Organic Baby Products For A New Generation
Offering healing products with organic, safe ingredients has always been our goal at Badger. Since 1995, we’ve used only the simplest ingredients that are safe for all ages as well as for the planet. Each product we create is made with the intention to protect, soothe, and heal, inspired by our desire to help the people we love – including our customers.
The Origin of Badger’s Baby Collection
When Badger’s founder, Bill Whyte, made the original Badger Balm in his kitchen, it was to heal his cracked hands after doing carpentry during a harsh winter. He eventually packaged and produced this versatile balm on a larger scale and described it as “relief for hardworking hands.” People asked if he created anything for babies, and he told them to think of Badger Balm as perfect for hardworking babies since it was organic and made with ingredients safe enough for little ones.
As more people asked for a balm for little ones, Bill began to ponder the ingredients he would use for a balm that was safe and nourishing for babies. He used his knowledge as an intuitive herbalist to formulate something gentle and soothing enough for the most sensitive skin. He realized the delicate, small flowers of chamomile were perfectly suited for babies and their delicate skin, while calendula had the right sunny energy to bring healing and cheer – a perfect balance. Like many of our other products today, beeswax was added because it is filled with natural goodness.
Bill says, “I still love Baby Balm for me and for the people I love, regardless of age. In fact, I think it’s perfectly gentle for the thin and delicate skin of elders. From the youngest to the oldest, this balm provides all with a golden healing energy.”
New Artwork for A New Era
The artwork we display on our packaging has represented the healing goodness within since the very first batch of Badger Balm was made. But as our climate and wildlife conservation efforts grew, we realized we were entering a new era of creating a healthier world.
In 2021, we made the decision to move away from representing our Badger as an anthropomorphized being. We decided this after much consideration, weighing our mission to make the world a healthier place with our love of the original art.
Rather than have a mother badger cradling her little one like a human, our new Baby art shows the animals’ natural bond in a field of chamomile and calendula. By representing these animals in a realistic habitat, we hope to shift from personification to eco-friendly artwork that speaks to our mission. We feel that our cornerstone artwork should represent them authentically – because appreciating nature helps us remember why we need to protect it.
If our former Baby art was whimsical and imaginative, we hope our new art brings meaning with simplicity – an ode to nature and the animals we share this planet with.
Badger’s Love for Babies
Although our artwork is changing as we expand our conservation efforts, we will always remain a family-owned and family-friendly business. This means that we recognize the importance of supporting our employees holistically by offering assistance with their wellness and childcare. We believe that children are the responsibility of the community, not just the individual parents, and that business plays an important role as a community leader and provider.
Our Babies at Work program started when a new mother asked Badger leadership if she could bring her baby to work. We realized that we needed to create a lasting and sustainable program to not only support this one mother, but to be able to offer the same benefit to all future Badger parents. This program continues to solve a critical gap in our current care system and provides parents with much needed time to bond with their child during this important developmental stage.
In addition to important bonding time, other benefits include direct breastfeeding, reduction in daycare costs, easier transition to off-site child care, and a greater social and support network. When a Badger parent brings their child to work, they are met with support from their fellow employees and leadership.
Last month, two Badger employees gave birth to healthy and beautiful babies. When they return to work, their little ones will become the newest members of our Babies at Work program, and we are all very excited to meet them!
Toward a Healthier World
Whether we are supporting our employees or offering healing products to our customers, Badger’s love and connection to families extends to every part of what we do. We hope our new artwork will speak to our continued and growing efforts to make this world a better place for all ages, and for all creatures.
Making products sustainably and ethically from only the purest organic ingredients is who we are, but it’s not the whole story. Much of our work focuses on taking action to achieve positive change for people and the planet – from our internal programs, to our products, to our mission-driven advocacy efforts. With our new Baby artwork, as well as the coming changes to other product packaging, we are honoring this mission while looking toward the future with love, determination, and hope for healthier families and a healthier world.