Why Susie Built Purity Park in San Jose

The "Renter" vs. The "Owner"

In the beauty industry, there is a hidden reality that most people never see. The vast majority of skincare and makeup brands—even the high-end, luxury ones—don’t actually make their own products. They are what we call "renters." They lease space in massive, third-party labs that produce formulas for dozens of different companies at the same time.

Think of it like a communal kitchen. One day, that kitchen might be making a "clean" serum, and the next, it might be processing industrial-grade detergents or heavy synthetic fragrances. Even with cleaning protocols, the risk of "noise"—the microscopic residues of harsh chemicals—is always there.

For our co-founders, Susie Wang and Ric Kostick, this wasn't good enough. They didn't want to just put their name on a bottle; they wanted to know exactly what was happening inside that bottle at every second of the process. They realized that to achieve the level of safety and stability they envisioned, they needed a sanctuary.

That sanctuary became Purity Park. Located in San Jose, California, it sits at the heart of Silicon Valley. We chose this location because it is the world’s hub for precision engineering and innovation. By building our own facility, we moved from being "renters" to being "owners." We own the lab, we own the manufacturing, and we own the fulfillment. This is what we call vertical integration, and it is the reason we can stand behind every drop of product we create.

The Chain of Custody: Why Total Control is the Only Way

When you have sensitive skin, you are often playing a game of "detective." You try a product, your skin reacts, and you spend hours scanning the ingredient list to find the culprit. But sometimes, the irritant isn't even listed on the label. It could be a trace contaminant from a shared manufacturing vat or a filler ingredient used by a third-party lab to make the process easier.

Eliminating the Risk of "Noise"

At Purity Park, we eliminate that risk through what we call the "Chain of Custody." Because we manufacture everything in-house, we see every ingredient that comes through the back door. We know who grew it, how it was processed, and how it was stored.

Our facility features ISO-certified clean rooms—high-tech environments where we control every variable, from the temperature and humidity to the oxygen levels in the air. This is critical because, as we know from the story of Vitamin C, oxygen is the enemy of stability. By controlling the environment, we ensure that our potent botanicals stay "quiet" and effective, rather than oxidizing and becoming irritants.

The "Silicon Valley Halo" of Precision

Being in San Jose allows us to recruit some of the brightest minds in science and engineering. We treat our skincare like software—it needs to be bug-free, optimized, and constantly improving. We use advanced techniques like stabilization and cold-processing to ensure that when a product reaches your vanity, it is at its biological peak. We don't just "source" beauty; we architect it with the same precision that goes into a high-end computer chip.

The Ethics of Engineering: The Beauty Bakery Concept

Purity isn't just about what is in the bottle; it’s about the spirit in which the bottle was made. At 100% PURE, we don't believe in "mass-market" timelines. Most brands make huge batches of products that sit in a warehouse for months, or even years, before they ever reach a customer. To keep those products from spoiling, they have to use aggressive preservatives and stabilizers.

Small, Fresh Batches

We operate on what we call the "Beauty Bakery" philosophy. Just as a bakery makes fresh bread every morning, we make our products in small, frequent batches right here in San Jose.

Why does this matter for your skin? Because botanical ingredients are "alive." They have a biological pulse. The fresher the product, the higher the bioavailability—meaning your skin can actually recognize and absorb the nutrients. When you use a product from our lab, you are getting the "peak harvest" of that formula's power. This allows us to use gentler, more skin-friendly preservation methods because the product isn't designed to sit on a shelf for a decade.

Sustainable Standards

Our commitment to the environment is just as strong as our commitment to your skin. Purity Park is designed with sustainability in mind. By centralizing our operations in one facility, we reduce our carbon footprint and ensure that our ethical standards are met at every stage of production. From utilizing solar energy to reduce our reliance on the grid to implementing water-saving technologies, we believe that a truly "pure" product shouldn't come at the cost of the planet.

From Our Lab to Your Ritual

The precision of Purity Park is most evident in The Sensitive-Skin Strength Ritual. Because we manufacture these products ourselves, we can guarantee the integrity of every ingredient.

The Matcha Factor

Take, for example, our Matcha Oat Face Scrub and Matcha Oat Milk Nourishing Mask. Matcha is incredibly sensitive to light and air; if it’s not handled correctly, it loses its antioxidant power almost immediately. Because we ground and process our matcha in-house, we can ensure it stays vibrant and potent. When you open that jar, you’re seeing the result of a controlled, stabilized process that preserves the tea’s natural ability to soothe and protect your skin.

The Seaberry Stabilization

Similarly, our Seaberry Moisturizer and Intensive Nourishing Facial Oil rely on delicate oils that are prone to oxidation. In a generic factory, these oils might be heated to high temperatures to speed up production, which can destroy their nutritional value. At Purity Park, we use cold-processing and specialized emulsions to keep the Seaberry oils stable. This ensures that the high concentrations of omegas and vitamins reach your skin in their most powerful form, providing comfort and restoration without the need for synthetic "fixes."

Conclusion: Our North Star

Purity Park is more than just a building; it is our "North Star." it represents Susie and Ric's refusal to compromise on their vision of radical integrity. By choosing to be "owners" rather than "renters," we have created a sanctuary where science and nature can work together in perfect harmony.

When you see "Made in San Jose" on our packaging, know that it is a mark of authority. It means that every step of that product's journey—from the first drop of rose water to the final seal—was overseen by people who care about your skin’s health as much as you do. We are proud to lead the way in ethical, high-performance beauty, proving every day that when you control the process, you can truly guarantee the purity.

FAQ Section: Understanding Vertical Integration

What does it mean to be "vertically integrated"?

In the simplest terms, it means we do everything ourselves. Most beauty brands hire one company to design the product, another to source the ingredients, another to manufacture it, and yet another to ship it. At 100% PURE, we own the entire process. We have our own R&D lab, our own manufacturing facility (Purity Park), and our own fulfillment center. This allows us to maintain a "Chain of Custody" that ensures the highest standards of safety, quality, and freshness.

Why is solar power important for skincare quality?

While we utilize solar energy as part of our commitment to the planet, it’s also a symbol of our overall engineering standards. Sustainable manufacturing requires a high level of technical oversight and investment. By integrating renewable energy sources into our facility, we are demonstrating that we value long-term health—for both our customers and the environment—over short-term industrial shortcuts. It’s all part of our mission to create a "cleaner" world, from the way we power our labs to the way we power your skincare.

How does small-batch manufacturing benefit sensitive skin?

Sensitive skin thrives on consistency and freshness. In large-scale, mass-market manufacturing, products often contain higher levels of aggressive preservatives to survive long transit times and shelf lives. Because we make our products in small batches at Purity Park, we can use a more "Sophisticated" approach to preservation. Our products are fresher when they reach you, meaning the ingredients are more active and less likely to have degraded into potential irritants.

What is an ISO-certified clean room?

An ISO-certified clean room is a controlled environment where the concentration of airborne particles is kept to a minimum. In the beauty world, this is the gold standard for safety. It means that our products are formulated in a space that is incredibly clean, reducing the risk of contamination from dust, microbes, or other pollutants. This level of precision is part of our commitment to providing a "Safe Haven" for your skin.

Ready to experience the difference that "owned" beauty makes? Explore our full collection and see what happens when science-backed purity meets the heart of Silicon Valley.