innovation Continues

Bloom Effects announces two new product launches:

1. SPF Lip Oils: Luxurious lip oils enriched with SPF, available in a trendy mauve shade, combining hydration with sun protection without the typical SPF taste.

   "Mauve is having a moment." [31:37]

2. Tulips Green Body Balm: An improved, whipped butter crème with SPF 50, designed to melt into the skin for intense hydration and sun protection, addressing previous product texture issues.

   "It's our new and improved take on the body balm with SPF." [31:00]

Conclusion: A Flourishing Future

The episode concludes with heartfelt appreciation from the hosts for Kim's hospitality and the inspiring journey of Bloom Effects. Kim invites listeners to explore Bloom Effects through their website and select retailers, promising continued innovation rooted in the timeless beauty of tulips.

"Find me on Instagram at Kimmy Van Haster and bloomfx.com or Credo and Blue Mercury in store and online." [35:23]

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Note: Advertisements and non-content sections at the end of the transcript have been omitted to maintain the summary's focus on key discussions and insights.

Transcript

[Kirby]

Take your chance Discover chance Ausplanted the new fragrance Chanel.

[Kim Vanhasser]

As long as I want it so I'll be more comfortable? Cause I take a chance she won't go I won't play among the stars A little more, a little more. G L A M Los Angeles.

[Kirby]

Hi, Kirby. Hi, Sarah.

[Sarah]

Welcome to Los Angeles.

[Kirby]

If you are listening to this episode, I would highly encourage you to go onto YouTube and watch it, because if you are watching it, you can see we are not in Los Angeles.

[Kim Vanhasser]

We are.

[Kirby]

We are currently in the middle of a beautiful tulip field in Amsterdam. Or should I say in the Netherlands? In Holland. And that is thanks to our friends at Bloom Effects for bringing Kirby and I here for bringing Los Angeles to Amsterdam. And thank you especially to you, Kim Vanhasser, the founder of BloomFX, for inviting us here. This is literally such a dream come true.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Of course, it's our honor. And thank you for having me on the podcast.

[Sarah]

Of course. So we've been here what feels like a lifetime at this point, but we've gotten to experience the tulip fields. We've gotten to spend a lot of time with Kim and learn more about this brand, which started in 2019, same age as Los Angeles, essentially six years in the making. And Bloom Effects, if you are not familiar with the brand, you're going to learn a lot more about it. But every year, they do this beautiful, beautiful pilgrimage. I mean, Kim doesn't have to go anywhere. She lives here, but it brings in influencers, editors to these gorgeous tulip fields to learn more about utilizing tulips within the beauty brand. Before we get started, though, we always get asked by our listeners, like, what are the hot products and brands that we should pick up when we go to Europe? Because obviously we have a huge US Contingent of glam Julinos. So, Kim, we want to know not only what is on your face, but also what are, like, two to three products that you think people should pick up when they visit Europe?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Ooh, that's a good question. My top brand that I discovered here when I moved here, because I'm not Dutch, clearly.

[Sarah]

Favorite accent, Australian. Here we are.

[Kim Vanhasser]

So I was a visitor as well, and then fell in love with the Dutch tulip farmer. But we'll get to that. Maristella Water. So it's a water brand, and it was created by the founder of Scotland Scotch and Soda, and then that's his Catholic name, and it's kind of like a Todd's, but for water. So if you buy a product, they give water to someone in need in Africa and the whole brand is just beautiful. So I have the body lotion on today and I have a body mist on. It's very fresh fragrance and very Dutch. Like a lot of the products all have like Amsterdam names, which is really cool. It's great for a souvenir as well.

[Sarah]

Amazing. And then what are you wearing on your face?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Currently all Bloom effects skincare prep, but I also have nimia, which is NikkieTutorial's eyeshadow palette on. And I think it is available in the us but she is an amazing Dutch creator. And so it was founded here in the Netherlands.

[Sarah]

Yes. We got some fun products in our hotel that were from Dutch founders. How do you pronounce the self tanner?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh, gosh. It's a really tough touch name.

[Sarah]

It is, it's. I already struggle, so I was trying to pronounce it.

[Kirby]

And Kim, you. You said that you don't speak Dutch.

[Kim Vanhasser]

I don't speak a lick of Dutch. My two year old speaks better Dutch than I do.

[Kirby]

Your two year old's your translator.

[Kim Vanhasser]

I'm working on in integrating. I think you're as much integrated as I am.

[Sarah]

Okay, great. I don't feel that bad then for not nailing the Dutch words that we've been learning.

[Kirby]

Is there any fun Dutch lingo that you could share?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh. What I realized is making cute sounds can get you by without knowing how to speak Dutch. So hoi, hoi doi doi, dach dag. And then you sound like you're like, you know, integrated.

[Kirby]

So hoi is hi.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

And then what is dak duck dhak duk?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Like goodbye.

[Kirby]

Oh, goodbye.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah, doy is bi as well. There's lots of.

[Kirby]

Yeah, okay, we'll say that at the.

[Kim Vanhasser]

End and like fun, cute sounds that I can make and sounds like I know what I'm talking about.

[Kirby]

But what I found is really interesting is a lot of the people, and this could just be, you know, because we're at the hotel, but so many people have really good English. American English accents.

[Sarah]

Yes. Right.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah.

[Kirby]

It sounds like they're from the States.

[Sarah]

I went to go get a hard drive and I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to communicate. But immediately they turned on English. It was fascinating and I felt very rude not knowing their language to be able to speak it. But they were very kind.

[Kirby]

And everyone is so kind here.

[Kim Vanhasser]

They're really easygoing and really direct. So you truly know where you stand with a Dutch person. But with the language thing, it's because they're one of the only European countries that doesn't dub their shows. So when they're watching. Yeah, when you watch Netflix in France, it's all in French. And same with Italy, et cetera. But here in the Netherlands, they don't. It's too small of a country. The population, the country itself is very small. So they just don't have the budget to dub. So everyone listens to American, like, shows, and then they just read subtitles.

[Kirby]

Okay, makes sense.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Hence why they all speak with an American accent.

[Kirby]

Okay, Kim, so you have this, like Kirby said, you know, inaugural trip to the tulip fields, but it has to happen in a very specific window. So why are we here right now?

[Kim Vanhasser]

It is the most stressful time of the year for me, but also the most enjoyable. It's fleeting science from a bloom effects perspective, because we have two weeks in the year where everything happens. And the reason for that is because I know that I call Hein a tulip farmer, but his actual title is bulb grower. So their yield and what they're wanting to sell as farmers is the bulb. Everything you see above the soil is actually waste. And that's where bloom effect steps in. So the chopping happens literally within two weeks of blooming. Because the flower has two reproductive systems, the seed box and the bulb. And just like in the beauty industry, we want to quality control. Like, you don't want to buy a serum and then accidentally get a moisturizer because you. The ingredients were wrong. Right. So in a farmer, like a tulip farmer, he wants to make sure his rows are perfectly pink. If you order a pink tulip, you're getting the right pink. They're all different skus, and there's different shades of pink. So he's got to control his skews in order to make sure that everyone gets the quality of product. So they chop off the top of the flower because they don't want them to pollinate. If bees were to pollinate a seed box, they would be flying to a white flower, to a pink flower, and then you might end up with a stripy white and pink tulip. And so, yeah, they bloom for two weeks in the year just to make sure the color is perfect, and then they go ahead and chop all the heads off.

[Sarah]

That was kind of a devastating part for us to learn that they are off with their heads. It's very Alice in Wonderland. You're like, they're the most beautiful part. But not to Hein, because that's not what his family sells. They sell, literally, the bulb. So for those of you that are like, I don't understand this. It's truly like the bulb underneath the soil is what is being sold, which is so crazy.

[Kirby]

And I think a lot of people think too, especially when they see on TikTok and social media the beautiful fields, that it's like a month long or whatever, but it's literally two small weeks and then it's done.

[Kim Vanhasser]

It is. And I'm always really stressed because, because of the event, we want perfect weather. We don't want people, you know, out in the fields in the rain. But then if there's too much sun, the flowers will bloom and then they need to be chopped. So it's a balance of weather. And then, you know, working with the family to make sure that they're not chopping too quickly.

[Kirby]

Yeah. Like, we got a phone call or Kim got a phone call and they're like, can we chop? And she's like, wait until the podcast is over.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Exactly. Good thing I know the farmer.

[Sarah]

So you mentioned Hein, your husband. Let's get into this love story real quick before we get into your extensive beauty background. You met him in Ibiza and you fell in love. You met a boy in Ibiza, you learned that he was a fourth generation tulip farmer. What was the light bulb moment where you're like, okay, maybe there is a skin care component here. Like, had. Had you learned that tulips were particularly great for the skin in some capacity? And also, how did his family react when you said, okay, so you have this whole bulb selling business now. I want to take the tops of the tulips, upcycle them and make a brand.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Well, I actually had the aha moment because I was being a little bit difficult. I was a brat in saying I love tulips, but my pet hate about tulips is that they actually can flop over in a vase. And I assume that he would have a top hack, like put a penny in the water or dish soap or cut them at a certain angle. You see all over social media about how do you get your tool of standing up straight? I think it's a universal pet peeve. But Heinz reaction to that was Kim. That was, that's the beauty of tulips. Like, that's what makes them special. They're one of the only flowers that continue to grow after they cut and they can grow up to three inches or more. And that's the light bulb or tulip bulb moment for me that I was like, wow, that's regeneration. Like, what does that do? And with my beauty background I was like, has anyone discovered, like, what are the compounds in a tulip that create this elongation and growth? What could that do for the skin? And I started asking all these questions, and Heim was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't know any of this. I just grow them. We don't know. But honestly, he was really quick to say, hey, maybe there's a government grant we can apply for. Because if we were able to show circularity and that you were using waste or byproduct from my farm and upcycle them into the beauty industry and we could discover something interesting, perhaps then we could get a government grant. So that's exactly what we did. We. He applied for it because I don't write or read Dutch. We've established that. And we ended up working with the University of Leiden to discover the compounds auxin and kenatin are in the tulip in the stem and the bulbs, and that's what's responsible for the elongation and the growth.

[Sarah]

Wow. So you utilize those two ingredients within bloom effects to create your serums, your sunscreens. Every product has those two ingredients within them?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yes. Every product has our proprietary Dutch tulip complex, which is really just bulb and stem, and we extract the stem cells. The black tulip collection that we have is pure black tulip petals. And that is the choppings that he's chopped off the heads. And we take those petals and we upcycle those.

[Kirby]

Do you have to move really quickly after you chop the petals off to then extract that?

[Kim Vanhasser]

We do. So our facilities, we chop here, and then the raw material supplier is actually based in France. And then our bulk fill and assembly is all done in the U.S. yeah.

[Sarah]

Because, by the way, I don't know if we've really hammered this home. These are their fields.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Sarah]

This is the family of them. This is not just a random tulip field. We came to to, like, show that we are hanging with the tulips. It's just such a beautiful experience, really getting to learn. It's truly like farm. Farm to credo. Yeah. Farm to face. Farm to credo.

[Kirby]

Yes. Okay, so as Kirby mentioned, you have extensive background in beauty. You have decades of experience in cosmeceutical. Your family has been in the business. Clearly like a family business on both sides.

[Sarah]

Wait, I didn't know this.

[Kirby]

Yes.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah. My dad and my brother both have worked in CPG Beauty and personal care for now combined. We've worked for the same company for 35 years. PZ cousins.

[Sarah]

No way.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Had no idea. I didn't learn that at dinner.

[Kirby]

This is truly in your blood. You even mentioned to me that you helped like San Tropez launch an Ulta. Like you have so much experience. So tell us about your beauty background.

[Kim Vanhasser]

I always had eczema as a kid and I was that itchy scratchy child that just couldn't use any beauty products. And my mom, she was a Vietnamese refugee and taught herself English and worked in a factory in day, but at night she would sell Amway and Mary Kay door to door. And I really got obsessed with beauty because I would help her pack her bags and you know, we would do all sorts of like little parties as well at the home when she had time and she was always either working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. So. So for me, being the first generation of having access to tertiary education as well as not coming from a war torn country, I was able to like really focus on what inspired me and that's beauty. And it's always been beauty. So even first job out of college, I worked in pharmaceuticals for the Roto Family, Mentholatum and brands like Oxy, which is really dating me now, and Alpha Carry. I don't know if you know those heritage brands.

[Sarah]

I know Oxy.

[Kirby]

What was your favorite?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Alpha Carry? Oh, no, it was called Kerry Lotion. K E R I. It's like a really old school heritage brand. But yeah, I've been in the industry now 42, so 22 years.

[Kirby]

Did you feel like you were set up to build your own brand or did you come into this and be like, wow, I know nothing. Is it different to be on the other side?

[Kim Vanhasser]

I think it's a bit of both. I think maybe I knew the corporate way and I knew that, you know, soup to nuts, I could source and procure my own componentry, Chinese, Vietnamese. So I have the language skills and the family resources to be able to help me to do that. I knew about regulatory requirements and, you know, partnering with the best CMS in the world. I knew how to get to retail very quickly. So Bloom effects. I'm really pleased to say that, you know, from day one we had anchor retailers like Blue Mercury and Credo from day one and that's a really big thing for an indie brand. However, learning the corporate way is so different to being entrepreneur and I've never worked so hard in my entire life. And I don't know if it's a combination of being in my 40s and having two kids and working or it's being an entrepreneur in my, you know, running my own company, as well as having kids and being in a foreign country where I have no friends and family and don't speak the language and have it integrated in culture. So you have this isolation as well as a focus on career and job and trying to balance all of that and be a mom as well. So yeah, it's been really intense. And looking back, I knew nothing. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be.

[Sarah]

You're the government grants, you have learned the power of the regeneration of the tulips and how it applies to skin care. But what clinical testing does Bloom effects do within their own formulations of the products? Obviously you can hear that like niacinamide is this much effective as a singular ingredient. But what do you guys do to kind of show that there's proof in the pudding, so to speak?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Sure, we have done a lot of testing, but honestly we haven't done as much testing as we have on this new newest launch. This is the most testing we've ever done. It's really expensive for an indie brand to do clinical results on the finished goods. So what most of us do is that we'll work on obviously all of the stability compatibility needs to be done right and then we need to make sure that it's fit for function and fit for use in the market. So for us going to credo, we also have extra testing. So heavy metal testing is something that we have to always comply with and RIPT testing. So that is like base case. But then on top of that we want to make sure we get efficacy. So there's three ways about this that you can kind of tackle it as a the indie founder to get the right efficacy results but also save on budget. And that is consumer perception studies. So that's really asking a panel of people, hey, how did it go? And they have a questionnaire and then consumer panels which is, you know what I would put Los Angeles in. Your wonderful listeners have very, very kindly tested our product. So I would say that that was a consumer panel and then obviously more rapt testing in terms of sensitivity. You can, you can select specific panelists that are more sensitive and have certain skin types for those panels to do more thorough rip testing and then clinical third party before and afters, which is what we're doing for the regenerative serum.

[Sarah]

Which is the new launch, which is what our listeners, the 250glamos that we had selected are currently, as we're recording right now, testing this serum. But by the time this comes out, they will have Already finished testing the serum. So what do you want people to know about this particular serum and how it fits into the Bloom Effects family?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah, he's one I prepared earlier.

[Kirby]

She's gorge. She's gorge.

[Kim Vanhasser]

She's beautiful. I would like to say that this is a very potent, high performance serum. For me personally, I don't use very active products. I'm not in tretinoin, I don't use retinoids, and I don't use, use, leave on Aha's. These are all the things that I should be doing in my 40s because hyperpigmentation, melasma, fine lines and wrinkles, sagging. These are all things that we're facing in our 40s and more. But with the regenerative brightening serum, you know, I love the fact that it is peptide based because peptides are just so wonderful and they pack a punch, but they do so many different things. And what we've done here is done a combination of a lot of different peptides. So we have exosomic peptides and exosomes are so hot now. And that's just all about delivery system. So my analogy that my. Well, I can't claim it because my chemist friends all use the same analogy, but it's like a pizza delivery service, you know, if you want the protein to be delivered. We're really looking for a great delivery system like an Uber Eats or a perfect delivery person that can knock on the door, open that apartment door, put that pizza on the dining room table and make sure you get the protein. A peptide is not going to be any use if it doesn't get delivered properly. So we have drone technology. We also have copper peptides which are encapsulated so they're more gentle. And then we have a combination of brightening peptides as well. This really packs a punch. So I recommend using it on the off days when you're not using your Actives or if you're like me and you are sensitive and you're pretty much virgin skin in terms of, you know, actives, I'm using moisturizers, the nectar and a little bit of niacinamide, but that's about it. This is really kind of my powerful powerhouse ingredient that I use on data databases.

[Kirby]

So who would you say is like the perfect consumer for this? Like, I know that, you know, in some of the marketing materials your mom is actually a model in it. So it's great for people with, you know, mature skin because it's going to help with those fine lines and wrinkles. But could this also be for like a younger consumer who's maybe like just getting into, you know, some Actives, into their routine and they don't want to use something that's super harsh.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Definitely. And I think it would lend itself to a younger audience as well if they're oily combo. Because I'm really oil forward in terms of the products I gravitate towards. I have dry, scaly, flaky skin. I call it like face dandruff. So all of selfishly, all of our products are very oil forward. This is our first ever oil free product. So you, if you are looking for an oil free product that's very lightweight, it does have some tack to it still. It still has some body, but it is like a water serum and it goes on so light and, you know, just sinks into the skin. It doesn't feel like you're wearing anything. So I definitely recommend this for someone that is, you know, oily combo or not looking for a heavy serum and is concerned with pigmentation. Pigmentation is the number one concern that I would say that this tackles hyperpigmentation, melasma, age spots.

[Kirby]

You could use this with your more active, you know, retinoids and things like that. But you said just to make sure it's like on the off day.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah, I feel like most people that use Actives would have, you know, two or three days a week where they're using the actives. I would recommend using this on the off days or on the off situation. So whether, you know, they're using the retinoids at night, you could use the peptides during the day. Because you can use peptides during the day.

[Sarah]

What are some misconceptions about tulips, Kim?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Ooh, that's a good one. A lot. They don't have a fragrance.

[Sarah]

Yes, that was the big one.

[Kirby]

We were all.

[Sarah]

Tulips are my favorite flower growing up. Always got tulips from my mom and dad. I don't think I ever recall actually smelling them though. Like putting them up to my face and smelling them. Maybe because they just are so like, you don't want to ruin the perfect little head of them. So maybe that's why. But they just don't have a fragrance except for one special species.

[Kirby]

Right.

[Kim Vanhasser]

There's one special species. And Hein has been working and you saw all his tulip babies on the tour. They were so cute. So there's unique individual ones. And it takes seven years to go from a little seed to a bulb. And then he works out. Okay, that's the flower that's gonna have this specific, you know, trait and the fragrance is what he's hoping. So right now, there's about 50 of the 3,000 different varieties that we know of that actually have a fragrance. So pretty much you can say tulips don't have a fragrance. And there's no such thing as a tulip. Absolute. There's only tulip accord out there. And for everyone listening, that just means that it's inspired by tulip. But it actually has no tulip in.

[Sarah]

The Inky, which is crazy, because then what does a tulip. It's their interpretation of what a tulip smells like.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Correct.

[Sarah]

It's not the actual way a tulip smells.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah. So if you're buying a fragrance that has tulip on the label. The Inky doesn't have tulip. It's a lie. Not yet, anyway. They can call us.

[Kirby]

Do you have a favorite tulip?

[Kim Vanhasser]

I do. Our eldest is five, and we're lucky enough that we were able to christen a tulip after her. So Eva has a tulip named after her, and it's a beautiful pink. I'd say it's almost like a peony. It's like triple. Double or triple petals, and it's really, really, really full. I don't know if there's one around.

[Kirby]

There are some in our room, and I think there are some in our room. And honestly, like, so we've been here, like Kirby said, for almost six years.

[Sarah]

For almost.

[Kim Vanhasser]

You're Dutch by this stage? I am.

[Sarah]

I live here now.

[Kirby]

And honestly, I look forward. Like, even every. Like, when I wake up in the morning, the tulips look so different than they did the night before. When I get back to the hotel room the afternoon, it's a different. It's.

[Sarah]

They're not dead.

[Kirby]

They're not dead.

[Sarah]

They've grown. They.

[Kirby]

Even more beautiful. And, like, I have just this. Such a deep appreciation, even more than before. I mean, I buy tulips all the time from Trader Joe's. Like, it's my favorite. Like, tulip season. And then they have, like, the peony tulips. I always buy them. But, like, now I am going to be such a tulip snob, because I'm like, these are not the tulips that I got in Amsterdam. I need the Van Hastener tulips.

[Sarah]

What are these yellow ones with the orange in the middle?

[Kim Vanhasser]

These are daffodils. Those are.

[Sarah]

That's a daffodil.

[Kirby]

That's a daffodil wonderland there.

[Sarah]

Well, that movie is Actually a horror movie in my opinion, so I can barely even watch it. But I did want to make content using all in the Golden Afternoon. And then I was like having PTSD from the movie. So don't bring a fellow around me. But okay. Kim, what do you think separates bloom effects from other brands that maybe use Rose Absolute? I mean, we hear about rose all the time being like a hero ingredient in certain like, like high end luxury skin care. So what do you think as a floral forward brand separates you from everything else out there?

[Kim Vanhasser]

I think the main thing against float, like specifically florals that I have in the beauty industry is that they generally are discovered for their fragrance first and then the research is delved into in terms of, okay, what are the benefits? Whereas I was really looking at tulips as, okay, what is that? Regeneration. Because that aha moment that we had was all about regeneration. So we just came from a different angle. And I would say specifically the rose, we were lucky enough to, as part of our government grants, research the rose versus the tulip. And in every category, whether it was amino acids or levels of hydration, the tulip won.

[Sarah]

I love that. I love that. I actually want to go back to that grant. And what are the two ingredients again.

[Kim Vanhasser]

In the kenatin and auxin?

[Sarah]

Kenatin and auxin. How do those apply to the skin? Like, what benefits do those two particular ingredients have for the skin? I don't think we covered that.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah, sure. Kenatin and auxin are actually well documented in derm journals. And we're not the first to use kenatinoxin. This is the first source. So tulips, no one knew that tulips had these ingredients in them. And they're great for the strengthening the skin barrier, great for hydration, really great for plumping the skin as well. So all of these ingredients and compounds that we discovered, and I should mention also flavonoids is what we discovered in the petals, which makes sense because flavonoids are pigment in a plant. So if you drink red wine or eat dark chocolate, you're ingesting flavonoids. And that's why people say dark chocolate and red wine are good for you. So the black tulip specifically, we looked at the deepest, darkest, the darkest tulip possible. And that's why we extract the flavonoids from the black tulip. So all of our bactula collection actually has that flavonoid level in there. And it's great for fine lines and wrinkles and skin firmness as well. So we have clinicals Backing us in regards to firmness and specifically lines around the smile line, nasolabial folds.

[Sarah]

Wow. Also, we forgot to mention when we were talking about the. No fragrance of the tulips. The products don't have fragrance either. And when we were at dinner, Kim, you were saying that the. One of the misconceptions about the brand that you guys have initially were really trying to promote is that you're fragrance free. That just because flowers are involved, it doesn't mean that there's a fragrance associated. Which I didn't really think about at first and then said, oh, of course. Because naturally. Yeah, you love to smell flowers. You think there's going to be fragrance associated. So the fact that there isn't. That was an intentional thing, too, because of your skin, right?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Exactly. Selfishly, I'm formulating for myself and my own needs, and I believe the founders should use every single one of their products. I can't use fragrance in skincare. It just doesn't. Yeah, I don't react well to fragrance. I love fragrance, but I generally will spray it on my clothes.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

The regenerative brightening serum is a part of the black tulip collection, right?

[Kim Vanhasser]

It is.

[Sarah]

Do you. For those that may not be familiar with the black tulip and the collection, why is it so special?

[Kim Vanhasser]

It's so special because we aren't using the bulb extract. We're using the petal extract. So the biggest difference is that our main collection has the proprietary Dutch tulip complex that's upcycled from ugly, irregular bulbs. So at the end of summer, after the chopping, they'll let the fields just grow. Those green leaves will send sugars back into the bulb. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the yield for the farmer. Around September, October, they'll dig up those bulbs, and then they'll sell those bulbs to, you know, DIY stores so that you can plant them in your gardens. But the ugly discarded ones, nothing. Like, nothing was used for them. Like, they. No one used anything. So what we did was we actually upcycled the bulbs and used the tulip extract in our proprietary Dutch tulip complex. So the difference between the black tulip collection and the regular collection is that the bulbs are in the regular collection, and the black tulip collection has the black tulip petals.

[Kirby]

Can we quickly talk about the tulip nectar? Because, I mean, obviously this regenerative serum is amazing, but Kirby and I are such big fans of that, and I feel like it's like, almost. I know the sunscreen is really popular, which is fabulous as well, but I feel like the tulip nectar is like so unique and kind of like a gateway into the brand. I don't know if you're allowed to use it on your lips, but I've been using it as a lip mask.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh, it's amazing.

[Kirby]

Oh, my God. It's like transformative. But, you know, just anywhere where you have dryness, you said you use on your eczema patches. Like, how did you come up with that product?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Well, I was pregnant at the time of launching the brand and I have been using steroids and cortisones all my life. I never really thought anything of it, but then obviously going through that journey, I had to go cold turkey. I was told not to use any of the treatments that I was using and I really had bad flare ups for those nine months and then during breastfeeding as well. So I had to create a product that I could use to calm down my flare ups and, and you know, this really worked for me personally. Obviously it's a medical condition, so I don't want to say that, you know, it can be used on everyone else's eczema, but for me personally and my journey, it helped me become steroid free.

[Kirby]

It's amazing.

[Kim Vanhasser]

So right now I'm still an eczema sufferer. It's always a battle. If I eat dairy, drink alcohol, if I don't have enough sleep, I'll have a flare up. But the nectar somehow nourishes and soothes my skin and reduces that uncomfortable tightness. So I think, you know, if you're like skiing, surfing, if you've been sunburned, if you've been at the Dome and had a bit of laser, if your skin needs that recovery time, the nectar is just that warm blanket that like soothes everything.

[Kirby]

Yeah, it's like magic.

[Kim Vanhasser]

It. It truly. It truly is. She's thick, she's rich.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Kim Vanhasser]

She's not for everyone. If you don't like rich textures, but it truly works for uncomfortable. My 5 year old would say, ouchy skin.

[Sarah]

It's a very decadent product, but also a very decadent way to apply it. It feels very special. It's. Instead of just like squeezing something out of a tube and like rubbing it, you have your little spatula and you can just put it on your face and pat it.

[Kirby]

And even like the color is so beautiful.

[Sarah]

It's so beautiful. I really love the color as well. And just the packaging in general with Bloom effects is so stunning.

[Kim Vanhasser]

So stunning.

[Sarah]

Kim, before we let you go, what else? I mean, you just launched this brand new serum, it's been out for a few weeks. By the time this will go live, so our glam Giulinos have been. We'll be done testing it by this.

[Kim Vanhasser]

I can't wait to see the results.

[Sarah]

Yes, by this episode going out. But there's also another big product launch that we are exclusively revealing to the public right now, which is.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh, we have two. Can I talk about both?

[Sarah]

Do both of them? Yeah.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Okay. Amazing. So the first one is exciting, but not the big reveal where actually our lip oils were so coveted. And they're not just lip oils. Lip oils are great. You know, there's so many of them on the market, so hydrating. But we're really known for our SPF now. So I thought, why not actually have a luxurious lip product that actually has spf, because so many of them are more like a sports stick and tastes like spf. This doesn't taste like SPF at all. It has a pop of color. We had three shades last year, so we're coming out with a fourth shade. And mauve is having a moment or mauve.

[Kirby]

Yeah.

[Kim Vanhasser]

How do I say that as a mauve?

[Sarah]

Yeah, I like mauve. When I said mauve at the dinner, I was like, yes, okay. Sounds Australia.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Okay, I'm making that a thing. Mauve is having a moment. And that's our newest shade coming out this spring summer. And then in the summer, we have something really, really exciting. We're known for our SPFs and we're known for our textures. And we had such great success with our body balm. But like every product, there's always some pros and cons, right? With the body balm specifically, it was award winning and it was so coveted, but it did used to go grainy a little. And this happens a lot with formulas. I've heard a lot of lip balms are doing this on TikTok. And what happens is when you have too many butters and waxes and it melts because it's been left in the car or at the beach and it's in the sun, those separate and melt and then you get the solid part, which then turns into almost like a. Like a sandy texture. And then you get the oil component that honestly was happening to our body balm and sadly, we had to put a sunset on that. But this is our new and improved and a new take on it with spf. So we're so excited to be introducing our Tulips Green, which is a whipped butter creme. And it has that whipped butter texture. When you press into the product, it melts into the skin. It leaves your skin so hydrating, glowy. But it's SPF 50, all mineral. It's water resistant, so it's perfect for the beach or just everyday use. You can use it on your face and your body. It's like our sun stick, but whipped up. If you've ever tried our sun stick.

[Kirby]

It'S truly like a butter.

[Sarah]

It feels light as air. The packaging, I feel like, accounts for most of the heaviness. Because then when you gave us the lab sample, I was like, is there anything in here? And then you open it up and it's just so beautifully smooth. And then you put it out with your fingers.

[Kirby]

Yeah. It's like a joy.

[Sarah]

Oh, my God. You have the lab sample right here.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yeah.

[Sarah]

So if you guys. I'm not sure if you can see because we are a little bit far away.

[Kirby]

And it is butter, like butter yellow.

[Sarah]

I actually trending this right now.

[Kirby]

I know, Me too.

[Sarah]

I'm getting some sun on my shoulders.

[Kim Vanhasser]

And I was like, oh, this is a perfect opportunity. It is. We're in a greenhouse.

[Sarah]

We are.

[Kirby]

But see how beautifully that.

[Kim Vanhasser]

And now this is the actual packaging. So it has a flip top because there's nothing worse than going to the beach and dropping the cap.

[Kirby]

Oh, my God.

[Kim Vanhasser]

In the sand. Totally. Especially if you've got your hands full. SPF 50. And it's in our new packaging. We had a slight brand refresh. So our logo is a little bit refreshed and the blue is a little bit different.

[Kirby]

This is so beautiful.

[Sarah]

Yay, Kim.

[Kirby]

No. I'm so excited for this.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh, and mauve.

[Kirby]

Oh, and the mauve.

[Kim Vanhasser]

The mauve. Mauve, mauve.

[Kirby]

Which is very much. I. I say this on the pod. Anytime there's a mauve shade, it's. It's mine. I gravitate towards it.

[Sarah]

Sarah does love a color like mauve. I'm not gonna say mauve now.

[Kirby]

I know. Me too.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Adopt the mauve.

[Sarah]

Kim, thank you so much for having us here at these beautiful fields. Your family fields. We had the best time. We learned so much. Kim or Sarah's entire family is also here.

[Kirby]

You literally let all of the children frolic through the fields.

[Kim Vanhasser]

They loved it.

[Kirby]

And take over. It was such a dream come true. The photos. Oh, my God. I said these are gonna be our Christmas cards for the rest of our lives.

[Sarah]

They're just so beautiful and just learning so much more about the tulip and how resilient it is. And I have such a not only new appreciation for the Tulip, but also the brand. So we really appreciate all the time, effort and just detail you put into this trip for us and this podcast.

[Kirby]

Really.

[Sarah]

And then where can everybody find you in Bloom Effects?

[Kim Vanhasser]

Oh, find me on Instagram. Kimmy Van Haster and bloom effects is bloomfx.com or credo and Blue Mercury in store and online.

[Sarah]

Amazing. Thank you, Kim.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Thank you so much for the opportunity. Truly, it's been such an honor to be here with you on this is my first real in life, in real life podcast.

[Sarah]

Oh my gosh.

[Kirby]

You first killed it.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Yes, you killed it. You popped the cherry. Love that.

[Sarah]

Love that.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Pop the tulip.

[Sarah]

Pop the tulip. Pop the tulip.

[Kim Vanhasser]

Thank you.

[Sarah]

Doi doi doi doi doi doi doi doi doi doi doi doi.

[Hannah]

Hi guys, it's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college and I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft. Whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits align even wicks sweat. And as a sweaty girl, I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis. This shop the Aligned collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.