Our story
Founded in 2012. Closed by the shutdown of 2020. Rebuilt as a manufacturer — and back in 2026 with the formulas people never stopped asking for.
It started with a candle
Before there was a brand, our founder Natasha was hand-pouring massage candles and formulating lip balms and skin care — small runs, made with precision, for people she knew by name.
Then a severe car accident changed the course of her life. Facing the prospect of prescription medication indefinitely, she began studying botanical science — and plant-based formulation transformed how she managed her recovery. The question that followed was a serious one: what would happen if that science were brought into the formulas she already knew how to make?
The answer became The Secret Gardien. Since 2012 we have developed more than one hundred botanical formulations, consulted alongside doctors, and helped other founders build brands of their own.
When the COVID-19 government shutdown closed our doors in 2020, the work didn't stop — it changed shape. We founded Moontide Inc. and became the manufacturer, producing small-batch formulas for other brands, doctors and artists. Six years on, that craft comes home: in 2026, The Secret Gardien returns with its best-selling formulations.
“We believe plants were designed to help humans and animals heal. It is our mission to use science and creativity to bring plant medicine to those who need it. The earth has provided the resources and tools for us to empower ourselves — and how we choose to use them is up to us.”
Our goal is to create sustainable, yet remarkable products that anyone can access, at a price anyone can afford. That means a standing commitment to continually improve our products, our processes — and, as a brand, ourselves.
How we operate
A pursuit of excellence is our framework. These are the values that hold it up.
Integrity
Formulas that do what they say, labels that state what they hold, and prices that respect the person paying them.
Transparency
Batch-by-batch third-party testing and direct answers about sourcing, strength and process.
Education
Our formulations began as answers to people's questions. Teaching what we learn is still how we work.
Operate in pursuit of excellence — our core value, simple & all-encompassing.
“Products that are actually effective and affordable were more important than ever.”
— From our brand guide
For the people who needed it most
In our earliest days, people kept asking whether we could make a product for their specific need. Those requests became our research and development — and they taught us that effectiveness and affordability are not competing values.
That understanding became our compassionate care program: sponsoring people, animals and children through serious illness. It remains the work we are proudest of.
2012 to today
- 2012 — Founded
The Secret Gardien begins. Massage candles, lip balms and skin care, poured and blended by hand.
- 2015–2019 — Expansion
The catalog grows into full bath, body and wellness lines as the first brand identity takes shape.
- 2020 — The Shutdown
The COVID-19 government shutdown closes our doors. The formulas are shelved; the standard is not.
- 2020 — The Pivot
We rebuild on the other side of the counter: Moontide Inc. is founded as a small-batch manufacturer, producing skin care, bath & body, candles and home goods for other brands, doctors and artists.
- 2021–2025 — The Moontide Years
More than one hundred formulations refined in production for partners — every batch adding to the library that started it all.
- 2026 — The Comeback
The Secret Gardien returns, bringing back its best-selling formulations across five categories — held to a higher standard than ever.
A Moontide Inc. brand
Every Secret Gardien product is formulated and manufactured by our parent company, Moontide Inc. — the small-batch manufacturer behind skin care, bath & body, candles and home goods for brands, artists and doctors across the country. You're buying directly from the source.