About the Founder: Rachel Sommers

After becoming a licensed Esthetician and working for years in a medical spa, CEO and founder, Rachel Sommers launched Intoxicated Cosmetics. That's the really short version. But much, much more has really gone into this labor of love.

“I began working on Intoxicated a long time ago - the first document I created for it dates back to 2014,” Rachel says. “Back then I was feeling a bit lost in my career. I was living in New York City and was working in advertising - a field that I had no true passion for. And to tell this story correctly, I should probably mention that I have always been a complete and utter girly-girl product junkie.”

“I remember being super stressed out and my skin was starting to show it. I walked into a mainstream skincare and cosmetics store in Union Square and told one of the associates there that I was looking for an anti-wrinkle and aging serum, saying that I didn’t care how much it cost, but that I just needed it to work. When the answer I got back was ‘Botox’, I knew that there had to be another way."

"So, I started looking into all of these alternative ingredients, medicines, and treatments that were applicable to skincare. During my research, I stumbled upon bee venom. Bee venom contains a naturally occurring chemical compound known as Melittin. Melittin is one of the only naturally occurring chemical compounds known to man that is able to break into disease wall barriers such as HIV and cancer. Many people with Multiple Sclerosis use bee venom injections to help alleviate pain and ease muscle movement. It also contains countless proteins, vitamins, and fatty acids. Although bee venom is an anaphylactic, it breaks down cell membranes, improves circulation, and can help treat acne with its antimicrobial properties.  That was just the tip of the iceberg, the more research I did the more I was amazed by how many natural resources we have on earth that can ease so many different ailments. I thought to myself… If this is just bee venom, IMAGINE all of the other venoms out there and what they are capable of." 

And so Rachel began her research of other venoms. Being an animal lover, she knew that she didn’t want to harm any animals in the making of her products, and that some of the chemical compounds in the venoms were not safe to use on skin. So she hired a team of scientists to dissect the beneficial chemical compounds from the harmful ones, recreated them in a lab, and then added a handful of natural ingredients as well as plant based stem cells and other biomimetic peptides. This way Rachel was able to not only make her products cruelty and animal product free, but she was also able to create fully functioning everyday products that were safe and effective for skin. 

“My vision is that injectables do not have to be the only effective anti-aging solution for men and women. I believe in science, but I also believe in nature. In my opinion, combing the two is the answer to many skincare, health and wellness solutions."

And thus Intoxicated Cosmetics was born.