Warm Earth Pottery & Cosmetics: About Us

After graduating from California State University Chico, where he studied ceramics under the guidance of Professor Jack Windsor (focusing on glaze calculations and functional ceramic design), California native Douglas Leiker founded Warm Earth Pottery in 1975. While running his retail store in downtown Chico, selling his pottery, Douglas noticed a significant number of people buying makeup from the cosmetics store nearby. Curious about the ingredients in these products, he delved into researching various cosmetics and realized he was familiar with many raw materials used, thanks to his background in chemistry with ceramic clay and glazes. Reading through countless cosmetic product labels sparked an idea - why not create his own cosmetics and package them in his handmade stoneware and porcelain pottery?

Setting itself apart, the company uniquely used hand-thrown, hand-glazed, high-fired stoneware and porcelain as innovative pottery vessels for color cosmetics. Following years of meticulous research, development, and testing, Douglas successfully launched a range of blush and eye shadow products that could be housed within his ceramic creations. Thus, in 1980, Warm Earth Cosmetics was born.

This not only offered customers the chance to enjoy their cosmetics from a work of art but also encouraged them to re-purpose the ceramics after using up the contents. Customers would cherish these handmade ceramic pieces long after the makeup was depleted, fostering sustainability by avoiding wasteful disposal of plastic packaging.

Warm Earth Cosmetics has successfully distributed its products to customers across the USA, Central and South America, as well as to various countries in Europe. Operating for the past forty-five years, the brand has continually improved its product offerings.

In 2022, Douglas Leiker was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award in the College of Humanities & Fine Arts by California State University, Chico. For more details, you can visit the following links:

https://today.csuchico.edu/2022-distinguished-alumni/ and https://today.csuchico.edu/distinguished-alumnus-douglas-leiker/.

We would love to hear your feedback on our products; feel free to reach out through our Contact Us page. Additionally, we showcase Warm Earth Pottery, which includes ceramic vessels for various purposes alongside our line of blush/mineral makeup. Don't miss our Videos that offer a glimpse into the intricate process of creating ceramics by Warm Earth Pottery.