Halloween Candy Guide: What Each AMASS Product Represents

As Halloween approaches, the excitement for spooky celebrations and candy-filled treats fills the air. At AMASS, we believe that each of our products embodies unique characteristics and qualities—much like your favorite Halloween candies. Let’s explore how our botanical offerings represent classic Halloween candies, bringing a touch of whimsy and fun to your self-care routine.

1. AMASS Soaps: The Classic Candy Corn

Just like the timeless appeal of candy corn, our AMASS soaps are a staple in any self-care collection. With their vibrant colors and delightful scents, these soaps offer a nostalgic reminder of fall festivities. Candy corn is known for its sweet and sugary flavor, much like the refreshing and invigorating scents of our soaps, which are infused with natural botanical extracts. Cleanse your skin while enjoying the playful aesthetic and uplifting aromas—just like indulging in a handful of candy corn!

2. AMASS Lotion: The Decadent Chocolate Bar

When you think of Halloween, decadent chocolate bars are often at the top of the list. Similarly, our AMASS lotion delivers a rich and nourishing experience that envelops your skin in luxurious hydration. Much like biting into your favorite chocolate treat, applying AMASS lotion feels indulgent and satisfying. With its smooth texture and botanical goodness, our lotion is the ultimate treat for your skin, leaving it feeling soft and radiant.

3. AMASS Hand Sanitizer: The Refreshing Sour Candy

For those who love a bit of tanginess, sour candy is the perfect Halloween treat. Our AMASS hand sanitizer captures that refreshing zing, offering a burst of cleanliness while leaving your hands feeling soft and cared for. Just as sour candy gives you a delightful kick, our hand sanitizer combines effective cleansing with hydrating ingredients, ensuring your hands stay healthy and fresh throughout the festivities.

4. AMASS Candles: The Enchanting Caramel Apple

There’s something magical about caramel apples during Halloween, with their sweet and rich flavor, they’re the epitome of autumn indulgence. Our AMASS candles, infused with enchanting scents, create a cozy and inviting atmosphere that captures the essence of a caramel apple. Light one of our candles, and let the warm, soothing aromas transport you to an autumnal wonderland, much like the comforting experience of enjoying a caramel-drenched treat.

5. AMASS Body Wash: The Exciting Gummy Bears

Gummy bears are a beloved treat, loved for their fun shapes and vibrant flavors. Our AMASS body wash embodies the same spirit of excitement, transforming your shower into a playful experience. With colorful botanical extracts and delightful scents, using our body wash feels like a fun candy adventure that cleanses and nourishes your skin. Embrace the joy of self-care with a burst of energy, reminiscent of reaching into a bag of gummy bears.

6. AMASS Room Spray: The Spooky Pumpkin Spice

No Halloween celebration is complete without the warm, inviting scent of pumpkin spice. Our AMASS room spray brings that comforting aroma into your home, creating a cozy ambiance for your spooky festivities. Much like the delicious scent of pumpkin spice lingers in the air, our room spray refreshes your space and enhances your seasonal celebrations, making it a must-have for any Halloween gathering.

As you prepare for Halloween, remember to fill your basket not just with candy but with the nourishing, botanical goodness of AMASS. Celebrate with products that reflect the magic of the season and make self-care an enjoyable treat!

AMASS Lotion: Luxurious Botanical Hydration 

For those who value quality and elegance in their self-care routine, AMASS Lotion from AMASS.com delivers an elevated experience in skincare. Known for its commitment to premium botanical products, AMASS has crafted a lotion that provides not only hydration but also the aromatic and sensory experience AMASS is renowned for. Here’s why AMASS Lotion is quickly becoming a favorite among those who seek luxury, wellness, and sustainability in personal care.

Why Choose AMASS Lotion?

AMASS has built its reputation by blending plant-based ingredients with thoughtful design, and AMASS Lotion is no exception. This lotion is ideal for anyone looking to nourish their skin with rich botanical ingredients and sophisticated scents, creating a refreshing, hydrating ritual that goes beyond simple moisturizing.

Key Benefits of AMASS Lotion

1. Botanical-Rich Formulation: AMASS Lotion is crafted with high-quality botanical extracts and essential oils, chosen for their skin-loving properties. With natural ingredients at the forefront, AMASS Lotion leaves skin feeling soft, hydrated, and smooth.

2. Natural, Aromatic Scent: Using botanicals and essential oils, AMASS Lotion features a subtle, sophisticated scent that adds an element of aromatherapy to your routine. The layered fragrance profiles are designed to last, making each application a refreshing experience.

3. Vegan and Cruelty-Free: In line with AMASS’s commitment to ethical practices, their lotion is vegan and cruelty-free, excluding any animal-derived ingredients and maintaining high standards in production. This makes AMASS Lotion a favorite among environmentally conscious consumers.

4. Sustainable Packaging: AMASS prioritizes sustainable packaging that minimizes waste, offering an eco-friendly option for those who care about environmental impact. The sleek, minimalist design also makes it a stylish addition to any space.

Ingredients That Set AMASS Lotion Apart

AMASS Lotion incorporates carefully chosen botanical ingredients, each selected for its unique properties that benefit the skin. Key ingredients include:

• Aloe Vera: Known for its soothing and hydrating qualities, aloe vera adds moisture and calms irritation, making it ideal for sensitive skin.

• Chamomile Extract: Chamomile is gentle and calming, providing anti-inflammatory benefits that help to reduce redness and soothe the skin.

• Jojoba Oil: This lightweight oil is similar to the skin’s natural sebum, making it highly absorbent and effective for all skin types, helping to balance moisture without a greasy feel.

• Lavender Oil: With natural antiseptic properties, lavender oil also offers a calming scent, turning application into a moment of relaxation.

• Rosemary Extract: Rosemary provides antioxidant benefits and helps to invigorate the skin, providing a natural, refreshing lift.

An Elevated Hydration Experience

AMASS Lotion is designed to provide lasting hydration without feeling heavy, making it suitable for daily use on all skin types. The rich yet lightweight texture absorbs quickly, leaving skin smooth and subtly scented. Whether used after a shower, as a hand lotion, or for a quick refresh, AMASS Lotion transforms simple skincare into a luxurious ritual.

Why AMASS Lotion is Perfect for Any Routine

AMASS Lotion’s versatility makes it an essential addition to both minimalist and elaborate routines. Its hydrating, botanical formula works equally well on hands and body, and its natural ingredients make it gentle enough for regular use. With AMASS Lotion, self-care becomes a moment to connect with nature and indulge in an aromatic experience, every day.

AMASS Soap: A Luxurious Botanical Experience for Your Skin and Body

If you’re looking for a soap that combines high-quality natural ingredients with sophisticated scents, AMASS Soap is the perfect choice. Known for crafting premium botanical products, AMASS brings the same meticulous attention to quality, sustainability, and design in their soaps as they do in their renowned spirits and candles. Not only is it ideal for handwashing, but AMASS Soap can also double as a luxurious body wash, making it a versatile addition to your personal care routine. Here’s why AMASS Soap from AMASS.com is becoming a favorite for those who seek luxury in everyday essentials.

What Makes AMASS Soap Unique?

AMASS is famous for blending traditional botanicals with modern, minimalist design. Each soap is formulated not only to cleanse but also to nourish the skin, using carefully selected plant-based ingredients. AMASS soaps are crafted with skin health in mind, designed to refresh while delivering a luxurious, spa-like experience right at home.

Key Benefits of AMASS Soap

1. Natural, Botanical Ingredients: AMASS soaps are made with botanical extracts and essential oils, providing a gentle yet effective cleanse that leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated. Whether used as a hand soap or a body wash, AMASS Soap works to purify and protect the skin’s natural barrier.

2. Premium Scents: Using essential oils and botanicals, AMASS soaps have unique, sophisticated scents that add an aromatherapeutic benefit to your skincare routine. Scents are layered to create an immersive sensory experience, transforming simple handwashing or showering into a moment of indulgence.

3. Vegan and Cruelty-Free: AMASS maintains a commitment to ethical production, and their soaps are vegan and cruelty-free. By excluding animal-derived ingredients and ensuring no animal testing, AMASS soaps meet the high standards of conscious consumers.

4. Sustainable Packaging: AMASS uses eco-friendly packaging, making it easy to prioritize both self-care and environmental responsibility. Their chic, minimalist design also makes these soaps a beautiful addition to any bathroom or kitchen.

AMASS Soap: Ingredient Highlights

One of the standout aspects of AMASS Soap is the thoughtful selection of botanical ingredients. Each ingredient is carefully chosen for its skin benefits and aromatic properties, making it suitable for both hand and body use:

• Aloe Vera: Known for its soothing and hydrating properties, aloe vera is perfect for keeping your skin balanced and moisturized.

• Chamomile Extract: Chamomile is a calming ingredient that helps reduce inflammation, making it ideal for sensitive skin.

• Lavender: A natural antiseptic, lavender also has a calming scent, bringing a touch of aromatherapy to your routine.

• Eucalyptus Oil: Eucalyptus provides a refreshing, invigorating scent and has natural antibacterial properties, perfect for a thorough cleanse.

The AMASS Difference: Elevating the Everyday

What sets AMASS Soap apart is the brand’s dedication to elevating daily rituals with premium ingredients and a luxurious experience. AMASS believes that even small routines, like washing your hands or showering, should be opportunities to treat yourself to a moment of relaxation and care.

Why Choose AMASS Soap?

For those who appreciate luxury and value natural skincare, AMASS Soap is a standout choice. From its eco-friendly packaging to its sophisticated botanical blends, this soap offers an exceptional product for consumers seeking more from their daily routines. Beyond its practical use, AMASS Soap brings elegance and intentionality to self-care, redefining typically mundane tasks.

Final Thoughts

AMASS Soap is more than just soap—it’s a celebration of botanicals, a commitment to quality, and an invitation to make everyday moments more special. Whether you use it for washing hands or as a body wash, AMASS Soap provides a luxurious, botanical richness that can elevate any routine. Visit AMASS.com to learn more about their full line of products and start your journey to a more refined personal care experience.

AMASS is known for our signature scents. Inspired by nature and brought to life by our Master Distiller Morgan McLachlan, each AMASS scent is meticulously crafted using a blend of natural botanicals to evoke a feeling and spark joy in your day. Explore the story behind each of our four core scents here:

CINNAMON · ALLSPICE · CLOVE · EUCALYPTUS

Our Four Thieves scent is inspired by a blend of botanicals once believed to prevent the spread of the plague in medieval Europe. Named after a band of thieves who used the tincture to protect themselves from disease as they robbed the dead, the Four Thieves recipe is an age-old remedy that we’ve reimagined for modern life. Cinnamon, allspice, clove, and eucalyptus create a warm, spicy aroma.

LEMON · GINGER · GRAPEFRUIT · LAVENDER

In Kyoto, reverence hangs thick in the air. Glimmering summer sun reflects onto the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, itself mirrored onto the glassy surface of the Kyōko-chi. Sheathed in gold leaf, the Temple ripples in the water under towering limonene pines. Is what we’re seeing real, or a reflection of a reflection?

Inspired by the yellow gemstone citrine, Pseudo Citrine evokes a lemon-fresh scent while offering an energizing ritual. Lemon, ginger, grapefruit, and lavender join for a light, refreshing citrus scent.

BASIL · PEPPERMINT · ROSEMARY · SAGE · THYME

Inspired by the Greek myth of the basilisk, a deadly serpent, our Basilisk Breath scent features sweet basil, a botanical once considered to be a protective charm against the basilisk’s fatal stare and breath. In following the long occult tradition of naming antidotes for their poison, Basilisk Breath enlivens basil’s mythological roots while delivering a bright, refreshing clean. Basil, peppermint, rosemary, sage, and thyme blend to create an invigorating herbal scent.

SPRUCE · AMBER · PETRICHOR

On the coast overlooking the Salish Sea, salt and rain entwine in the trees. In a psychosomatic forest escape, soak in the atmospheric hush through the senses. The shimmer of water hitting stone lingers on the skin, as the cool crisp of petrichor and cedar warms with the butterscotch sweetness of amber musk. Ozonic top notes spring from the shore for a boreal bath that cleanses the soul. Spruce, amber, and petrichor build a dense woodland aroma.

A bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day is the oldest trick in the book, next to maybe breakfast in bed or a hand-drawn card. But where does the tradition stem from, and what flowers are associated with the holiday?

It all started with a woman named Anna Jarvis. Born in West Virginia in 1864, Anna would go on to found Mother’s Day in 1908, three years after her own mother’s death. It would be a few years later, in 1914, that President Woodrow Wilson would formally declare the second Sunday of May Mother’s Day (it wasn’t until 1972 that Father’s Day became a national holiday, if you’re keeping track).

What started as a way to commemorate Anna’s own mother quickly became a way to recognize mothers everywhere. In celebration of the first memorial, Anna gave the events’ attendants 500 white carnations, her mother’s favorite flower.The flower became an important symbol of the holiday, as Anna explained,

The carnation does not drop its petals, but hugs them to its heart, and so, too, mothers hug their children to their hearts.

Over time, the floral industry commodified the flower, even introducing red carnations to meet growing demand. Prices went up, and Anna’s original symbolism behind the carnation faded, instead taking on a new meaning; the red carnation was gifted to mothers, while the white carnation was used to honor mothers who had recently passed, placed on their gravestones as a tribute.

It wasn’t just the symbolism that changed; aware that Mother’s Day was quickly becoming a cash cow, greeting card and confection companies quickly hopped on board as well, creating their own product lines gearing toward celebrating moms everywhere.

Anna, fed up with the the commercialization of a day founded on altruistic grounds, boldly spoke out about the trivialization of the day, at one point saying, “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.”

In 1923, Anna went so far as to stop the day’s festivities by disturbing white carnation sellers, though she was shortly arrested for her public order violation. Her attempts to have the holiday formally rescinded also failed. And despite her best efforts, Anna’s unwillingness to adapt to the times led to her own economic hardship; when she died in 1948, it was the floral and greeting card companies that paid for her medical bills.

Fast forward to today, when Mother’s Day is still widely celebrated, remaining one of the biggest days of sales in the floral and greeting card industries.The most common gift? Flowers, though the carnation isn’t the only popular pick; tulips, daisies, lilies are all common choices, though your mom’s favorite flowers is always the best bet in our book.

Fascinated by flora? Read up on the history of the L.A. flower district, or dive deeper into the origins of the poinsettia.

This past year, the color green has been in. From the uptick in houseplants to the cultural phenomenon that was Dakota Johnson’s Alligator Alley-colored kitchen in her now-infamous Architectural Digest tour (IYKYK), it’s clear the verdant hue has overtaken our homes. And it makes sense: in a year where we’re glued to our screens and so much is unknown, of course we want to swath ourselves in the cool, relaxing color of nature. But why, exactly, does the color green have the power to soothe us?

Color therapy, also known as chromotherapy, is a therapeutic remedy that uses color and light to treat physical and mental health and balance the body’s chakras. If that sounds woo-woo, rest assured that the principle has been backed up by research; in one small experiment, researchers at the Aalborg University of Copenhagen monitored the brain activity of subjects and exposed them to different colors of light. Their brains were notably more active when exposed to red and blue light, while green light led to an overall feeling of ease and relaxation.

This isn’t a new phenomenon; in the early 1900s, a New York psychiatric hospital had a color ward to treat patients. There was a black room to soothe manic patients, a red room for those dealing with feelings of melancholy, a violet room for treating insanity, and then a green room for the boisterous. While we now know that purple walls are no cure for insanity, the idea that the shades of our surroundings can affect our mood still holds.

The Japanese concept of forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku, speaks to this very premise; surrounding yourself in lush green spaces reduces stress, improves focus, and can even have positive effects on your physical well-being, from boosting your immune system to lowering heart rate and blood pressure. And yes, it can even help you from being too boisterous, if that’s a particular problem you face.

Looking to self-soothe by enveloping yourself in the color green? Paint your living room a deep emerald. Outfit your space with Monsteras galore. Or perhaps the simplest way: green-ify your bar cart with a bottle of Riverine, our non-alcoholic spirit packed with verdant botanicals like rosemary, mint, and cucumber.

Bathing has always been about much more than getting clean. The act of slowing down for a soak is synonymous with self-care, and that’s been true since humans first had the thought, what if we sat in some hot water?

The history of tub time starts in ancient India, where the daily ritual of bathing first began. In Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine, water is a purifying force thought to cleanse not only the body, but the mind and the soul. That’s why the vedas and puranas recommend bathing not once, but three times a day, an elaborate hygiene practice that was first recorded in the Grihya Sutra, a Hindu text detailing the samskaras, or ceremonies, that guide a person’s life.

While the ritual or regular bathing was first devised in India, the bathtub itself dates back to around 1500 BCE in Crete. Alabaster bathtubs excavated in Santorini and the frequent appearance of the Greek word for bathtub in Homer’s literature suggests that bathing was not just a hygienic practice for the Greeks, but a way of life.

The same was true in ancient Rome, where a network of aqueducts was developed to supply water to all large towns. The advent of the aqueduct brought with it thermae, or Roman public baths. What was once a private affair very quickly became a public spectacle, and these cathedrals of cleansing became a place to converse, learn, and quite literally blow off some steam. Within their walls stretched lecture halls, Greek and Latin libraries, and baths at every temperature.

Public bathing quickly became a part of life in other parts of the world as well. Dating back to 1266, the earliest iterations of Japanese bathhouses were built into natural caves or stone vaults, which were heated by burning wood before seawater was poured over the rocks to create steam. The entryways to these bathhouses were made intentionally small so as to slow the escape of heat. Because of this small opening and a lack of windows, the inside of these bathhouses was pitch dark, meaning users would have to clear their throats to announce their arrival. The combination of nudity and dim lighting meant that sexual shenanigans often arose, and in time these public bathhouses would come into disrepute on moral grounds.

Morality wasn’t the only thing to bring an end to public bathing. Disease, unsurprisingly, ran rampant in these bathhouses, which without soap or other germ-killing agents became cesspools of sorts. With health concerns looming, private baths grew in popularity and became increasingly accessible to the working class. As cleanliness became more and more correlated with social standing, soap became all the rage, too.

The rise of the private bath has brought with it new bathing rituals. Complete with bath salts and bubbles, the tub has become a place to take care of yourself and indulge in some alone time. It’s a decidedly different approach to bathing than the Romans had with their amphitheatre-like bathhouses, but the principle still stands: bathing has always and will always be about much more than getting clean.

When AMASS Master Distiller Morgan McLachlan set out to design our latest spirit, Riverine, the process began with botanicals, just as it always does. Then she went rogue, ditching the alcohol in favor of something a little lighter: water vapor.

Traditional spirits, like our Gin and Vodka, undergo a distillation process in which alcohol is used to extract oils from a blend of botanicals. With our Gin, that process begins with brighter botanicals, like citrus and California bay leaf, which go into our botanical basket. Meanwhile, earthier, richer botanicals, like Reishi mushroom and juniper, are macerated in alcohol for 18 hours.

From there, we place our spirit base in the kettle of a hybrid Carl pot still, and then run a long, lower-heat distillation where alcohol vapor is passed through a rectification column to soften flavors before joining the remaining botanicals in the botanical basket.

With Riverine, we did things differently. Each of our 14 botanicals is individually distilled in a proprietary hydrosteam distillation process. There, water vapor, instead of alcohol, is used to extract essential oils for a crisp, evergreen flavor profile. The result is a spirit that captures the freshness of the Pacific Northwest, the region where Morgan first forged her passion for plants.

Without the addition of alcohol, all the flavor comes directly from plants. Vibrant botanicals like sumac, sorrel, lemon, and apple are carefully layered along with earthy juniper and parsley. What you get is a complex spirit that is devoid of the dizzying effects that come with drinking a high-proof spirit. There’s none of the harsh burn you’d get from cheap alcohol, either. Instead, it’s smooth, nuanced, herbaceous, and endlessly mixable.

Basically, we took the best of booze and brought it to a non-alcoholic bottle.

Before you dive in, put our tasting tips to good use and learn a bit about the British Columbia island that inspired our first non-alcoholic spirit.

When AMASS Co-Founder and Master Distiller Morgan McLachlan was a child, she spent summers deep in the coniferous forests and alongside the rushing rivers of Vancouver Island.

“It was like Avalon,” she describes the terrain now, alive with flora and fauna such as elk, black bears, and mountain goats.

In that picturesque stretch of land plopped in the Pacific, Morgan became enamored with plants and the unique microclimates of the region she called home.

Vancouver Island, unlike the mainland of British Columbia with its harsh winters and frequent snow, has a mild climate. It's one of the warmest areas in Canada, and Mediterranean crops like olives and lemons thrive there because of it, as do sun-loving botanicals like sumac and sorrel.

The island’s rich, plentiful natural resources are why indigineous peoples have lived there for thousands and thousands of years. The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and various Coast Salish peoples all still reside on the island, and their cultures are deeply entwined with the bountiful nature the region has to offer.

Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw oral history says their ancestors came in the forms of animals. Origin myths tell the tale of seagulls, grizzly bears, and orcas emerging from the sea and forest before transforming into their human form. The Coast Salish peoples, too, have their own stories of shapeshifting between animal and human spirits. This profound connection to the natural appears in their cultures in other ways, too, like fishing, which historically was central to both the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and Nuu-chah-nulth economy.

Today, nature remains at the forefront of social, spiritual, and commercial life on Vancouver Island. The 12,407 square miles of terrain that make up the island is broken up into seven regions, each with their own unique microclimate. South Island, which sits at the southernmost point of Vancouver Island, is a commercial hub home to British Columbia’s vibrant capital, Victoria. Other regions offer more quiet respite, like North Central Island with its alpine mountains and running rivers.

The Pacific Rim, which sits on the central western coast of Vancouver Island, is home to a temperate rainforest and boasts the largest rainfall in North America. The tallest recorded Douglas firs were found in this stretch of forest, swaying in the canopy alongside dozens of other species of coniferous “big trees” like western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and yellow cedar.

It was this particular microclimate that inspired our Co-Founder Morgan to develop Forest Bath. Craving the sensory comforts of her home province, she sought to capture the essence of Vancouver Island in a bath salt blend. The crisp salt of the Pacific pairs with the soothing scent of rain drizzling on the treetops of the island’s coastal forests for an immersive soak that transports you to the Pacific Northwest’s lush landscape.

Read more about how Morgan self-soothes with a long soak here, and then take a trip to Vancouver Island from your tub.

P.S. Stay tuned for another PNW-inspired product, dropping later this month.

Aside from the Christmas tree, the poinsettia – a red and green plant belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family – is December’s star botanical. And it looks like a star too, with its pointed crimson bracts that fan out in a distinct celestial shape.

The poinsettia is rooted, like most other botanicals, in lore and legend. The story goes like this: in 16th-century Mexico, a girl by the name of Pepita was too poor to afford a gift for the yearly Christmas celebration. Inspired by an angel, she gathered weeds from the roadside and placed them in front of the church altar. Poinsettias blossomed, and from the 17th century onward the plant was prized in Mexican Christmas festivities, its star-shaped foliage said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and its crimson color the blood of Christ.

It took several centuries for the plant to be officially recognized as a new species, until 1834 when it was listed by German scientist Johann Friedrich Klotzsch as the “Mexican flame flower” or “painted leaf.” It wasn’t until Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and the first US Minister to Mexico, began shipping the plant back from Mexico to his greenhouses in South Carolina that it earned its lasting name: the poinsettia.

Since the early 19th century when cultivation of the poinsettia first began in the US, the industry has blossomed. That’s been in large part because of the marketing efforts led by Albert Ecke. In 1900, Ecke opened a dairy and orchard in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles and began selling poinsettias from street stands. His son, Paul Ecke, developed a technique in which two varieties of poinsettias are grafted together to produce a denser, fuller plant. Things really took off when Paul Ecke Jr., the third generation of the Ecke family, led an extensive marketing campaign to promote poinsettias during the holiday season.

He sent poinsettias to television stations to display on air from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and appeared on programs like The Tonight Show and Bob Hope’s Christmas specials. These publicity efforts coupled with the Ecke’s proprietary production methods allowed the Ecke family to effectively monopolize the plant and turn it into something that looks, well, very little like a naturally-occurring poinsettia.

In the ‘80s, university researcher John Dole discovered Ecke’s unique production methods and published them, allowing competitors to stand a fighting chance and adopt the same money-making practices. Despite this leveling of the playing field, the Eckes still serve 70 percent of the domestic market and 50 percent internationally, accounting for a large portion of the some 70 million poinsettias sold in the US alone every year.

These days, poinsettia production is a $25 million industry, a staggering number for a plant that’s only sold six weeks out of the year.

Plant curiosity piqued? Learn about the history of the Los Angeles Flower District here, or get to know the bad boy of botany Nicholas Culpeper.