Hillary Fry grew up in a do-it-yourself kind of environment in the Bay Area. Whether it was boiling, melting, sculpting or molding, she and her family were constantly busy creating homemade things like candles, lotions and soaps from scratch.

Now, as an adult working in the Milwaukee area, it's safe to say she's holding on to those ideals.

What started as a fun hobby creating new and unique products for friends and co-workers in her spare time has quickly evolved into a full-time, one-woman beauty operation, and it all started with her handmade soap getting into the right hands.

"In 2004 I decided to test the waters and attended an industry tradeshow," she says. "If the public bit, I knew I had something. If not, I had to fold up. Armed with only my soap and unmarked lotions, I went hopeful. It was here that the New York City Whole Foods buyer came looking for my booth after seeing the soap on display and signed me up for their Columbus Circle store. Chelsea followed."

It wasn't long before the event manager for People en Espanol magazine got a hold of Fry's product in New York and knew that it was fit for the stars. Pretty soon, Solessence, as she'd come to call her company, was the organic shea butter and coconut milk scrub of choice for attendees at the 2005 Billboard Awards as well as the winners of People en Espanol's "50 Most Beautiful."

"By 2005, interest was so strong I knew I had to make a decision to go full time if I wanted to make this company succeed," she says, remembering times when she'd actually cringed at receiving a new order since she was so busy with her regular job. But the product sales and the celebrity interest spoke for themselves and by October 2005, Fry quit her job to mold Solessence into a career.

So what, exactly, makes this product to special?

"It's a really clean product with a high-end look to it. It's a filling a niche called "eco-lux," which is a product that you would seek out in health foods stores but that you can also find in boutiques."

Stocked with the knowledge of the delicate synergy of how plants work and a knack for chemistry, Fry has created Solessence as a natural and organic line of cosmetics, fragrances and skincare that it is paraben free, wheat free, formaldehyde free and does not use any preservatives that are formaldehyde donors. Fry says she prefers to use unrefined materials that have not undergone chemical processing that strips naturally occurring vitamins out.

"I'm not out to cure cancer or anything, but these are things that make you feel good," she says. "I worry that it sounds cliché, but I think it's important that you take time to make yourself feel good. You can easily overlook doing that and I also think it's not enough just to feel pretty -- the products themselves need to be effective. It should have a dual purpose. When you're looking good, you feel better. It's psychological -- your mood is lifted, you feel good, and you are more productive."

Solessence products -- for now -- are only sold at Whole Foods in New York, although she is hopeful that the new Milwaukee location will show interest as well. Fry formulates everything she does at her Menomonee Falls-based company and sells via her Web site (see link below).

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Posted by Kfelten on July 23, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. (report)

I met Hilary a few weeks ago and got the coconut body scrub.. OMG this stuff is fabulous - I really can't believe how silky my skin was afterwards. I know what I am getting my sisters for Christmas. You have to try it.

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 21, 2006 at 5:39 p.m. (report)

Hillary said: Hello! Just a note about selling locations - locally, Solessence is carried at the very cool Savon Nouveau in Cedarburg. Julie (owner) was an early supporter of Solessence, and will have the full line of the four scents in her shop in the next week. Solessence will also have a booth at the upcoming 30th Anniversary Christmas & Holiday Show for University School, with an interactive booth featuring our signature lotion fountain and hand massages with scrub trials. This four day event is a great fundraiser for the school, and with the unique vendors that are brought in, an amazing shopping opportunity for the public.

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 17, 2006 at 2:38 p.m. (report)

Sarah said: re: Karen's comment. It is MADE IN Menomonee Falls, which is close enough to Milwaukee for me. You can buy it on the website, which the article states.

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 17, 2006 at 8:16 a.m. (report)

Karen said: If this product is unavailable in Milwaukee why is it being featured on this site?