Pooey Mu
founder: Sara Grace Newhall
course: Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation + Diploma in Organic Haircare Formulation
Graduation year: 2025
location: France
Hero product: Carezza di Cane – Pooey Mu’s Gentle Shampoo for Puppies and Sensitive dogs
Brand overview
Pooey Mu, founded by Formula Botanica graduate Sara Grace, was born out of a profound love for her GoldenDoodle, Sadie – affectionately known as Pooey – whose joyful spirit lit up eleven precious years of Sara’s life. Sadie’s memory inspired a brand devoted to dogs, nature, and the art of mindful grooming.
Rooted in Corsica, where rugged cliffs overlook fields of wild Immortelle, Pooey Mu creates luxury natural dog-care products designed for sensitive skin and discerning pet parents. Every formula is plant-based, sulphate-free, petrochemical-free, vegan, and produced in small batches in France. The brand blends the island’s finest wild botanicals, Immortelle, Corsican Carotte Sauvage, native aromatic herbs, and Mediterranean plants with refined French cosmetic expertise.
Guided by its philosophy that grooming is more than a routine, it is an act of connection, a way to cleanse, soothe, protect, and honour the relationship between dog and human, Pooey Mu has developed its signature line, Essentiologie Canine™. This collection transforms everyday dog grooming into a calming ritual, offering shampoos, conditioners, and detangling creams crafted to nourish the skin, support a healthy coat, and leave a subtle, elegant natural fragrance.
Sara credits Formula Botanica for giving her the knowledge and confidence to bring Pooey Mu to life. She explains that the courses helped her understand the complete product development process – from formulation fundamentals and ingredient sourcing to INCI naming, essential oil dermal limits, preservation, and testing. This foundation has proven invaluable when collaborating with testing and filling labs and when navigating the wider pet-care industry.
Formula Botanica also shaped the brand’s ethos: a deep respect for natural formulation, a commitment to transparency and education, and the belief that every ingredient has a purpose and every product tells a story. It reinforced for Sara how limited and poorly regulated many dog-grooming products still are, strengthening her mission to create safe, high-quality, fully transparent formulations that empower pet owners to understand exactly what they are using on their dogs.
