Beauty Boss: Shannon Vaughn, Founder of Pursoma

Shannon Vaughn.

Our latest Beauty Boss is Shannon Vaughn, Founder of Pursoma—a line of healing bath products that detoxify, rejuvenate, and soothe the body from the inside out. All of their formulations are created from pure ingredients sourced from nutrient-rich waters and primordial earth, and their ingredients are Eco-cert, organic, hand-harvested or sustainably farmed from France. After a successful modeling career that took her around the world, Vaughn later suffered from a chronic reproductive diagnosis that was seen as untreatable by doctors.

Vaughn began to treat her illness with holistic remedies and at the same time, decided to pursue alternative forms of education and studied the science of detox, benefits of raw food and liquid fasting, meditation, and Vedic philosophy. She discovered the incredible healing effects that taking hot baths in mineral-rich ingredients had on her body, which ultimately led to the creation of Pursoma’s line of self-care bath products that were designed to help others heal themselves.

We chatted with Vaughn, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, best advice, wellness tips, and more.

When was Pursoma founded? What does the name mean?

Pursoma was founded in 2014. The name is actually two words combined into one. “Pur” is the French spelling of “pure” and 99% of our ingredients come from Northern France, including our French Grey sea salt. I was an ancient Greek major and “soma” means “body.” I was also a student of Ayurvedic medicine, which focuses on the entire body. Soma refers to the transitional state of the body–like when you detox while bathing, sweating and relaxing helps you get rid of any stress and negativity, and that transition process is your soma. Pursoma is about having a pure body and a pure result that comes out of that.

What inspired the creation of the brand?

The creation of the brand really came out of my having a chronic illness that affected my reproductive system. When I decided not to have surgery and to avoid medications, I began to explore alternative methods. One of the holistic treatments that I did for detoxing was bathing. I experienced amazing results and bathing not only helped me on a physiological level, but it also helped me sleep better, it calmed my anxiety, and made my skin better. So it just became a habit and was something that I did every single day.

I noticed that a lot of bath products on the market didn’t have the best ingredients so I decided that I was going to make my own in a more accessible way that were packaged and dosed easily. All the customer has to do is dump the contents from the bag into their bath. We also ensure that the ingredients in our products are all organic and completely clean. So that's really what inspired me to create the brand: I was ill and detoxing, and bathing was the best remedy for that.

Do you have a hero product?

Digital Detox is our hero product. I think people are drawn to that product because they know they need a digital detox.

What’s your favorite product(s) from the brand? 

My favorite product is After the Class, a post-workout/yoga soak. After a workout I feel great and this extends that feeling. It also smells like an Indian temple and just makes you feel like you can continue to relax until you go to sleep. 

Where are your products sold?

On our website. We're also in 500 retailers nationwide and we're in 250 retailers worldwide. 

Future plans for the brand?

We’re continuing to focus on bath-centric products. We’re extending our line to include more products that you would use before and after a bath as well. It’s all about helping to create that sanctuary space in your bedroom and bathroom, what you can do to take care of yourself at home, and how to ease yourself from bath time to bed time.

Pursoma’s bath products are created from pure ingredients sourced from nutrient-rich waters and primordial earth to detoxify, rejuvenate, and soothe the body from the inside out.

What inspires you?

I'm inspired by anybody who wants to improve their health and is looking for ways to have more vitality and energy. Overall, I think that drive is what leads you to a more joyful life. I'm always inspired by the person that wants to try and improve their life.

Secret to success?

Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you and know things you don't know.

Beauty secrets?

Drinking water! Hydration is essential to beautiful skin and is absolutely the first place to start. 

Wellness tips?

Same as above.

Best advice?

If you're building a business and creating a product, it’s really important to listen to your customers and find out what it is that they want and what they need. I think it's really important to look and listen to what the customer wants and is asking for.

How do you like to relax?

It might sound cliché, but it's taking a bath. I took 325 baths in 2019 and we're still trying to count the tally of how many I took in 2020. I think I might have taken more than a bath a day last year! Since I was at home I decided to take a bath in the morning to start my day. Then at nighttime if I couldn’t sleep, I’d take another bath. I don't drink alcohol, so I'm that person who has a bath instead of having something to drink. 

For more information, visit pursomalife.com and follow on Instagram: @pursoma

[Images courtesy of Pursoma]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk