Every Lyonsleaf Calendula Product Has a Story

If you've ever browsed the Lyonsleaf website, you may have wondered why we make so many different calendula products.

The answer is simple.

Calendula is an extraordinarily versatile herb, and over the last 15 years our range has grown naturally as customers have come to us with different needs.

Some wanted a balm suitable for babies. Some couldn't tolerate essential oils. Others needed extra protection from water or help managing particularly inflamed skin.

None of these products were created because we wanted a bigger range. They were created because real people came to us with real problems, and each one has its own story.

Looking back, it's quite a journey. When we rescued a collection of herb plants from a farm that was going into liquidation on the Winter Solstice in 2010, I had no idea where they would lead us.

Lyonsleaf Calendula Cream – Where It All Began

This was the very first product I ever formulated.

I knew calendula was a traditional skincare herb, but I had no idea just how effective or versatile it would turn out to be.

At the time I was experimenting with calendula, I was also struggling with eczema on my face. My doctor prescribed a steroid cream, which I used exactly as instructed, despite the stinging sensation. Instead of improving, the skin around my eyes swelled so badly that I didn't want to leave the house. If I had needed to drive, I wouldn't have felt safe doing so.

Feeling rather desperate, I wondered if the experimental calendula and shea butter balm I'd made might help. I cautiously applied a little to one small area and immediately noticed something important.

It didn't sting.

After waiting a while to make sure my skin wasn't reacting badly, I applied it more generously. Within a few hours the swelling had reduced considerably.

It wasn't an overnight miracle. It took a couple of weeks for my skin to settle completely, but it did.

That was the moment I remember thinking, perhaps we've stumbled across something really special.

From then on I immersed myself in learning about skin, plant oils and herbs, particularly calendula.

At the time I assumed everyone preferred fragranced skincare. After my experience with the steroid cream, my instinct was to keep things as natural as possible, so I chose essential oils that were traditionally considered suitable for sensitive, eczema-prone skin and created a gentle fragrance blend.

Lyonsleaf Calendula Cream was born.

I knew customers liked it because people at our local farmers' markets kept coming back for another pot. But I certainly wasn't expecting the wonderful reviews that started arriving when we launched our website in 2013, or for it to win Gold in the Problem Skin category at the Free From Skincare Awards the following year.

Calendula & Marshmallow Balm – Because Customers Asked

As Lyonsleaf grew, customers started asking whether we made a calendula balm suitable for babies.

At the same time, I was meeting more and more people whose skin was simply too sensitive for essential oils, however gentle they were.

Around then we had also started growing marshmallow and learning how to process the roots, which turned out to be far more challenging than growing the plants!

At the time I was spending so much time in the garden that my own hands were suffering. They became rough, cracked and almost like sandpaper. No matter which oils I tried, nothing seemed to soften them.

Then I made my first marshmallow root infused oil and combined it with calendula.

The difference was remarkable.

My hands became softer than they'd been in years.

Suddenly everything clicked into place.

Here was the baby balm customers had been asking for.

An unfragranced balm for anyone with extremely sensitive skin.

A soothing balm for breastfeeding mums.

A nourishing balm for hardworking hands.

A balm that was just as happy calming heat rash, nettle rash or dry, uncomfortable skin as it was sitting beside the changing mat.

We also chose to include organic beeswax, not simply because it creates a lovely texture, but because it makes the balm more stable during hot weather. It means this product isn't vegan, but after looking closely at the environmental impact of some plant waxes, we felt organic beeswax was the more responsible choice.

This balm quickly became one of our most awarded products, winning recognition in categories ranging from Family Skincare and Hand Care to Breast Care.

It's also the product that's always in my handbag. Lip balm, hand balm, cuticle balm, "there-there" balm... I seem to find a use for it almost every day.

Zinc & Calendula Cream – Inspired by Customers

When I started thinking about baby skincare, zinc oxide immediately caught my attention.

It's a completely natural mineral that forms an excellent protective barrier against moisture while also helping to calm irritated skin. It seemed like the perfect ingredient for a natural nappy cream.

Around the same time I received an email from a lovely customer called Ros, who helped run a Facebook support group for people with perioral dermatitis.

Ros explained that many people in the group were already using our Calendula Cream to help calm the redness of their skin, but were also applying Sudocrem because they found the zinc oxide helped reduce the bumps.

The problem was that Sudocrem also contains petrochemical ingredients that many of those same customers were trying to avoid.

As soon as Ros told me that, I could see exactly where she was going.

What if we combined calendula with zinc oxide to create an entirely natural alternative?

That conversation led directly to the creation of Zinc & Calendula Cream.

It has since become our bestselling product and our most awarded product. It has received 24 awards to date (2026) including 4 times Gold in the Nappy Cream Category at the Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards and many awards for Problem skin and Family Skincare.

Customers tell us they find it helpful for all sorts of inflamed skin conditions, including perioral dermatitis, acne, rosacea, eczema, contact dermatitis, chickenpox, insect bites and all manner of itchy, irritated skin.

One thing we've learned over the years is that zinc oxide and marshmallow complement each other beautifully.

Zinc oxide is wonderfully protective but can feel quite drying, which is exactly why it's so useful for weeping rashes and skin exposed to lots of moisture.

Calendula & Marshmallow Balm, on the other hand, is incredibly nourishing and supports the skin barrier.

Many customers keep both products at home, using Zinc & Calendula Cream during flare-ups or whenever they need extra protection, then switching to Calendula & Marshmallow Balm as their skin begins to recover.

Comfrey & Calendula Rub – Thanks Mum!

This product exists because of my mum.

She lives with a painful neurological condition that affects her neck and head.

One day she mentioned she'd been using our Calendula & Marshmallow Balm on a patch of dry skin on her neck.

Then she casually added,

"It seems to have helped the pain as well."

I remember saying, "I think that's probably just a coincidence."

But as soon as I'd said it, I realised I didn't actually know.

So I went away and started reading.

It turns out calendula does have some reported pain-relieving properties, although they're thought to be fairly superficial.

That led me to another familiar herb...

Comfrey.

Comfrey has a long history of traditional use for sprains, strains, bruises and aching muscles and joints. One of its common names is knitbone because of its traditional reputation for supporting the healing of broken bones.

Conveniently, we already grew plenty of it to make fertiliser for the vegetable garden, so I had everything I needed to start experimenting.

By then Cathy had joined me in developing formulations, and together we researched essential oils traditionally used in warming massage blends. Cathy created the fragrance blend that gives this balm its distinctive aroma, and I still think it's one of the nicest we've ever made.

It quickly became another award winner and continues to receive wonderful reviews from customers.

Although comfrey can also be beneficial for some skin conditions, this balm contains warming essential oils including ginger, chamomile and myrrh, so it isn't the product I'd usually recommend for very sensitive or easily irritated skin.

Every Product Starts With a Conversation

Looking back, I realise none of these products began with a business plan.

They began with conversations.

A customer asked for a baby balm.

Ros shared what people with perioral dermatitis were doing.

My mum mentioned something she'd noticed.

I wanted to soothe my own eczema.

I wanted softer gardening hands.

We listened.

We experimented.

Those experiments have almost all become award-winning products.

That's still how Lyonsleaf works today.

Our customers continue to shape the products we make, and I hope they always will.

So if you've discovered a new way one of our calendula products has helped you, we'd genuinely love to hear about it.

After all, you never know where the next conversation might lead.