Jeanette Thottrup speaks about skincare the same way some people speak about food, farming, or even hospitality. Everything starts at the source.

Long before launching Seed to Skin, Jeanette was immersed in the world of fashion, living a fast paced life that eventually pushed her to reevaluate her relationship with health and wellbeing. After turning to natural medicine during her own fertility journey, she became fascinated by the untapped potential of botanical ingredients and frustrated by how disconnected much of the beauty industry felt from the ingredients themselves.

That curiosity eventually led her to Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany, where she built both a laboratory and a working herb garden with the intention of growing, harvesting, and transforming ingredients as thoughtfully as possible.

In this edition of Art of Intentions, Jeanette reflects on why true skin health takes time, what transparency actually means in practice, and how slowing down has shaped not only her approach to beauty, but the way she moves through life as a whole.

When you first started building Seed to Skin, what were the non-negotiables you refused to compromise on?

When I first started building Seed to Skin, I felt there was a clear divide in the skincare world that I couldn’t ignore. On one side, you had science-led formulations that delivered results but often lacked purity and connection to nature. On the other hand, natural skincare was beautifully clean and sensorial, but too often it didn’t truly perform.

I didn’t believe you should have to choose between the two.

For me, the missing piece was not just combining nature and science but rethinking where efficacy begins. It starts with the quality of the raw material: fresh, potent botanicals grown in clean, living soil. Before biotech, before complex processing, there is the plant itself. That’s why creating a “herb house,” a place where we could grow, harvest, and transform these botanicals at their peak, became essential.

By working this way, and combining it with rigorous formulation and clinical testing, we’ve been able to prove that you can have both: true natural integrity and visible, measurable results.

That was the foundation and it still is.

In a market that often prioritizes speed and scale, how have you stayed committed to doing things more thoughtfully?

In a market that often prioritizes speed and scale, we’ve consciously chosen a different path.

For us at Seed to Skin, instant gratification has never been something that should define skincare. We’re not interested in quick fixes or short-term results that compromise the skin over time. What matters to us is true healing: supporting the skin in a way that is sustainable, intelligent, and lasting.

That naturally requires a more thoughtful approach. It means taking the time to properly grow and transform our ingredients, to formulate with intention, and to test for real, measurable results. It also means accepting that the most meaningful changes in the skin don’t happen overnight.

We are deeply committed to long-term, result-driven skincare where performance and integrity go hand in hand. And that commitment guides every decision we make.

You’ve built the brand around complete transparency, from soil to skin. What does integrity mean to you when it comes to sourcing?

For me, integrity in sourcing is about truly knowing every step of the journey, from where an ingredient is grown to how it is transformed and ultimately used on the skin.

It starts with sourcing from the right places: clean soil, responsible growers, and environments where the plant can develop its full potency. But it doesn’t stop there. Every step along the way is tested and verified. We work with external laboratories to analyze each ingredient for its chemical composition and to ensure it is free from toxins or unwanted contaminants.

For us, transparency is not a statement, it’s a process. It means being able to trace and validate everything we use, and never taking shortcuts.

In the end, sourcing with integrity is about responsibility. Knowing exactly where everything comes from, how it has been handled, and ensuring it meets the highest standards before it ever touches the skin.

You’ve invested deeply in restoring and maintaining the land at Borgo Santo Pietro. How does caring for the environment influence how you think about long-term skin health?

For me, caring for the land and caring for the skin are deeply connected. They both require time, patience, and consistent care.

At Borgo Santo Pietro, restoring and maintaining the land has taught us that nothing meaningful happens instantly. You need to nurture the soil, respect the natural rhythms, and allow time for true vitality to develop. The same is true for the skin.

Long-term skin health is not about quick fixes, it’s about building strength, resilience, and balance over time. Just like the land, the skin responds to how it is treated day after day.

Your work is rooted in the belief that skin reflects internal well-being. How do you personally nurture that connection in your own life?

For me, it starts with a constant awareness of my body and mind.

I try to stay very connected to how I feel, listening to what my body needs, how my energy is, and what my mind is asking for in any given moment. That awareness guides how I take care of myself, whether it’s rest, nourishment, or simply slowing down.

But it’s not only physical. I’ve also become very conscious of my thoughts. The way we think about ourselves has such a profound effect on how we feel and ultimately how we look. So I make an effort to cultivate kind, supportive thoughts and a more gentle inner dialogue.

For me, nurturing that connection is about presence, listening, and treating myself with the same care and respect that I would offer to anything I truly value.

What kind of impact do you hope the brand has on the way people think about beauty and well-being?

I hope the brand can gently shift the way people think about beauty and well-being, away from quick fixes and toward something deeper and more lasting.

For me, true results come from slow development, proper research, and giving things the time they need to fully unfold. When we constantly look for instant solutions, we risk losing connection with who we really are and instead start adapting ourselves to external expectations.

What I hope Seed to Skin represents is a different perspective: that beauty is not something to chase or correct quickly, but something to support, understand, and allow to evolve.

If we can encourage people to slow down, to trust the process, and to invest in long-term care rather than immediate transformation, then I feel we are creating something meaningful.

Because ultimately, it’s not about becoming someone else, it’s about allowing who you truly are to come through.

What does it actually mean, in your life, to live with intention?

To live with intention, for me, is about being thoughtful in how I move through life.

It means taking the time to consider what truly feels right, what is the highest and best not only for myself, but also for the people around me. Rather than reacting or moving on autopilot, it’s about making conscious choices in how I live, work, and relate to others.