Greek Odyssey in Brooklyn

As I waited for my egg and cheese at the Greek diner by my home, I was pleasantly surprised to find a map of Greece on my place mat. I found the island of Chios far east of Athens in the North Aegean Sea where Anna’s parents are from. Anna Almiroudis is an experienced scientist with an education in biology and toxicology. She spent her summers in Chios as a child. Her grandparents were farmers and today her family still on the island continue to maintain their connection with the land. They grow herbal teas and belong to the growers association that cultivates mastic, a precious resin from an indigenous shrub that grows only on this island.

Anna started making skincare products for fun on the side when she worked for the NYC Department of Health. Soon this fun transformed into passion. Like the meaning of her company’s name, Anthesis, Anna began to bloom. Anna’s creations are handmade with botanical oils, floral waters like rose water and herbal extracts. Intending to create a line of organic skincare products that go beyond pleasing the senses, Anna eschews tap water, fragrances, dyes and other chemicals like parabens. The Anthesis approach to skincare is holistic; the creams and salts are meant to heal and rejuvenate.

While Anthesis is located at The Shops on Front Street in DUMBO, Anna’s heart is warmed by the Grecian sun. Her nostalgia for those summers on Chios naturally led her to choose golden tears of mastic as a key ingredient for Anthesis Organic Skincare products. Mastic from Chios, known since antiquity, has antimicrobial and healing properties that regenerate the skin. And so this Greek Odyssey stretches from the islands of the North Aegean Sea to Brooklyn in the Archipelago of New York.