New York, NY - - Mayola’s Flowers, a Maryland-based, woman-owned all-natural body care and skincare brand founded by Alison Ballard, was featured as an Official Gift Bag Sponsor for the 2026 Miss New York and Miss New York Teen Competition. The 2026 Miss New York Competition, a state preliminary to the Miss America Organization (MAO), was held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Rockland Community College Cultural Arts Theater in Suffern, New York.

Founded over a decade ago, Mayola’s Flowers began as a personal practice: handmade body butters and herbal teas crafted in Alison Ballard’s kitchen and given to loved ones during the holidays. That foundation of care and craftsmanship remains central to the brand today. Ballard continues to handcraft every product in small batches using all-natural, nourishing ingredients, with a line that includes body butters, beard balms, herbal teas, and skincare creams.

Two of the brand’s handcrafted body butters were selected for gift bags curated by outgoing titleholder Miss New York 2025 Lauren Norris, marking Mayola’s Flowers’ first appearance on a national beauty platform. For a brand rooted in the tradition of gifting, the path to that stage reflected its very beginnings: a jar shared among family members, whose appreciation for the product ultimately led to this opportunity.

Mayola’s Flowers serves beauty, wellness, and skincare consumers seeking clean, thoughtfully formulated alternatives to mass-produced products. Rooted in whole-body wellness, the brand creates products designed to nourish the body, calm the mind, and uplift the spirit through natural ingredients and mindful self-care.

Miss New York 2025: Lauren Norris
Miss New York 2025 Lauren Norris grew up in Alabama watching pageant competitions on a box television and wondering whether someone like her could belong on that stage. She went on to become a first-generation college student, moved to New York City on her own, and built a following as a YouTuber and content creator. While preparing for New York Fashion Week, she received the call that changed the course of her journey: she would inherit the Miss New York title after original winner Cassie Donegan won the 2025 Miss America Competition. A name and title she thought had already passed her by were suddenly in her hands.

Norris uses her platform to raise awareness about endometriosis, informed by her own years-long experience of advocating to be heard about her health. Through her community work, she has donated 12,000 feminine hygiene products across New York.

Beyond the official gift bag sponsorship, the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to purpose, perseverance, and community. Both Mayola’s Flowers and Lauren Norris have transformed personal experiences into opportunities to inspire and serve others, making this collaboration a natural fit.

This milestone represents an important step in Mayola’s Flowers’ continued growth, introducing the brand to a broader audience while remaining rooted in handcrafted care, natural ingredients, and intentional self-care.

About The Name: Mayola’s Flowers
The name Mayola’s Flowers holds deep personal meaning for founder Alison Ballard, who named the brand in honor of her late grandmother. Although Ballard never had the chance to meet her, she created the brand to preserve her grandmother’s legacy and keep her memory alive.

“I named my business after my grandmother whom I never met. She passed away before I was born. When I did hear stories about her, they were filled with so much love. I named Mayola’s Flowers after her to keep her name alive, to be spoken, since that is something, I did not hear enough as a child,” stated Alison Ballard, Founder of Mayola’s Flowers.

On June 27, 2026, Mayola’s Flowers reached a broader audience through its official gift bag sponsorship of the 2026 Miss New York Competition.

Products Featured
The official gift bags featured two of Mayola’s Flowers’ handcrafted body butters:
• Cherry Kiss Body Butter
• Justly Body Butter

Both products are handcrafted in small batches using all-natural ingredients. To learn more about Mayola’s Flowers and explore the full collection, visit mayolasflowers.com.

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ABOUT MAYOLA’S FLOWERS
Mayola’s Flowers is a woman-owned, all-natural body care and wellness brand founded by Alison Ballard. All products are handcrafted in small batches using all-natural ingredients, with a line that includes body butters, beard balms, herbal teas, and skincare solutions. Named in honor of Ballard’s late grandmother, Mayola’s Flowers was built around the philosophy of intentional self-care, natural wellness, and whole-body nourishment. The brand serves consumers in the beauty, wellness, and lifestyle markets.
www.mayolasflowers.com