In our maker profile blog series, we will introduce you to the creative, skilled, and talented makers who sell their goods at our shop. In essence, these makers are the inspiration and soul behind Locally Made Savannah’s entire concept. Enjoy!
Beginnings
Laughing Tansy is the brainchild of Amanda Hall and Chelsea Haddad, who first met while working together at Brighter Day Natural Foods store here in Savannah. They had an instant connection and became fast friends, always laughing and having fun together. It wasn’t long before Amanda learned that Chelsea was a trained herbalist with a master’s degree in therapeutic herbalism. This got Amanda’s wheels moving, and she approached Chelsea in 2020 with the idea of working together on an herbal self-care product line. With that, Laughing Tansy was born.
In Amanda and Chelsea’s own words, Laughing Tansy is an herbal skincare company. Their goal is to support people who want to have the healthiest skin they possibly can and to accomplish that, plants are front and center. In-house herbalist Chelsea formulates every product with a blend of herbs extracted into oils. All of their products are formulated and made at Laughing Tansy headquarters on Whitemarsh Island.
If Laughing Tansy is a bus going 100 miles per hour, Amanda is the bus driver while Chelsea is the mechanic. As Director of Operations, Amanda’s role is all about connection: social media, marketing, even candle-making, and beyond. For Chelsea, her focus on product development and formulation extends to administrative duties, business management, and organization. Overall, Laughing Tansy has become a fine-tuned, high-speed machine!
What’s Happening Now
Laughing Tansy is currently sold in over 30 stores throughout five states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. They work with boutiques, gift shops, natural goods stores, and countless pop-up vendor events. No matter where they are, Amanda and Chelsea are passionate about sharing their products with customers.
Some of Laughing Tansy’s best sellers include:
- Georgia Peachy Lip Conditioner: Everybody loves a good lip balm, but when it’s infused with antioxidants and naturally colored pink by alkanet root, you know it’s going to fly off the shelves. Locally Made Savannah is constantly selling out of this lip balm, so get it while you can!
- Amber Glow Antioxidant Face Serum: This “gold in a bottle” is infused with real Baltic amber and includes Gotu kola, real coffee, seven different oils, and Laughing Tansy’s very own antioxidant blend.
- Sun Dew Waterless Face Lotion: Infused with frankincense, this lotion will heal your dry, irritated, flaky skin with nourishing oils and that magical Laughing Tansy antioxidant blend.
Looking Towards the Future
Laughing Tansy is working on plans to expand into even more states this year! At the same time, being responsible business owners is vitally important to Amanda and Chelsea. They jump at every opportunity to increase their use of compostable packaging in an effort to be as eco-friendly as possible.
The co-founders also want to continue their message of body positivity. When people use their products, they want it to be an act of self-love. The beauty industry tends to “shame market” products toward anti-aging fears. Laughing Tansy aims to shift that narrative to healthy, loving, and joyful aging.
Although Laughing Tansy is growing and expanding like crazy, Amanda and Chelsea still feel an enormous amount of gratitude for their roots in the Savannah community. Because of shops like Locally Made Savannah, they have the opportunity to share their products and spread their message of healing to the public. Savannah is, without a doubt, the best place to be when starting a new business!