Story by Chelsea Chambers, Photos by Amanda Antilla
The early morning light shines through the trees and awakens the seedlings from their nighttime slumber. Leaves outstretch their stalks, reaching for the rising sun. Flowers emerge into full bloom as honeybees leap from blossom to blossom. Bounding Hound Farm is the setting for a perfect fairytale, this wonderland of elderflowers and budding blueberries, amongst rows and rows of freshly grown veggies and lush, well-loved plant life. Visitors are immediately greeted by two adorable dogs, Cindy and Evelyn, the farm’s namesakes. It’s hard to believe that such a beautiful setting started out as a simple dirt lot–a lot that Anna Demetriades and her husband Dustin Scott have transformed into this magical garden where they grow and harvest their own herbs, flowers and produce.
But Bounding Hound Farm holds so much more magic than the ordinary garden. Demetriades has harnessed the properties of her plants into a high-quality line of skincare products that are natural and locally sourced. From Bounding Hound Farm, Anthea Skincare was born.
Demetriades began studying herbology with her mother years ago. This interest grew into a passion, and she dedicated her time to creating and perfecting formulae for lotions, salves, creams and oils. The name Anthea means ‘flower blossom’ in Greek, which was perfect branding for her company. Even her last name is fitting. Demetriades is derived from ‘Demeter,’ the Greek Goddess of the Harvest.
The ingredients that Demetriades doesn’t grow herself are always ethically harvested and collected with sustainability in mind. 
She has a strict “no palm oil” policy, ensuring that her customers get the highest quality products that are best for their bodies and the environment.
She uses a water and heat distillation process to extract the oils and hydrosols from her plants. This process takes hours to complete, but she wants to guarantee that all of the extractions retain the benefits of the plants. Each unique, healing property remains intact during distillation, giving Anthea Skincare incredible power and potency.
Perhaps one of her biggest challenges was finding a natural preservative allowing Anthea Skincare to have a longer shelf life. She discovered natural preservatives like radish root ferment and potassium sorbate worked well.
Anthea Skincare creams and oils keep the skin looking youthful and feeling soft. Demetriades also creates tinctures to help balance the body and boost the immune system. One of her favorite ingredients, the ancient lomatium root, makes a powerful tincture that increases the body’s natural ability to fight illnesses.
Her simple creams, available in either rose or sage, immediately make the skin feel smooth and refreshed. With locally sourced rose and sage hydrosols and infused oils, they absorb immediately, minus any oily residue. The Balance Serum is Anthea Skincare’s most popular product. Made with calendula-infused hazelnut oil and a mix of organic seed oils, the Balance Serum helps smooth and perfect the skin. Demetriades recently started working with Oracle Perfumes in Boise to create her own signature botanical fragrance: Ochre.
Demetriades has always been interested in research and loves stretching her creative mind. Anthea Skincare has given her the venue for combining her herbology passion with a much-needed product line that is genuinely kind to the body.
Anthea Skincare • anthea.com
Also available for purchase at the Boise Co-Op and Crazy Neighbor.