When Lily Wilmoth was pregnant with her first child, her skin began reacting to the very products she’d trusted for years.
“I realized that all of the products I had been using were actually terrible for my skin, my health, and likely for my baby,” she recalled. “So, I made immediate changes.”
What began as a personal search for safer, simpler skincare evolved into a deep dive into history. The former teacher started studying ancient medical practices, from Egypt and China to Greece and Medieval Italy, to understand how generations before her nourished their skin using whole, natural ingredients.
“Across cultures, I learned the deep power of animal fats like tallow, schmaltz, and fish liver oils,” she said. “They’re rich in nutrients that modern formulas often overlook.”
“I had a vision for creating skincare that was still beautiful, luxurious, and aromatic—while being 100% natural and based on ancestral principles,” she said.
For several years, Hearth and Homestead remained a farmer’s market side project. But after the birth of her fourth child, Wilmoth decided to take a leap of faith and open an Amazon Handmade storefront, a community where artisans sell authentic, handcrafted goods directly to customers.
“That was the turning point,” she said. “Amazon helped us bring ancestral skincare to a much wider audience.”
Since launching, Hearth and Homestead has experienced what Wilmoth calls “astronomical growth.” The brand’s 100% Grass-Fed Beef Tallow Moisturizer is now the top-selling body mousse in the Amazon store, and the company has expanded from a one-woman operation to a team of 25 artisans.
“We still oversee every batch—from rendering the suet to approving every tray of tallow before it’s piped into jars,” said Wilmoth. “Everything is made by hand with the highest-quality ingredients.”
That dedication to quality is personal. Hearth and Homestead remains a family business, run by Wilmoth and her husband while homeschooling their five children. They also give back to their community by donating care boxes to at-risk and postpartum women.
“Our motto in the production room is, ‘Every jar is our customer’s only jar,’” she said. “We put time and love into every single one.”