After a decade giving facials to a loyal clientele, Britta Plug was frustrated. “Cleanse, exfoliate, extract, mask, repeat—it seemed so redundant, as if I wasn’t really making progress with my clients,” says Plug, an aesthetician in New York City and Los Angeles. But more medical-grade offerings, like microdermabrasion and peels, didn’t jibe with her natural, holistic approach—or with what clients wanted. Plug noticed that even women who saw doctors for laser procedures and injections were searching for less harsh alternatives for aging and other issues. “They were doing yoga, eating organic, and using holistic skin-care products. And they said, ‘Actually, I want my beauty practices to line up with the rest of my lifestyle,’” Plug says. So she cofounded Wildling, a skin-care company, with licensed acupuncturist Gianna De La…
