Olive oil is one of the oldest wellness remedies around. For centuries, the antioxidant-rich, golden elixir has been prized for its health and beauty benefits, fortifying the body with protective polyphenols and healing the skin with moisturizing omega fatty acids, making it a hero ingredient in everything from foods to perfumes to soaps. Today, the original, does-it-all ingredient hasn’t lost any of its luster—just ask Jay and Alison Carroll, the husband-and-wife founders of Wonder Valley, the cult-favorite range of olive-oil-infused goods for eating or patting on your hair, skin and body.
Alison Carroll, co-founder of Wonder Valley, a line of olive-oil-based food and beauty goods.
Launched in Joshua Tree, California, in 2014, Wonder Valley hit upon the idea of wellness from the inside out before it became a ubiquitous catchphrase. The brand’s extra-virgin Olive Oil has a very “unique flavor profile,” says Alison, which is the result of using both California mission and Tuscan olive varietals, as well as harvesting the fruit by hand early in the season “while it’s still mostly green and just flush with a bit of purple” to impart a bright, herbaceous flavor. The freshly-pressed oil is also brimming with antioxidants to make you glow all over, as evidenced by the beauty-care offerings.
Wonder Valley's Wonder Serum is made with extra-virgin olive oil, in addition to sea lavender, ... [+]
The brand’s bestselling, olive-based Hinoki Body Oil, for example, is “a decadent, skin-softening body oil that smells like the sweet, evergreen notes of Japanese Hinoki,” says Alison, who worked for the California Olive Oil Council before starting Wonder Valley. The new Hinoki Bar Soap shares the same forest-y scent. “It has a beautiful soft lather and is deeply hydrating,” she says. For extra relaxation, there’s even a poem tucked inside the soap box, penned by author and bathing-enthusiast Leonard Koren.
That same thoughtful intention and creativity informs Alison’s fashion choices. Her personal style is a mix of West coast cool and East coast simplicity—the couple divides their time between California and Maine, where they have a house on the water—and Alison prefers pieces that travel well and work in any climate. Most days the busy entrepreneur can be found in vintage-inspired jumpsuits from Al’s Big Deal, the fashion label the Carrolls run in addition to Wonder Valley, or chic stove-pipe jeans and desert-friendly moto boots. Here, Alison opens up her closet to share her go-to outfits along with how she stays hydrated, happy and full of positive energy at work.
Shop Alison Carroll’s Work Essentials
Her Wardrobe Hero: A Well-Made Blouse
The Jeans She Wears Constantly: Slim Stove-Pipe Pairs
The Boots She’s Walked Miles In: The Row Moto Boots
Her Other Favorite Shoes: No. 6 Clogs
Her Go-To Work Bag: A Sleek Crossbody
Her Zoom-Ready Beauty Trick: Glowy Serum And Mascara
What Keeps Her Energy Up: Well-Tuned Music
Always On Her Desk: A Sleek Reusable Water Bottle
What Helps Her Relax: A Hand Chime
