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Maggie Mahboubian - Parfums Lalun

Growing up in Iran I learned how to make traditional remedies using simple ingredients. These remedies were handed down by my Persian grandmother who practiced folk herbalism, the centuries old way to heal with plants. By her side I learned how to extract botanicals for beauty and for medicine. While concocting she would whisper prayers and incantations to ward off the evil eye. These blessings connected me to the life force of the plant. To this day I harvest my botanicals and compound each batch with a blessing, continuing her tradition.

I was a dream-filled teen when my family was uprooted from Iran in 1979. At Barnard and Harvard I studied architecture and pursued a career that spanned 20 years. Architecture gave me the analytical tools to experiment with materials like the ones I used to formulate my skincare. While working a corporate architecture job in the mid 90's I returned to my Persian roots for solutions that would help me care for myself and nourish my stressed out skin. That was when I made my first beeswax/borax emulsion. One day I noticed someone had scooped some cream from the jar I kept in the fridge. I suspected it was my father. He said it smelled delicious, just like a Persian dessert but tasted awful. Good thing my moisturizer was safe enough to eat!

It was my mother who suggested the name Lalun, after the remote village in the Alborz mountains where my family owned some property. For her, Lalun evoked the moon, feminine mystery and luminosity. For me it symbolized my connection to nature and wild plants.

Years later Lalun (the brand) would become a reality. In the meantime I moved to Los Angeles, established an architectural practice, bought a house and planted a garden. I continued studying, researching and experimenting with formulation and training my nose. In 2010, while on pregnancy bedrest, I decided to follow my passion and formed a corporation for Lalun. My Seasonal Skincare line was launched a year later followed by Parfums Lalun in 2012.