Samantha Kent

Samantha Kent is the Founder and CEO of Lacy Branch Botanicals, LLC, a luxury skincare brand rooted in botanical science, sustainability, and results-driven formulation. Based in Jonesville, Louisiana, she leads with a clear vision to nurture skin naturally while building a brand defined by integrity, elevated performance, and environmental responsibility. Under her leadership, the company has achieved notable milestones, including Leaping Bunny certification and wholesale expansion through RangeMe and Faire, positioning the brand for national retail growth. Samantha’s long-term vision is to scale Lacy Branch Botanicals, LLC into a nationally recognized clean beauty brand grounded in science, sustainability, and strategic innovation.

Samantha’s entrepreneurial drive runs parallel to her full-time career in education. She serves as an Adapted Physical Education Teacher, working with nearly 30 students with disabilities—among the most medically and developmentally complex children in the parish—while also teaching in the parish’s talented art program. Her days begin before 6:00 a.m., when she checks business emails, applies for retail reviews on RangeMe, fulfills orders, and advances product development before preparing her three children for school and heading to work. After school hours, she returns home to continue refining formulas, studying plant science, and building Lacy Branch Botanicals, LLC from the ground up. With formal botanical education through The Herbal Academy and advanced cosmetic formulation training from Formula Botanica, she now formulates her products independently, combining extensive plant research with modern cosmetic science to ensure every ingredient is intentional and effective.

Beyond skincare and education, Samantha is also an illustrator currently working on Can You Read? The Kisatchie National Forest, scheduled for release on March 3 through Wild Stork Publishing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University at Alexandria and is currently in a master’s program pursuing her degree in Social Work, further strengthening her commitment to service, advocacy, and community impact. Whether she is researching plant constituents, mentoring students, cooking dinner for her family, or mapping out strategic growth plans for Lacy Branch Botanicals, LLC, Samantha embodies discipline, resilience, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship—ending each day having invested fully in her students, her children, and the future of her brand.

• Leaping Bunny certification

• Louisiana State University at Alexandria - BA, Humanities/Humanistic Studies