Mila Busch, Founder and Formulator of Wild Ice Botanicals

I'm Mila Busch, the founder and formulator behind Wild Ice Botanicals. I grew up watching my grandmother and aunts make skincare from their garden. Fresh ingredients were part of everyday care, and that stayed with me.

We started our business shortly after our first child was born, under an earlier brand name. Motherhood made my interest in ingredients personal: I wanted to understand what I was putting on my skin, just as I wanted to understand the food I chose for our family.

The Wild Ice name came later, after our second child. A major retailer would not let us use the refrigerated displays we offered to provide. That experience was painful, but it made the next decision clear: cold preservation needed to be inseparable from the brand. We wanted people to understand what made our skincare different from the moment they heard its name.

We sold our first Wild Ice product, Cryo-C, on August 1, 2021. Today we make small weekly batches and refrigerate ingredients after receipt and finished formulas, with brief handling during production and packing. We sell primarily direct because it gives us control over quality and how long inventory sits. We prefer that control and are not pursuing additional store placements.

We also raise our children and run the business without nearby family. There are playdates, music lessons, birthday parties and mornings when everyone needs something at once. That is the life my own routine has to fit. I want products that make my skin feel cared for and look fresh without turning skincare into another complicated job.

In the Journal, I share how I choose ingredients, why we protect them with cold, and how to build a routine you enjoy using. You'll find research linked where it helps explain an ingredient or a decision, alongside the practical experience of making these formulas and living with them every day.

Choose a topic below, or visit Start Here to find your first Wild Ice formula.