Our Story | Edit 04-03-22

One Week Pre-Tranition

Aaryan Ramzan always looked way younger than his true age. His smooth supple skin glowed every time he was mistaken as being half his age, despite never using any products. No sunscreen, no moisturizer, nothing at all. On top of that, he smoked 20 to 30 cigarettes a day and drank more than a bottle of wine four times a week. Yet, at 40 years of age he was being constantly seen as a teenage boy.

Then, everything, from his skin to his entire life, changed completely. Within 7 years, Aaryan took on the most tumultuous period of his life. And it all began with a 5-year, 9-month, and 29-day sojourn in Karachi, Pakistan.

There, he made the brave decision to match his outside to what was always on the inside. He flew to San Francisco to begin the medical part of his journey, of his transition. However, he had no idea what a trying journey it would be. A General Practitioner in Karachi had prescribed the incorrect dosage for his Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and his body was bombarded mercilessly with testosterone. The testosterone levels were 4x the normal range, and his skin took severe damage. His once clear complexion broke into severe acne, not only on his face but also his back, chest and even on the scalp. The kind of acne that leaves deep, painful craters. But that was not the worst of it. From being held at gunpoint more times than he could care for to losing loved ones to violence, to surviving a mass shooting, to a divorce, and financial ruin, Aaryan struggled immensely. Along with this immense financial and emotional stress, his worsening skin wreaked havoc on his mental health. Although he had quit both smoking and drinking over 10 years before transitioning, his health habits were no match against circumstance. So, both his skin and he, himself, aged more than 20 years in less than 6.

The mental and emotional healing process began once he was safely back home in Los Angeles. It wasn't till a friend mentioned that he looked 10 years older than his age, did he start to pay attention to his skin. Aaryan decided to heal from the inside and out. Meditation, bike riding by the beach became tools for healing inside out. Then came outside in.

Having experienced both good skin and heavily damaged skin, from smooth, supple and hairless to rough, patchy, and hairy, he couldn't find any product that worked to his satisfaction. But he was determined to create the perfect serum and started his own research. He picked the brains of an experienced dermatologist, and his dream was born.

He knew he wanted to create a skincare product using the route of organic ingredients only. It had to be holistic. It had to be healing for the earth too. Aaryan made himself the goal to create a very unique formula that was equally effective for all genders, all colors, and all skin types. A unicorn of skincare.

Working with countless dermatologists, microbiologists, and a manufacturer invested heavily in Research and Development in plant-based formulas, Blue Crystalline was born.

Just as Aaryan’s healing was from the inside out to the outside in, he knew that it is equally important that the packaging be the best of the best. He focused on eco-friendly, using glass bottles and recycled kraft paper packaging. But he is not done and will continue efforts to become even more sustainable.

Aaryan also wanted his skincare to reflect his background. His family is diverse, nieces and nephews being multi-racial, multi-faiths, and personally as a transman, fight for diversity, equality, and fairness courses through his veins. Eco-warriors like Al Gore have been his heroes, so are women like Malala fighting for justice and equal opportunity for women.

Earth & Halo embodies those values. Face serum is just the beginning. Earth & Halo's focus is not just skincare, but overall wellness that cares for the environment. With eye cream just around the corner, and day/night creams, face masks being pipelines, Aaryan is just getting started. A patent has been filed for an eco-friendly multi shopping bag which eliminates the need of single use shopping, grocery and produce bags. Having lost his hair during transition, he's currently researching hair growth formulas out of his kitchen. Aaryan understands deeply the diverse need for skin, hair, beauty products and strives to aid all in their journey to become themselves.

Earth & Halo’s most recent initiative shows that healing extends to even the environment. Planting trees has become part of the solution to fight environmental degradation. Earth & Halo will be planting one tree for every picture or a video of our products posted by our customers on Instagram or Tik Tok. We will continue to support non-profit organizations fighting to eliminate poverty, promoting girl's education, fighting for the environment, supporting gender equality, LGBTQ rights and social justice causes.