“Jao is a mystical word inscribed on a 2,000-year-old charm believed to prevent and cure disease,” explains Gale Mayron. “I also liked that the word seemed like it could be from any culture.” She discovered the exotic term in an old pharmacy book owned by her father, David, a chemist who helped her to formulate the essential oil-infused hand sanitizer that became the first in a series of unisex products distinguished by their high-quality ingredients, herbally uplifting scents, and variety of uses. “When one product does many things we buy less, and consume less,” notes Mayron of Jao’s growing stable of multi-taskers, which are free of dyes, petroleum, and artificial fragrances.