A deep red ceramic bowl rests on a wooden countertop in Barbara’s McAteer’s workshop, holding what looks like dense swirls of golden yellow butter. But it’s not butter, it’s night cream – one of the many products stocked in Josie’s Botanicals, handmade by Barbara in her home in Dunboyne, Co Meath.
“I make every single product by hand myself,” says Barbara. “And I choose the ingredients with a lot of care. It’s very important to me to make sure that the ingredients are very high quality.”
Barbara has been working for the past 30 years as a holistic therapist. She started making her own products for use in her own holistic therapy practice a decade ago “and because my mother, Josie, was very interested in herbalism and natural remedies, that’s why it’s called Josie’s Botanicals,” she adds. “My mum was very into herbalism, and so she was definitely my big inspiration and influence.” The second youngest of 11 children, a lot of Barbara’s siblings also followed the complementary therapy route.
Barbara trained in Swedish massage therapy in California during her 20s, and when she returned to Ireland, she continued her journey in studying different complementary therapies, such as nutrition and sports massage. As a holistic therapist, Barbara explains that she looks at the body as a whole. “The foundation of holistic therapy is that everything is interconnected.
I look at the emotional body, the physical body, the mental body, and I work accordingly. I help people on a lot of different levels through the treatments.”
The idea for making her own skincare products to use in her treatments came about because Barbara “was doing a lot of work with people with skin problems or musculoskeletal problems, and I couldn’t help them with the stuff that I was buying,” she explains. “I decided to go back to my heritage, and have a look at the teachings of my mom, and started blending my own products with really natural ingredients. And then I saw a difference. I saw a difference in people’s skin. I saw a difference in people’s moods.”
However, it wasn’t until 2020 that Barbara started to sell her products and develop the range. “During COVID, I couldn’t go into the places I was working in as a therapist. Clients couldn’t come here for treatments. But I still had to pay my mortgage and I made this” – she gestures to the bottles and jars filled with lotions and serums around the room – “my work”.
“I developed my website and people locally were finding out through word of mouth, and they were able to come up and collect their products safely. I was actually really busy during the lockdown, and then it just spiralled from there. And it has been a labour of love ever since.”
Expanding the range
Having initially started out with core facial products like a cleansing balm, moisturiser, and facial oil, the range has steadily grown over the years to include natural organic deodorants and bath sets. Barbara constantly gets new ideas for product development, with three new products – an SPF 30, a restless legs cream with magnesium and chamomile, and a skin clarity gel – launched at the end of last year.
Barbara McAteer takes Irish Country Living inside her Dunboyne workshop. \ Barry Cronin
They have all been pharmaceutically tested, approved and certified.
Barbara explains that she gets product ideas from conversations with friends and through her work in the public sector, including at Stewarts Care in Palmerstown where she delivers holistic therapies with residents with additional needs twice a week.
“I’m with different groups, I see what’s relevant and what’s needed,” Barbara says. “At the moment, I’m in the menopause and I have a lot of friends who are in that age bracket. Seeing the different things that affect them or what they’re going through can be helpful.”
New product ideas are also inspired by events unfolding in her own life. “I brought out the Angel Wings candle and perfume after my mom died three years ago, and it’s like a hug,” she recalls. “It is made from an oil blend of lemongrass, sweet orange, lavender and rosewood.”
A typical Irish mammy, Barbara fondly recalls that Josie initially tried to discourage her from naming the brand Josie’s Botanicals. But her mother quickly grew to quite like her namesake, Barbara says with a smile. “After a while, she was rocking up to all her friends in the nursing home, joking it was her business as well.”
Sustainability at the heart
Josie’s legacy for natural healing continues to be retold and renewed through Josie’s Botanicals, and one of the key messages that Barbara wants to share is the importance of sourcing natural and pure ingredients. It’s a passion that she shared with her mother, and that she continues to share with her siblings, with one of her sisters growing her comfrey in France to use in her products.
Barbara sources from different suppliers in Ireland, the UK and Europe. “I get herbs from reputable herbalists, and I make my oils myself with some of the ingredients. I do herbal oil infusions.
“I create arnica oil, comfrey, chamomile, calendula and rosemary oil.”
Nature may be around her all the time – the shadow of Dunboyne woods overlooks Barbara’s workshop – but the skincare founder firmly insists that business owners have to make sustainability a “priority” for a business to be truly so.
Barbara made the decision that Josie’s Botanicals would be plastic-free, finding innovative solutions to reduce waste (like sourcing packaging for hand sanitiser made out of sugar cane), and she has also implemented a recycling policy for consumers to return their empty glass jars and bottles to her.
When people return their empties, it reduces costs and it also saves waste because the bottles can be sanitised and reused. Barbara then doubles the value of the savings and donates that money to charity every year. Oscar’s Kids Ireland has been the charity that she has been regularly sponsoring and supporting.
Barbara’s efforts have been clearly rewarded, with the brand making it to the finals in the sustainability category at the Irish Made Awards 2025, run by Irish Country Magazine. Her success is also reflected in the fact she has cultivated a loyal customer base who keep coming back for more. “My business has definitely been a word-of-mouth business or a gift of mouth business,” Barbara smiles, “because people have been gifted my products. I hear that a lot from repeat customers. They got my products as a gift and now are gifting them to others, which is really lovely.”
Barbara bathing in midwinter sun with her dog Daisy. \ Barry Cronin
Kobido face massage
Having talked at length about the range, Barbara invited me to try the products and treated me to a Kobido face massage (€65 for one hour). Kobido, she explains, is a natural Japanese facelift technique. “It’s really good for the skin, very good for the lymphatic system, very good for the circulation and very good for healthy skin.”
Barbara starts with a warm flannel and the Organic Cleansing Balm (€10) to nourish and calm the skin. She then moves onto lymphatic drainage, using techniques and facial cups to improve blood circulation. “The lymphatic system is your secondary circulation (after blood circulation). If it builds up, it can cause inflammation,” she explains.
The massage involves a series of rhythmic movements, including kneading, tapping, stroking, applied with the hands and fingers. “It’s very effective, and it’s very good for detoxing and de-puffing the face,” Barbara explains.
Next Barbara tones to close down the pores using the Refreshing Skin Tonic (€20) followed by the Nourishing Night Cream Moisturiser (€17) which is made with an essential oil blend of neroli and mandarin to help with sleep.
Barbara finishes the facial with Reiki, a form of energy healing that promotes relaxation and stress reduction.
Out of the warm surrounds of Barbara’s workshop, I head home. My face is glowing, my mind is calm, and the late afternoon sun is beginning to soften.
See josiesbotanicals.com
A deep red ceramic bowl rests on a wooden countertop in Barbara’s McAteer’s workshop, holding what looks like dense swirls of golden yellow butter. But it’s not butter, it’s night cream – one of the many products stocked in Josie’s Botanicals, handmade by Barbara in her home in Dunboyne, Co Meath.
“I make every single product by hand myself,” says Barbara. “And I choose the ingredients with a lot of care. It’s very important to me to make sure that the ingredients are very high quality.”
Barbara has been working for the past 30 years as a holistic therapist. She started making her own products for use in her own holistic therapy practice a decade ago “and because my mother, Josie, was very interested in herbalism and natural remedies, that’s why it’s called Josie’s Botanicals,” she adds. “My mum was very into herbalism, and so she was definitely my big inspiration and influence.” The second youngest of 11 children, a lot of Barbara’s siblings also followed the complementary therapy route.
Barbara trained in Swedish massage therapy in California during her 20s, and when she returned to Ireland, she continued her journey in studying different complementary therapies, such as nutrition and sports massage. As a holistic therapist, Barbara explains that she looks at the body as a whole. “The foundation of holistic therapy is that everything is interconnected.
I look at the emotional body, the physical body, the mental body, and I work accordingly. I help people on a lot of different levels through the treatments.”
The idea for making her own skincare products to use in her treatments came about because Barbara “was doing a lot of work with people with skin problems or musculoskeletal problems, and I couldn’t help them with the stuff that I was buying,” she explains. “I decided to go back to my heritage, and have a look at the teachings of my mom, and started blending my own products with really natural ingredients. And then I saw a difference. I saw a difference in people’s skin. I saw a difference in people’s moods.”
However, it wasn’t until 2020 that Barbara started to sell her products and develop the range. “During COVID, I couldn’t go into the places I was working in as a therapist. Clients couldn’t come here for treatments. But I still had to pay my mortgage and I made this” – she gestures to the bottles and jars filled with lotions and serums around the room – “my work”.
“I developed my website and people locally were finding out through word of mouth, and they were able to come up and collect their products safely. I was actually really busy during the lockdown, and then it just spiralled from there. And it has been a labour of love ever since.”
Expanding the range
Having initially started out with core facial products like a cleansing balm, moisturiser, and facial oil, the range has steadily grown over the years to include natural organic deodorants and bath sets. Barbara constantly gets new ideas for product development, with three new products – an SPF 30, a restless legs cream with magnesium and chamomile, and a skin clarity gel – launched at the end of last year.
Barbara McAteer takes Irish Country Living inside her Dunboyne workshop. \ Barry Cronin
They have all been pharmaceutically tested, approved and certified.
Barbara explains that she gets product ideas from conversations with friends and through her work in the public sector, including at Stewarts Care in Palmerstown where she delivers holistic therapies with residents with additional needs twice a week.
“I’m with different groups, I see what’s relevant and what’s needed,” Barbara says. “At the moment, I’m in the menopause and I have a lot of friends who are in that age bracket. Seeing the different things that affect them or what they’re going through can be helpful.”
New product ideas are also inspired by events unfolding in her own life. “I brought out the Angel Wings candle and perfume after my mom died three years ago, and it’s like a hug,” she recalls. “It is made from an oil blend of lemongrass, sweet orange, lavender and rosewood.”
A typical Irish mammy, Barbara fondly recalls that Josie initially tried to discourage her from naming the brand Josie’s Botanicals. But her mother quickly grew to quite like her namesake, Barbara says with a smile. “After a while, she was rocking up to all her friends in the nursing home, joking it was her business as well.”
Sustainability at the heart
Josie’s legacy for natural healing continues to be retold and renewed through Josie’s Botanicals, and one of the key messages that Barbara wants to share is the importance of sourcing natural and pure ingredients. It’s a passion that she shared with her mother, and that she continues to share with her siblings, with one of her sisters growing her comfrey in France to use in her products.
Barbara sources from different suppliers in Ireland, the UK and Europe. “I get herbs from reputable herbalists, and I make my oils myself with some of the ingredients. I do herbal oil infusions.
“I create arnica oil, comfrey, chamomile, calendula and rosemary oil.”
Nature may be around her all the time – the shadow of Dunboyne woods overlooks Barbara’s workshop – but the skincare founder firmly insists that business owners have to make sustainability a “priority” for a business to be truly so.
Barbara made the decision that Josie’s Botanicals would be plastic-free, finding innovative solutions to reduce waste (like sourcing packaging for hand sanitiser made out of sugar cane), and she has also implemented a recycling policy for consumers to return their empty glass jars and bottles to her.
When people return their empties, it reduces costs and it also saves waste because the bottles can be sanitised and reused. Barbara then doubles the value of the savings and donates that money to charity every year. Oscar’s Kids Ireland has been the charity that she has been regularly sponsoring and supporting.
Barbara’s efforts have been clearly rewarded, with the brand making it to the finals in the sustainability category at the Irish Made Awards 2025, run by Irish Country Magazine. Her success is also reflected in the fact she has cultivated a loyal customer base who keep coming back for more. “My business has definitely been a word-of-mouth business or a gift of mouth business,” Barbara smiles, “because people have been gifted my products. I hear that a lot from repeat customers. They got my products as a gift and now are gifting them to others, which is really lovely.”
Barbara bathing in midwinter sun with her dog Daisy. \ Barry Cronin
Kobido face massage
Having talked at length about the range, Barbara invited me to try the products and treated me to a Kobido face massage (€65 for one hour). Kobido, she explains, is a natural Japanese facelift technique. “It’s really good for the skin, very good for the lymphatic system, very good for the circulation and very good for healthy skin.”
Barbara starts with a warm flannel and the Organic Cleansing Balm (€10) to nourish and calm the skin. She then moves onto lymphatic drainage, using techniques and facial cups to improve blood circulation. “The lymphatic system is your secondary circulation (after blood circulation). If it builds up, it can cause inflammation,” she explains.
The massage involves a series of rhythmic movements, including kneading, tapping, stroking, applied with the hands and fingers. “It’s very effective, and it’s very good for detoxing and de-puffing the face,” Barbara explains.
Next Barbara tones to close down the pores using the Refreshing Skin Tonic (€20) followed by the Nourishing Night Cream Moisturiser (€17) which is made with an essential oil blend of neroli and mandarin to help with sleep.
Barbara finishes the facial with Reiki, a form of energy healing that promotes relaxation and stress reduction.
Out of the warm surrounds of Barbara’s workshop, I head home. My face is glowing, my mind is calm, and the late afternoon sun is beginning to soften.
See josiesbotanicals.com
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