Thayers Natural Remedies History

The son of a physician and one of Massachusetts’ founding families, Henry Thayer was trained in the medical arts at Boston Medical School and received the degree of M.D. The special study to which he devoted himself was chemistry, under the most eminent chemists of Boston and New York.

Initially, Dr. Thayer practiced medicine for a short time, and at 21 years of age in 1843, opened a drug store in Douglass Block in Cambridge, where he continued for a few years, only leaving to establish his famed Henry Thayer & Company in 1847, on corner of Main and Essex Streets in Cambridge.

Dr. Thayer began a series of experiments in 1850, aiming to perfect the technique of evaporating in vacuum with the goal of preparing extracts in a concentrated form. With the success of these experiments, he began the manufacture of fluid extracts. During the Civil War, the products of his establishment were in active demand for the Army, as the government looked to Henry Thayer & Co for a large portion of its hospital supplies. The products found favor with all practitioners in the treatment of disease. During this period of time, Henry Thayer & Co has been described as the largest manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in America, finding sale of the company’s preparations both at home and abroad

Over time, Dr. Thayer continued to produce his line of herbal extracts, which grew to include over 800 products in the form of infusions, poultices, syrups, tinctures, and wines. Prominent among the products was Witch Hazel Extract, listed as a “tonic, astringent and sedative.”

What is Witch Hazel? Locally Grown at a Family Farm in Connecticut
First thing’s first - let’s understand what Witch Hazel is. Witch Hazel is a plant, or shrub, that is native to North America, containing natural, beneficial properties. The leaves and bark of the plant are typically used to make extracts to help soothe skin for various reasons.

The Witch Hazel plant that goes into our Thayers Natural Remedies Facial Toners is grown locally at a family farm in Easton, Connecticut. Harvested by hand the old-fashioned way, the leaves, stem and bark of the Witch Hazel plant are trimmed and collected every fall by a local family and farm workers.

The Witch Hazel Extraction Process
Wondering how our Witch Hazel products are made? Once harvested, the Witch Hazel is taken to a family-owned extraction facility less than twenty miles down the road. The plant then undergoes the following unique extraction process to create Thayers proprietary Witch Hazel blend, which is used in our skincare products.

Step 1: Maceration
Our Witch Hazel is cold-soaked with aloe and glycerin and let to steep. This gentle process avoids the use of heat and alcohol to preserve the Witch Hazel tannins and remain gentle on skin.

Step 2: Filtering
The macerated blend is filtered through a fine mesh, removing plant particles and debris, and then tested for quality control.

Step 3: Bottling
Transported directly to our local Northeast facilities, the macerated blend is combined in a kettle with other skincare beneficial ingredients, like rosewater or cucumber extract, and then poured and sealed into our Thayers signature bottle with the red cap.

Thayers Witch Hazel for Skin - Why We Do What We Do
Why do we take so much time and effort in growing our own Witch Hazel? Thayers Natural Remedies has been a medicine cabinet staple for nearly two centuries, thanks to the pure and efficacious ingredients we use. Our farm to bottle process, including Witch Hazel plant farming, is special to us, as we know it brings a quality product to the hands of our consumers.

Trust the Red Cap - Trust Thayers
Alcohol-free, cruelty-free, gentle and non-drying, Thayers Natural Remedies Facial Toner visibly improves the quality of skin, helping skin feel purified, balanced and renewed. Tried and true, Thayers Toner have been a fixture in medicine cabinets for generations – once you use them you’ll know why.

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