LOS ANGELES, CA — October 29, 2025 — In a wide-ranging conversation with The Slow Journal, the founding team behind pooprocks made the case for what they believe is the next, and possibly final, frontier of self-care: the deliberate, ritualized attention of regions the wellness industry has long been too squeamish to name. The future of wellness, they argue, is "below the belt" — and it has been hiding in plain sight.

The following are edited excerpts from that conversation, reproduced here as an official company statement on its philosophy.

On the limits of topical skincare

"We've spent fifteen years perfecting the surface," said founder Wren Calloway. "We can do extraordinary things to the outermost layer of a person. But the surface was always a symptom. The glow everyone chases on the face is just a press release from the gut. At some point you have to stop polishing the messenger and address the message."

"Topical skincare asks, 'how do I look?' Internal skincare asks, 'how am I, actually, underneath all of this?' Those are very different questions."

On interoception

"Interoception is the ability to perceive your own internal state," Calloway explained. "Most people run it on the lowest setting. They've outsourced it to a watch. Our entire product is, in a sense, an interoception trainer. The micro-carbonation gives you something faint and specific to notice. Learning to notice it is the actual benefit. The fizz is just the curriculum."

On the cultural moment

"Five years ago this product would have been a joke," Calloway acknowledged. "Maybe it still is, depending on who you ask, and we've made peace with that. But the culture moved. People slowed down their coffee, their breathing, their scrolling. They started treating ordinary processes as practices. Once you've ritualized your morning matcha, the lower colon is not a leap. It's just the next honest place to put your attention."

On the name

"People ask if the name undercuts the science," Calloway said. "I think it's the opposite. The name is the disclosure. It tells you exactly where this came from and refuses to be embarrassed about it. A serious product that keeps a playful name is a product with nothing to prove. We'd rather be honest and a little funny than pristine and forgettable."

On what comes next

"We're not in a hurry," Calloway concluded. "Retention is a practice. Building the category is a practice. We think the future of wellness is quieter, lower, and more honest than the industry has been willing to admit. We're just the ones saying it out loud — and, occasionally, feeling it around minute fourteen."

The Slow Journal's full interview is available in its print edition. pooprocks' signature 30-serving jar is available now direct-to-consumer and through select premium retailers.