About Us



Play Pretty Beauty CEO, Danielle Knox Ross


Play Pretty Beauty began in October 2006 out a simple need: to help relieve my son's eczema.  

I remember calling my sister one day saying history was repeating itself. I had eczema as a child, she had eczema as a child and now my son had eczema. I was desperate for a remedy that limited the use of steroids on his tender skin.

So we got to cooking - literally. Even though we lived in different states, we'd spend hours on the phone sharing recipes and natural concoctions we'd whipped up. 

After countless batches of homemade body butter and 'test audiences' (friends, family, reluctant spouses), we realized it was working - the itchiness and blotchy patches were disappearing and our (and my son's) skin looked and felt better than it had in years.

But what made this body butter different? It's simple: what  we made in our kitchens didn't have the same harsh, irritating, synthetic ingredients most commercially made products did. It was a light bulb moment.

Today, Play Pretty Beauty specializes in nature-inspired, skin and hair care products with no sulfates, parabens, mineral or petroleum oils, harsh detergents, or lanolin, which can be highly allergic. We source globally for natural ingredients that have efficacy. It's one thing to use a natural product, but if it doesn't work, you won't keep using it. Play Pretty Beauty products will change your idea of natural face, body and hair care. Our products will truly help heal your skin with beneficial ingredients that work. 

What's in a name?

The name Play Pretty came from something our grandmother used to say to us when we were children. Growing up, we were rough and tumble tomboys, always getting dirty, always climbing trees, always looking for our next big ‘adventure’ in Nanny’s backyard.

Nanny, exasperated with how rough we were playing and how dirty her ‘ladylike’ grandchildren were getting, would frequently yell out the window, ‘Ya’ll Play Pretty!’ Meaning, stop ‘acting ugly’ and play like nice young ladies. The phrase stuck and we found ourselves using it throughout our lives to describe various situations. Sister: “What did you do when that man cut you off in traffic?” Other sister: I wanted to pull up next to him and give him a dirty look, but I decided to play pretty.” Sister: “My boss is stressing me out today.” Other sister: “Just play pretty, 5 o’clock is coming.”


Play Pretty was perfect.