I originally started TiKo Soy in 2003 as a candle company. I've always loved candles. I remember going to candle shops as a kid with my mother and trying to sniff every candle in the store because I loved all the different scents. Unfortunately, as I got older, I developed allergies and I began to find that burning candles resulted in sinus pain and headaches. When I noticed that my walls were turning black where I was burning the candles, I could only imagine what was happening to my lungs.

   Unable to find exactly what I was looking for, I decided to try my hand at creating a candle that wouldn't bother my allergies. Being a vegetarian for years, it seemed only natural for me to begin working with soy. After a lot of hard work and testing to find which fragrances wouldn't bother my allergies, TiKo Soy was finally started.

   My love for animals and all things natural are what prompted me to look into creating my own bath & body line soon after. Unsure what companies tested on animals and what ingredients actually came from them drove me to create a product that was natural and free of any animal by-products. In addition, living in the desert, my skin gets extremely dry. Therefore, I wanted to create a luxurious line of cruelty-free products designed to pamper myself and to alleviate my dry skin.

   Our bath & body products contain at least 96% natural ingredients and, as a member of PETA's Caring Consumer program, you can rest assured that our bath & body line will never use any animal products nor be tested on animals. But that's not to say animals can't use our products. Our 2 hairless terriers love to use our moisturizers.

   You may have noticed that our pictures are all taken outside. In fact, they are all taken right outside my front door. I couldn't think of a better way to show off the simple elegance of our products than by using nature as a backdrop.

   As a final note, I just want to say that all of our candles and bath & body products have been personally tested by me to ensure the quality and high standards I expect from a product. I am sure once you try our products, you will love them as much as I do.