Sarah Miletich –  CEO & Lead Formulator

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Sarah Miletich is the CEO of Proof and the chemist behind every formula we make. She holds a BS in Organic Chemistry from The Evergreen State College and an MS in Cosmetic Science from the University of Cincinnati, where her capstone focused on topical cannabis absorption. She personally formulates every Proof product and reviews every batch before it reaches a customer, nothing about our formulations is outsourced.
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Table of Contents

From Lab Bench to Wellness Brand

My path to Proof started in chemistry, not cannabis. I studied organic chemistry because I wanted to understand how things work at a molecular level, and that curiosity naturally pulled me toward the question of how plants, cannabis in particular, actually interact with the body. Chemistry and medicine have always felt like two halves of the same problem to me: one explains what's happening, the other asks how to use that knowledge to help people feel better.

That's exactly what Proof has let me do. Between Julie's legal background and my chemistry background, we've built a company where the founders don't just oversee formulation. We do it, and we sign our names to it. Combined, Julie and I bring more than 20 years of hands-on experience in cannabis and wellness to every product on our shelves. When I say I formulate every Proof product and personally review every batch, that's not a marketing line, it's literally my job, every day.

My Approach to Formulation

I keep our formulas simple on purpose. Most of our tinctures are just two ingredients: hemp extract and MCT oil. No fillers, no unnecessary additives, nothing added just because it sounds impressive on a label. Simplicity is harder to formulate well than complexity, every ingredient has to earn its place.

I also try to stay close to the research. Cannabis science moves fast, and I read the latest studies so our formulas can evolve as our understanding does, rather than staying frozen in place. That's part of why I decided to go back to school for my Master's in Cosmetic Science, I wanted a deeper, more rigorous understanding of how cannabinoids behave when they're absorbed topically, not just anecdotally, but clinically. My thesis research on topical cannabis absorption is a direct extension of the questions I ask myself every day at the formulation bench.

And like Julie, I use what I make. I take our Comfort Drops daily, it's partly personal wellness, and partly practical: staying level and clear-headed is part of how I do my best work during formulation and quality control.

Awards & Recognition

  • 4x Emerald Cup 1st Place winner:
  • Face Serum (2022)
  • Bazillion Drops Tincture (2023)
  • CBG Elixir Drops (2023)
  • Icy Hot Roll On (2024)
  • 2026 California State Fair Cannabis Award—Orgasmic Oil
  • 2025 NBBJ "Forty Under 40"—recognized at age 33
  • Co-host, "Proof of Wellness" podcast—launched February 2026, alongside Julie Mercer-Ingram

The Science Behind Our Products

Every product I formulate is built around a few non-negotiables: clean, minimal ingredient lists; carrier oils chosen for how well they support absorption, not just cost; and a broad-spectrum approach that reflects what the current research actually supports, not what's trendy. Formulating well means being willing to change a formula when better evidence comes along, and I'd rather do that than keep something the same just because it's familiar.

Formulation is only half the job, though. Every single batch we produce is sent out for independent, third-party testing, potency, pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, and residual solvents, at Anresco and SC Labs, both ISO-accredited labs. I don't sign off on a batch until those results are in. You can see the results for yourself on our Tested Clean page.

I also care deeply about where our hemp comes from. We source from a facility in Oregon that's FDA-registered, cGMP-certified, and Organic-certified, so the quality control starts long before the plant material ever reaches our workbench in Sonoma County. Between careful sourcing on the front end and independent lab testing on the back end, my goal is that there's no step in the process where we're just taking someone's word for it, including our own.

Being CEO doesn't change any of this for me, if anything, it means I get to protect the formulation process from the kind of shortcuts that growth can tempt a company to take. As Proof has grown from a small batch operation into an award-winning brand carried in stores across the country, the thing I'm proudest of is that the formulation standards haven't slipped an inch.

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