HERO WORSHIP: BODY BUTTER

Written by LENA RAFF
Illustrated by LYDIA McKEE

THE GENESIS

In 2014, Hope Dworaczyk Smith was two things: newly pregnant and on a mission to prevent stretch marks. Searching for solutions, she consulted a makeup artist friend who recommended she buy “the giant thing” of La Mer and apply it to her body before bed—but not before sealing it in with plastic wrap. It only took one uncomfortable night of attempting sleep while wrapped up like a casserole before Smith realized that repeating this ritual every evening for nine months would be an untenable (and expensive) endeavor.

Smith spent that summer making a laboratory out of her Malibu kitchen. The former model for designers like Versace, Elie Saab, Balenciaga, and Patek Philippe had also found time between jobs to become an aesthetician, and she began researching raw ingredients and plants high in fatty and linoleic acids that would help promote elasticity and suppleness. The first batches of what would become MUTHA’s debut offering were mixed in Smith’s KitchenAid. She began religiously using the rich concoction on her belly and thighs and shared tubs of the stuff with friends who were also expecting.

THE FORMULA

The Body Butter, packaged in a vibrantly purple (violet?), Jeff Koons-inspired tub with a lid that doubles as a jewelry dish, is a 100% natural, water-and-filler-free formula that is extremely concentrated and emollient. Every batch takes more than 10 days to make and involves six different mixing steps, each with its own parameters of quality checkups.

A true butter texture that feels more solid than liquid, the rich yet lightweight moisturizer is made from shea, cocoa, and mango butters and packed with vitamins A and E, antioxidants, and fatty acids. The ultra-nourishing treatment is clinically proven to improve skin tone and discoloration of stretch marks and skin firmness, and hydrates skin upon application and for up to 48 hours—making it ideal for anyone with dry skin, not only those who are pregnant.

THE MOMENTUM

Never one to miss a spark of beauty genius, it wasn’t long until one Cassandra Grey caught wind of the woman making the best new thing in body care. She encouraged Smith to think bigger—the formula was too good to stay in her kitchen. That nudge helped spur the creation of MUTHA, which went on to launch exclusively with VIOLET GREY. An enduring client favorite, it has remained a best seller year after year.